PRESIDENT Tassos Papadoulos has said he expects the UN Secretary-general to undertake a new initiative on the Cyprus problem, now that the international community realises that Greek Cypriots’ concerns on a possible settlement are valid.
The comments came during a news conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, where Papadopoulos met with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan along with other foreign leaders.
The president said he expected “some move” by the Secretary-general “in the near future.” He went on to debunk suggestions that developments on Cyprus have been bogged down since last year’s referendum, pointing out that Kofi Annan’s good offices were “continuous” and not a “one-off try.”
But asked whether, in this respect, a timetable or time limit has been set, Papadopoulos said:
“No, we are far away from that… the pace of the talks and any time limits will be dictated by the needs of the negotiation not by extraneous elements.”
He was referring to the ongoing debate inside the EU on the start of accession talks with Turkey, which Cyprus wants to use to extract concessions from Ankara.
The bloc was yesterday still striving to reach a compromise on how to respond to Ankara’s refusal to recognise the Republic of Cyprus.
“Every now and then I hear statements about October 3, because that is connected with Turkish progress vis-?-vis the EU. That is what I mean by extraneous events. The pace and time schedule of the talks should be dictated purely on the progress of the talks and the time needed for completing various aspects.”
He added that the international community now better understood Greek Cypriots’ reasons for rejecting of the UN blueprint for reunification last April.
“What prevailed last year, or soon after the referenda, was that the Annan Plan was ‘uniquely balanced’ and ‘fair’. This was the prevailing view then. I believe this is no longer the case, everybody appreciates that changes must be made to the new concept of a solution…”
Press reports yesterday cited diplomatic sources as saying the US government was putting pressure on both communities in Cyprus to lay the groundwork for a new round of talks aimed at breaking the impasse. According to Phileleftheros, a US official said Washington was not satisfied with progress.
These reports came in the wake of recent comments by US State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Matthew Bryza, who called on the Greek Cypriot side to submit its positions for a comprehensive settlement to the UN Secretary-general.
Government spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides yesterday described Bryza’s statement as “paradoxical”:
“There seems to be a misunderstanding somewhere. The UN is well aware of our views, and we handed them to Sir Kieran Prendergast.
“Perhaps Mr Bryza was hinting at the need to prioritise issues, but this will be done once the actual talks get underway.”
Asked by a journalist how it was possible for a high-ranking official not to be properly informed on developments on Cyprus, Chrysostomides remarked:
“I, too, find that strange, but not unthinkable.”
Bryza will be travelling to Ankara on Thursday on a two-day visit for talks with senior government officials and top military brass.
The fight against the PKK, the Cyprus issue, Turkey’s EU membership process and Turkey-US bilateral relations will be high on agenda of Bryza’s meeting.
