‘Syria mission a success’

THE CONTROVERSIAL issue of a ferry service between occupied Famagusta and Latakia in Syria will be resolved soon, EDEK honorary president Vassos Lyssarides said yesterday.

Lyssaridies was speaking after a meeting with President Tassos Papadopoulos upon his return from Damascus where he met Syrian President Bashar al-Asad and other senior officials.

He left for Damascus on Friday night as an official envoy of the President.

“I have been given assurances that the issue will be resolved before [Foreign Minister] Mrs Marcoullis travels to Damascus,” said Lyssarides. He further added that it would be resolved to the satisfaction of the Greek Cypriot side.

The ferry service officially began last Friday, some weeks after an inaugural trip. The day-trip is set to run twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays. Around 30 people travelled on the first voyage on Friday, although the vessel has a capacity of nearly 300.

Cyprus has been trying for weeks to put pressure on Syria to halt the trips but has so far failed.

However Lyssarides seemed certain that his trip to Damascus would produce results. He said he had drawn up a report, which he had handed over to Papadopoulos yesterday detailing his contacts with the Syrian officials.

He also called for public debate and rhetoric on the ferry issue to remain low key, saying such debates didn’t help

“I am satisfied that the mission was a success,” Lyssarides said, adding that he had also discussed bilateral relations between Cyprus and Syria in other areas of interest.

Lyssarides said his meeting with the Syrian President lasted over an hour. Others who attended the meeting were the Syrian Foreign Minister, the country’s vice President, the President of the Syrian parliament and political party leaders.

“My conclusion is that this issue will be resolved shortly and in a way that will satisfy our side,” Lyssarides said.
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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.