U.S. SECRETARY of State Colin Powell yesterday urged all sides in Cyprus to work for a solution before the island joins the European Union next May.
Powell was speaking during a meeting with Foreign Ministers of EU member states and acceding countries, which took place on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York.
”The Annan plan remains on the table and all sides must be encouraged to find a settlement before May 1 when Cyprus becomes a full member of the EU,” Powell said.
He also said that the US supported the accession of Turkey to the EU, as long as the country fulfilled the Copenhagen criteria.
Foreign Minister George Iacovou told the meeting said that the failure to reach a Cyprus settlement in The Hague last March was because of Turkish intransigence, and that the Greek Cypriot side remained committed to the resumption of talks on the Annan plan.
He was speaking as President Tassos Papadopoulos was wrapping up his meetings in New York before returning to the island later today.
Papadopoulos attended a working lunch with the five permanent members of the Security Council and had a separate meeting with Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou.
Speaking to reporters after the lunch, Papadopoulos said that nobody expected any developments on the Cyprus issue before the elections in the north in December, and that UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan would not be taking any initiatives in the meantime.
Commenting on Powell’s statement, Papandreou said it showed that a settlement of the Cyprus problem is a priority for the US. ”I believe that the continuation of the US engagement will be obvious and of course always within the UN Secretary-general’s good offices”, he added.
Papandreou told the UN General Assembly that Greece still held out the hope that Turkish Cypriots could also enjoy the security and prosperity that EU accession would bring.
“It is possible,” he said, but stressed the need for the implementation of UN resolutions on Cyprus.
”We see a common desire for building a common union where Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots can live together in peace,” Papandreou added, referring to the partial lifting of restrictions for crossing the Green Line last April. “But this easing of restrictions is not a substitute for a comprehensive settlement to the island’s political problem,” the Greek Minister said.
In his address to the General Assembly, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul appeared to soften Ankara’s demands for a deal on reunification, reports from New York said.
“A new partnership in Cyprus should be based on a compromise between the Turkish and Greek Cypriots, and on equal status,” Gul told the Assembly.
“Furthermore a settlement should preserve bi-zonality in the island and ensure the security of the Turkish Cypriot people,” he said, calling on the Greek Cypriot side to respond to the “window of opportunity” created by the goodwill steps recently taken by Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.
