BRITAIN’S special envoy for Cyprus Sir David Hannay began his contacts on the island yesterday, meeting both President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.
Hannay made no statements after either meeting.
Speaking after the meeting between the President and the British envoy, Government Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou said Clerides had made it clear the Greek Cypriot side would not accept any change to the format of the UN-led peace process.
Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash reiterated yesterday that he would not continue with the proximity talks due to resume in Geneva on January 26 unless his breakaway regime in the north was recognised.
Papapetrou said Hannay believed the UN process should continue as it was and that he would work in that direction.
“This was a very good and constructive meeting during which the President communicated the crystal clear message that the Greek Cypriot side will not accept any change of the UN process, nor will it accept any attempt to meet Rauf Denktash’s unacceptable positions with anything in exchange,” Papapetrou said.
He said Hannay had agreed the UN process should carry on as it stood and had said he would make every effort in this direction.
“We discussed his impressions from his contacts in Ankara but I cannot go further than that,” Papapetrou added.
Hannay’s visit follows that of US presidential emissary Alfred Moses earlier this week and precedes the arrival of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advisor for Cyprus Alvaro de Soto.
All hope in getting Denktash to changes his mind about Geneva now appears to rest with the charismatic UN envoy. Denktash said on Monday before meeting Moses that a sixth round of talks was not on the horizon, but indicated that he was awaiting De Soto’s arrival.
“Mr de Soto certainly has the leading role in this process because this is a UN process, but my impression is that both the Americans and the British are playing a very substantive role in the effort to resume the talks,” Papapetrou said.
He added there was no information at present to suggest a change in the schedule talks for the end of January.
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.
