Greek Press

PHILELEFTHEROS: “Proposal for dialogue”. According to the daily, President Papadopoulos has submitted to UN Undersecretary-general for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari a comprehensive proposal for discussion of “technical issues” that touch upon core aspects of the Cyprus problem. The proposal was relayed by Gambari to Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat. The three men are expected to meet on Saturday as part of efforts to jumpstart a new talks process.

ALITHIA: “Security Council puts its foot down”. The five permanent members of the UN Security Council are said to be putting the pressure on both communities on the island to return to the negotiating table. Elsewhere, the paper said US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matt Bryza would be dispatched to the region sometime next week, a sign of the US government’s interest in speeding up a settlement on the island.

MACHI: “Gambari gets two proposals”. The paper focused on the gulf separating the two communities, saying that UN Undersecretary-general for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari was given two completely different proposals for dialogue from the leaders of the two communities. Elsewhere, the paper reported on the Education Minister’s pledge that there would be no vacant positions at the University of Cyprus.

POLITIS: “Tassos wants technical committees, Talat wants CBMs”. Another take on Gambari’s ongoing visit. Upon his arrival on the island, the UN official was handed two radically different proposals from the two communities’ leaders. Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat wants to focus on confidence-building measures, while President Papadopoulos is insisting on the technical committees, which will discuss the so-called “soft issues.”

SIMERINI: “The Alligator’s downfall”. According to the paper, the crash of the Russian-made Mi-35 combat helicopter — nicknamed the Alligator — was likely due to human error. Investigators are said to be focusing on this possibility rather than on technical glitches. The air accident was the third in the National Guard in the space of four years, the latest coming last summer.

HARAVGHI: “New efforts”. The communist party mouthpiece zeroed in on Ibrahim Gambari, saying the UN official hoped to be able to achieve something positive as a facilitator prior to returning to UN headquarters in New York. What Gambari and the UN Security Council are looking for are “signs of political goodwill and flexibility from the two leaders on the island.”

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.