HOUSE president Demetris Christofias yesterday dismissed claims he was trying to bypass President Tassos Papadopoulos by requesting a meeting with the Greek Prime Minister.
Christofias met Costas Karamanlis in Athens yesterday.
But his move to seek a meeting with the Greek Prime Minister has prompted rumours that he was going behind the President’s back due to disagreement with the way he was handling the Cyprus issue.
Christofias pointed out that when he had been in opposition he had made half a dozen similar trips and met with Greek officials but was never accused of bypassing president Glafcos Clerides.
And now when his party was participating in the government and he was House President “there are these rumours and false accusations,” Christofias said.
“I wanted to ignore these things but in any case I think the attempt to make the President and the House president to come to loggerheads will fail,” he added.
Papadopoulos’ press officer Marios Karoyian dismissed the reports, adding that Christofias and Papadopoulos had an excellent, creative and productive relationship.
“And this relationship will not, despite some people’s efforts, be disturbed,” Karoyian said.
On Monday, Papadopoulos pointed out that those expecting him to be sidelined or bypassed “would do well to listen to the people’s decision”.
“I am not worried, let the people judge those who make such attempts,” the President said.
Karamanlis and Christofias yesterday discussed the developments in the Cyprus problem in the wake of the referendum.
Speaking after the one-hour meeting, Christofias said the Annan plan remained on the table and repeated that the bi-zonal bi-communal federal solution had bound the Greek Cypriot side since 1977.
He added that the island’s membership of the EU should be exploited and, without illusions or maximalist aims, the feeling of insecurity felt by the Greek Cypriots should be addressed.
“But the first issue is to secure the guarantees for the implementation, through the Security Council and bring it to a close together with the Turkish Cypriots,” Cristofias said.
The AKEL leader said that a fresh referendum was not a priority.
The Greek Cypriot side should first tackle the repercussions from the referendum result and the pressure exerted by the USA, Britain and other EU countries.
Christofias said that time would show if there would be a new referendum, adding, however, that he did not expect Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots to agree when they had already said ‘yes’.
He said the priority were the additional guarantees on the plan and suggested that the EU could contribute more, along with the United Nations.
“The Cyprus problem will not be taken away from the UN, it is its natural place but the EU can prove its interest in its own way concerning the guarantees for the implementation of the solution,” Christofias said.
