President Nicos Anastasiades is willing to discuss ways for the talks process to become more productive with UN envoy Jane Holl Lute because the government’s aim is to resume negotiations as soon as possible, Government Spokesman Prodromos Prodromou said on Saturday.
In statements to the press at the Presidential Palace on what Anastasiades expects from Lute’s visit on Sunday for separate meetings with the two leaders, Prodromou said that the aim of the Greek Cypriot side “is to make a decisive step towards agreeing on the terms of reference to resume negotiations from where they left off.”
The terms of reference are very important, he said, since that way, both sides will be ready to discuss all the issues and not repeat the deadlock reached in the summer of 2017 at the Switzerland talks.
“We consider it necessary, apart from the basic principles of the solution, to include in the terms of reference the framework proposed by the UN Secretary-General and the six parameters,” he said.
Prodromou added that this concerned the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the island, the issue of security and guarantees, participation of the Turkish Cypriots in decision-making, the issue of territorial adjustments, the issue of treatment, the status of Greek and Turkish citizens after the solution and the question of property. “All these issues should be included in the terms of reference.”
At this stage, he said, Anastasiades feels that it would be useful for both leaders to have a joint meeting with Lute to make the process more productive.
“Dialogue is needed, it is through dialogue that we will overcome the problems,” Prodromou said.
Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci has already announced he does not agree to a joint meeting, Prodromou said.
“Let us wait to hear what the president will say tomorrow and then look at the results.”
Meanwhile, Lute had a meeting on Friday in Washington with Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Katrougalos. The minister said after the meeting he told Lute that Greece considers the Cyprus issue one of international law and reiterated the country’s commitment to the need to resolve it with respect of UN resolutions.
He also said that Greece aims to discuss the international aspect of the Cyprus problem, that is the termination of the anachronistic system of guarantees and the withdrawal of Turkish occupation troops and that the two sides in Cyprus have exclusive competence to discuss the issues that concern them.
Katrougalos noted moreover that he reiterated the need to renew the mandate of the peacekeeping force in Cyprus (Unficyp), adding however that this issue should not be regarded as crucial for the next steps in the negotiations.
Lute made no statements after the meeting, which lasted for about one hour.
