TWO MEETINGS in two days yet representatives of the government and coalition partner DIKO remain hard-pressed to find a kind word to say about each other.
On the President’s initiative, Demetris Christofias met yesterday with DIKO leader and House President Marios Garoyian in an effort to smooth over the increasingly vocal differences between the government and its coalition partner. The meeting came a day after Garoyian accepted an invite to meet with governing party AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou.
Judging from the comments made after both meetings, it appears the chasm between the two sides remains as wide as ever.
Asked yesterday if he was satisfied with the outcome of the meeting with the president, Garoyian said that DIKO had made it clear months ago they were “not satisfied with the mode of cooperation with the government”.
“We made some proposals then. The latest events have created an even heavier climate. We continue to have our reservations, disagreements and concerns,” he said.
The DIKO leader said his party would continue to support the right decisions taken by government while highlighting its mistakes and proposing solutions to make things better.
He called for a greater say in formulating government policies on the Cyprus problem, economy, Turkey’s EU accession and domestic governance. Asked about his party’s views on the president’s handling of the Cyprus problem, Garoyian reminded that DIKO had submitted its so-called “red lines” at the first National Council meeting.
“These remain unchanged. If those red lines are crossed, (leaving government) is a serious prospect.”
Garoyian said the party was not afraid of taking its fair share of responsibility but only for what it was responsible for. DIKO seeks a more active, powerful participation in policy and decision-making, he added.
Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said the meeting with the president was held in a “constructive and friendly climate”.
Problems between the two sides are known, which is why the president sought ways to improve the situation and strengthen cooperation, he said.
“We believe through dialogue we can have better cooperation soon,” said Stefanou. The government wants cooperation on all levels, which means “that every member has a say, a role and through this procedure takes responsibility for implementation of decisions,” he added.
Asked about the differences over the handling of the Cyprus problem, Stefanou said every party could have their say in the upcoming National Council scheduled for September 14 and 15. As a government partner, DIKO has more rights but also more obligations, noted Stefanou.
Relations between the government and DIKO have been on shaky ground since the partnership was first formed during the second week of the presidential elections in February 2008.
Since then, the party has been a constant critic of the government, particularly over Christofias’ handling of the direct talks as well as the semi-government organisationa ppointments. DIKO’s Nicholas Papadopoulos has repeatedly accused Christofias of making too many concessions to the Turkish side, an accusation which AKEL and the president consistently reject.
