PRESIDENT Glafcos Clerides yesterday blamed the Turkish Cypriot side for the continued lack of progress in reaching a Cyprus solution.
In a televised broadcast to the nation on the eve of the anniversary of the 1974 Turkish invasion, Clerides said that during the past 28 years the various governments of Cyprus had shown good will and accepted even the most painful compromises in an effort to support the various efforts of the UN in finding a solution.
“Unfortunately, however, the leadership of the Turkish side has always been intransigent as the international community has ascertained from time to time,” he said. “Our side has always dealt with the negotiations for the Cyprus problem constructively and will continue to do so.”
Clerides said the Greek Cypriot side had learned an important lesson from the 1974 coup: “that there has to be absolute respect of the democratic institutions and constant dialogue among all of the political powers, with tolerance of the opposite view.”
“Passions hatreds and generally extreme behaviour must not have a place in our political life,” Clerides added.
He said that Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots should learn another common lesson from the invasion. “The fact that both communities have committed serious mistakes. For instead of co-operating honestly and hard in order to consolidate and develop the Republic of Cyprus, building a common, bright future for the benefit of all the residents of Cyprus, we remained attached to mentalities, which damaged the Republic and resulted in exactly the opposite.”
Referring to the island’s accession to the EU, Clerides said that despite several pleas to the Turkish Cypriot side to join the accession process with the government, “unfortunately we have had no response”.
“In the case of accession we shall treat our Turkish Cypriot compatriots as citizens of the Cyprus Republic in the fields where it will be practically possible for us to apply the acquis communautaire as far as they are concerned,” Clerides added.
Commenting on Turkish threats to block the accession, Clerides said the Greek Cypriot side was prepared for any eventualities and would continue to act preventively in all fields, including the joint defence pact with Greece. “I believe any possible attempt by Turkey to implement its threats will both harm itself and prevent its accession to the EU,” the President said.
Clerides has been engaged in direct talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash since January 16 this year but little progress has been made in the negotiations now entering their fifth round.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
