GOVERNMENT Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides was put on the back foot yesterday, after his comments on DIKO’s cancelled visit to the north offended government partner AKEL.
DIKO acting head Nicos Cleanthous pulled out of a meeting with the Republican Turkish Party (RTP) on Wednesday after the latter refused to remove flags of Turkey and the ‘TRNC’ from the meeting room. Both DISY and AKEL had met with RTP officials in the same room on previous occasions.
Asked to comment on the issue, Chrysostomides said the issue raised by DIKO was reasonable, noting that others did not share the same sensitivities. The comment was likely meant to rile opposition party DISY, but the insinuation also covered coalition partners AKEL since the left-wing party visited the same offices.
AKEL Spokesman Andros Kyprianou was blunt in his response. “AKEL does not accept lessons from anybody.”
He called for restraint when discussing sensitive issues like contact and dialogue between the two sides. “In order to close the gap on views between the two communities, we need continuous contacts. The flags bother us, the question is, what can we do when they act like that, are we going to refuse to meet, who does that serve? At the same time we must talk to reach a solution,” said Kyprianou.
Chrysostomides clarified yesterday that he did not intend to offend. “I had no intention of making a dig at any party, at the same time, I wanted to show laconically the rejection of the RTP to change the meeting room to satisfy the sensitivities of DIKO.”
DISY leader Nicos Anastassiades said Greek Cypriots should respect their colleagues. He added that dialogue was necessary to reach a solution and the eventual abolition of symbols reminding of the Turkish invasion.
“We should not cultivate a climate of chauvinism, and in so doing avoid dialogue to find a solution.”
Anastassiades noted that the government spokesman had not realised that his comments would also implicate AKEL.
“I am happy that with his comments today, he clarified that he did not mean anything. It is not the first time digs are made against DISY,” he said.
Regarding the sensitive issue of flags, he explained: “If tomorrow they ask us to remove our symbols, because we asked them to remove theirs… the dialogue will turn into a dialogue on symbols. When you pass through checkpoints, don’t you pass under that unacceptable situation? When you are facing Pentadaktylos are you not faced with this unacceptable situation?”
He warned that dialogue was necessary to reach a solution. “With this mentality where are we going, we avoid dialogue and how will we solve the problem?”
