The US will do all it can to support a Cypriot-made solution after failing to impose one in 2004, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hinted before the US Congress on Wednesday.
Responding to questions in Congress, Clinton said: “We’re going to do everything we can to support the Cypriots reaching their own resolution. I think that previous efforts have unfortunately resulted in a feeling, by certainly the Greek Cypriots, that things were attempted to be imposed on them. And we want the parties to reach an agreement. And that’s what we are supporting.”
During the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Congressman Mike Bilirakis noted that the Annan plan failed because it contained provisions that prohibited Greek Cypriots from purchasing property in one-third of their own country and constitutionally established Turkish troops permanently on Cyprus.
Clinton responded: “We don’t intend to impose anything. We intend to support, insofar as we are able, the negotiations between the parties for what we believe is the best outcome: a bizonal, bicommunal federation that would represent fairly the interests of both communities.”
Foreign Minister Marcos Kyprianou yesterday welcomed Clinton’s remarks as an acknowledgement of the mistakes made during the 2004 effort for a Cyprus settlement.
“Clinton’s remarks reflect what the American administration acknowledges as mistakes of 2004, which must be avoided,” said Kyprianou.
“The US has realised that the correct process is the one agreed on March 2008 (by the two leaders) and they will support it,” he added.
The minister recalled that he had discussed with Clinton during their meetings in Prague and in Washington “the problems, mistakes and negative moves of 2004 which led to the failure of that effort” particularly with regard to the content of the effort.
He also noted that Clinton’s remarks expressed during the meetings with him have also been made officially.
Asked if he believed the US would seek to speed up the current peace process, Kyprianou said this depended on Turkey’s stance over the final form of a solution.
“Certainly everybody is in a hurry for a swift Cyprus solution,” Kyprianou said. But the international community “realises the complexity of the issue and the need for the process to remain within the agreed framework”.
On how the US plans to deal with the issue, Kyprianou said: “We must wait and see.”
