COALITION partner DIKO will give President Christofias its final views on the beginning of direct negotiations tomorrow, party leader Marios Garoyian said yesterday.
Last week, DIKO announced it did not believe that the current climate called for the start of direct negotiations between the two sides, while expressing doubts that any significant progress had been made by the working groups and technical committees set up to prepare the grounds for fully-fledged negotiations.
President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat are due to decide on Friday whether to go to negotiations in the autumn. Christofias will consult with all the parties before Friday.
Garoyian said his meeting yesterday with Christofias was cordial, and he said he would be having a fourth meeting with the President on Wednesday. He was cagey about what transpired, but hinted at DIKO’s view that the basis of new negotiations had not yet been adequately clarified. This was mainly due to the Turkish side, he said.
“We will meet on Wednesday and then the party will be briefed overall and then DIKO will give its final position,” he said.
Rumours and talk about DIKO leaving the government over the issue at this stage were premature, Garoyian said. He said the party’s place was to act responsibly and strengthen the negotiating position of the President.
He said DIKO neither wanted to destroy the process, nor did it fear talks.
Garoyian said the statements at the weekend by Turkish Prime Minster Recep Tayyip Erdogan and by Talat were unacceptable and provocative.
Meanwhile, Christofias gave an interview on state television on Sunday night that was seen as his way of preparing the public for new negotiations.
He said the only way he would not go forward with negotiations was if the National Council – the advisory body on the Cyprus issue – went against him unanimously, not likely to occur.
Christofias gave a brief rundown on the basics of what would be on the negotiating table with Talat
This included one federal state with a presidential system, with a rotating Presidency, a Vice President and Inner Cabinet.
A Greek Cypriot President would hold office for a longer period, while the Vice President in that case would come from the other community.
The central state would have one sovereignty, one citizenship, one economy, and one international personality, while the two communities would have political equality.
Christofias said he would also battle for demilitarisation of the island and the suppression of foreign guarantor powers, a reduction in the number of Turkish settlers, and the right of return and property for Greek Cypriots.
“The solution will come from Cypriots, for Cypriots,” he said.
Christofias credited Talat with having good will and the realisation that a solution was needed. The two leaders were still friendly, despite the difficulties, he said, and Turkey should not try to discourage the two sides from moving forward.
He said every Cypriot needed to decide whether they wanted one or two states in Cyprus, and to have the courage to say what it is they want.
Many previous Greek Cypriot leaderships had badly failed to explain to the public what a federation actually meant.
Christofias will reportedly address the nation after his meeting with Talat on Friday to inform the public on his reasons to go for negotiations, or not, depending on the final outcome of his meeting.
