THE NEW Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Cyprus, Androulla Kaminara, yesterday held a series of meetings on the Greek Cypriot side believed to centre on the working groups and technical committees.
A statement issued by the Representation said Kaminara was accompanied by the Head of Unit of the Task Force Turkish Cypriot Community, Andrew Rasbash, and Georg Zieggler from the same unit of DG Enlargement.
It said the meetings were purely courtesy visits and for an exchange of information.
However, speculation is rife that the EU is offering its input with regard to EU issues being discussed as part of the work being carried out by the groups and committees, which continued to meet yesterday.
On Tuesday, Kaminara and other EU officials met Presidential Commissioner George Iacovou, who is heading the work, and she also met former President George Vassiliou, former ambassador Andreas Mavrommatis and former Finance Minister Michalis Sarris, all of whom are involved in the talks.
One report said the UN had asked for the input of the EU in the current process that the international community hopes will lead to a resumption of negotiations.
The UN is currently keeping its distance from the two sides and acting more as a facilitator to the talks rather than a mediator, in case it be accused, as in the past, of meddling and imposing a solution.
Politis said UN Undersecretary for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe, who recently visited the island, had written to the European Commission asking for its assistance to the working groups and technical committees discussing issues relating to the EU.
This will be the first serious negotiations to be held with Cyprus already an EU member state, while Turkey is a candidate country.
The current round of meetings between the EU officials in Cyprus is said to focus on how they could contribute to progress in laying the groundwork for a resumption of talks in the coming months.
Also yesterday the Turkish Cypriot side said it had tabled the issue of the water shortage at the relevant technical committee.
Hasan Ercakica, the spokesman for Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, said the issue of bringing water from Turkey and distributing it all over Cyprus had been taken up by the technical committees.
“We don’t see any danger in sharing the water to be brought from Turkey. Just the opposite, we see benefit in it,” he was quoted as saying.
