Don’t expect any social meetings with Talat

THERE will be no meetings, social or otherwise between President Tassos Papadopoulos and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat at this point in time, the government said yesterday.

Spokesman George Lillikas was commenting on the dinner on Thursday night for Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader and Turkish Cypriot ‘Prime Minister’ Ferdi Sabit Soyer, hosted by AKEL General Secretary Demetris Christofias at a fish tavern in Nicosia.

Lillikas said while the government supported contacts between political parties on each side, it did not mean the example should be followed by the President, lest it lead to expectations that could not be fulfilled.

He was also commenting on statements by Talat, saying such meetings should lead the way forward for the two leaders.

“There is not a day that passes that Mr Talat does not badmouth the President of the Republic,” Lillikas said. “If therefore Mr Talat judges that a better climate should exist, then he himself should contribute to it and avoid the verbiage he uses when it comes to the President and other political leaders.”

Lillikas said political party meetings were constructive in the government’s view. “However, there is no question at the moment of any social meeting between the President and Mr Talat,” he said.

“Reading yesterday’s statements by Mr Talat and his approach to the solution of the Cyprus question, I do not believe the essential conditions exist that would facilitate such meetings or that would allow us to expect a change in the Turkish attitude.”

He said that for the first time Talat had spoken about small changes to the Annan plan but then even rejected that, saying that was not the way forward.
“What could a social meeting yield when such an approach exists from the part of Mr Talat,’ said Lillikas.