Christofias back at National Council seeking consensus

PRESIDENT Demetris Christofias is seeking consensus in the National Council on property, as the issue was yesterday referred for discussion before the property sub-committee.
Christofias yesterday briefed council members on the property negotiations, following the submission of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot proposals on what is the thorniest aspect of the Cyprus problem.
“The effort is to have consensus; that is why there will be a very specific discussion in the (National Council’s) property sub-committee,” government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said. “Each party will submit its own proposals, thoughts, assessments, comments on the proposals in a bid to find a common element.”
It did not take long however for the heads of the smaller parties to criticise Christofias.
EVROKO chairman Demetris Syllouris described the president’s approach on the property issue as “catastrophic” while Green party leader Ioannou Panayiotou said they leaned towards the positions of the Annan plan, which was rejected by the Greek Cypriots. Stefanou wondered why people jumped the gun.
“Is this how we help achieving a helpful climate?” the spokesman said.
Stefanou said talk that painted a picture of the differences between parties as being huge “is not at all productive.”
“There was a very productive and constructive atmosphere in the National Council today, which gives the message that we can have a course that at least satisfies the majority of political forces,” Stefanou said.
The leaders of opposition DISY, ruling AKEL and socialists EDEK did not make any statements to the media after the meeting.
Government partners DIKO chief Marios Garoyian suggested it was premature for one to say that “we cannot find those common positions.”
“Each party has its own analyses and its own assessments, which will be set on the table and from then on the hope and expectation is to be able to find those common denominators … so as to bolster our negotiating position but mainly to fend off those who want to blame our side with lack of goodwill,” Garoyian said.
Asked if it was possible to find a common element through the sub-committee meetings when the Greek Cypriot side has already submitted its proposals, Garoyian said nothing could stop the president from changing, reinforcing or introducing something new.
“This is the aim of these discussions,” he added.

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