‘We have submitted concrete proposals’

THE Greek Cypriot side has submitted concrete and detailed suggestions concerning its stance on a solution to the Cyprus problem, President Tassos Papadopoulos said yesterday.

In a written statement issued after he met UN Undersecretary for Political Affairs Sir Kieran Prendergast, Papadopoulos said it was up to the UN official how to handle the discussions, aimed at creating a climate conducive to the launch of a new effort for a Cyprus settlement.

Prendergast, speaking after his meeting with the President, said he would prefer to keep the content of the discussions confidential and that he would make a statement before he leaves. “I have come primarily to listen to the parties,” he said.

Prendergast is due to meet Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat today and will also have a further meeting with Papadopoulos.
He described yesterday’s two-hour long meeting at the Presidential Palace as a “productive discussion”.

Prendergast was accompanied by the UN Secretary-general’s Special Representative in Cyprus Zbigniew Wlosowicz. Also present at the meeting were the Director of the President’s Diplomatic Office Tasos Tzionis, who carried out a week-long series of meetings with Prendergast in New York.

Prendergast also met yesterday with House President Demetris Christofias, who said the UN official wanted to listen to as many views as possible during his four-day visit in order to obtain a clear picture.
Prendergast will also visit Athens and Ankara before returning to New York, where he will report to UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan, who will then decide whether to launch a new round of Cyprus talks. Annan will first hold a meeting with Turkish Prime Minster Tayyip Erdogan in New York on June 9. Ankara is also due to hold a Cyprus summit at the end of this week.

Speaking after his meeting with Christofias, Prendergast said: “We continued the discussion about their objectives, their concerns and it is part of the business of getting a very good picture of the mood and the intentions on both sides.”
Asked if his talks so far had enhanced his understanding of Greek Cypriot concerns, he said: “Yes, I want to meet everybody and I want to listen as many perspectives as possible.”
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The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.