Kyprianou slams naysayers

AKEL LEADER Andros Kyprianou yesterday accused critics of presidential adviser Toumazos Tselepis of wanting the direct talks for a Cyprus solution to end.

Some were troubled by the continuation of the talks, and would be happy if the dialogue ended, he said. Kyprianou added that despite the difficulties placed by the Turkish side in the talks, the ruling party would not lead the talks to a dead-end. Either there will be a just, viable and fuctional solution or the international community will see that Turkey has prevented one, he said.

Kyprianou was asked to comment on the recent TV show where Tselepis walked out after four lawyers present questioned his suitability for the job as presidential adviser, going so far as to raise doubts as to the authenticity of his academic qualifications.

“It is obvious to AKEL that some people are troubled only by the fact that the negotiation procedure is continuing. Some would be happy if the dialogue for a solution to the Cyprus problem ended,” he said.

The AKEL leader added that such panels should be prepared fairly and objectively to ensure balance in the discussion. The panel set up by Antenna TV was not “objective or ethical”, he added.

Antenna responded with a press release, noting that the lunchtime show in question had been set up on the request of the Presidential Palace on October 6, 2009. It further clarified that government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou was the go-between in arranging the show and that both he and Tselepis had approved the panellists that had been invited.

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.