CYPRUS could become a venue for peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said yesterday.
Peres, who is in Cyprus on a two-day visit, was speaking after a meeting with President Glafcos Clerides.
“We see Cyprus may eventually become a sort of Switzerland, a place where hostile forces can meet, where trade can be done, where gatherings can take place,” Peres said.
“We have had some peace meetings here, and in the future we shall use the hospitality of Cyprus for further meetings.”
Cyprus has hosted a number of meetings between the Israeli and Palestinian sides in the past, but mainly low-level gatherings.
“Cyprus and Israel are interested in Europeanising the Middle East instead of terrorising Europe,” Peres said.
He also said bilateral relations between the two countries were “in extremely good shape” before taking part in an official ceremony to inaugurate the new desalination plant in Larnaca, which was built by an Israeli contractor.
Speaking later after official talks with Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides, Peres urged Cypriots not to lose hope or patience in the search for peace, even at the most difficult times.
He said “Europeanising” the Middle East would first bring about peace and freedom in the region and “help show how political conflicts are solved through the economic framework,” which he said was a very attractive prospect.
Peres said everything of importance was achieved around the negotiating table and everything that was damaging took place on the battlefield, but stressed his determination to act “ceaselessly to bring the parties together in a meeting of minds once the shooting and the bombing stops.”
“My aim is to discover a new path to peace and shall act in this direction ceaselessly,” he added.
Asked to comment on Turkish threats against Cyprus if it joined the EU ahead of a solution, Peres pointed out that Turkey also wanted to join the EU.
“You will meet in Europe in an agreement, you will agree to be members of Europe and you will Europeanise your differences,” he said.
“It’s like a tango. You have to be careful not to step on the shoes of the other party,” he said, adding that the Palestinians had missed an opportunity at Camp David and Taba when they rejected Israeli proposals.
“Do not lose hope and patience even under the most difficult circumstances when you think every door is closed, there are still openings that you have to discover,” he said.
Cassoulides said that joining the EU created many opportunities for the Middle East region as a whole, and insisted Cyprus intended to join with or without a solution.
He also expressed Cyprus’ readiness to make whatever small contribution it could towards establishing peace in the region.
Peres was to give a lecture on “Process for the Future: Challenges and
Opportunities” organised by the Institute for Eurodemocracy later last night before returning to Israel.
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.
