By Jean Christou
BRITAIN must restate its position on the Cyprus problem following last week’s uproar over comments by British special envoy Sir David Hannay, Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides said yesterday.
Speaking after a high-profile meeting at the Presidential Palace on the Russian S-300 missiles, Cassoulides said the government expected Britain to make the next move.
“We would prefer a more clear stand on the part of Britain on two counts,” Cassoulides said. “I think it needs to be repeated that the Cyprus problem must be solved on the basis of UN resolutions and the bicommunal bizonal federation.”
It must also be repeated, he said, that the parties in Cyprus were obliged to comply with the latest UN Security Council Resolutions concerning security and the reduction of tensions on the island.
The resolutions were passed by the Security Council immediately before last December’s cancellation of the missile deployment.
President Clerides took exception to comments by Sir David on his arrival last, week believing the British envoy had implied the cancellation of the missiles was a bargaining manoeuvre on the part of the Greek Cypriot side. Clerides subsequently boycotted a dinner with Sir David.
“The president acted wisely and his move was approved by the political leadership because what counts is the impressions that are created in public opinion, which must be taken into account,” Cassoulides said.
The Foreign Minster had been attending a meeting with the Ministers on Defence, Yiannakis Chrysostomis, and Finance, Christodoulos Christodoulou, and National Guard Commander Dimos Dimou. Later Russian ambassador Georgi Muratov met the Defence Minister at his office. The meetings were unannounced and no statements were made afterwards, apart from Muratov saying that discussions on technical aspects concerning the missiles were continuing. Cyprus and Greece now want the missiles deployed in Crete.
A row also erupted yesterday between the Palace and state broadcaster CyBC over a report that Clerides would hold a referendum on any Cyprus solution and then resign.
The report prompted an official denial yesterday from the President, which was read out by acting government spokesman Spyros Arotis.
Arotis said that, like his predecessors, Clerides had pledged that a referendum would take place before any solution to the Cyprus problem was signed but denied any suggestion that the president was planning to step down. CyBC stuck by its report in a bulletin broadcast later in the day, saying its sources were reliable.
