By Jean Christou
THE NATIONAL Council met yesterday to conclude a meeting begun on December 30 concerning the recent round of proximity talks in New York.
No statements were made after the meeting, in line with a blackout imposed by the UN on developments in New York.
Government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou said only that the council would meet again before the second round of talks, due to begin in Geneva on January 31.
“The National Council will meet again before the second round of talks,” Papapetrou said yesterday. “Today’s meeting took place in an environment of unity. Members expressed their opinions on developments in the Cyprus problem focused on the first round of the talks.”
Papapetrou confirmed to reporters that the issue of leaks of details of National Council meetings to the press had been discussed yesterday.
President Clerides wrote to party leaders pleading for discretion after details of the New York talks appeared in the press the day after the December 30 National Council meeting.
Until the National Council meeting, nothing had emerged on what had been discussed in New York, in line with the agreed news blackout.
Last month’s The New York talks were also the focus of US President Bill Clinton’s latest bi-monthly report on Cyprus.
In a letter to the Speaker of the House and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Clinton said: “The goal of these talks is to prepare the ground for meaningful negotiations leading to a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem.”
He added: “This welcome news was highlighted during my trip to Turkey and Greece from November 15-20 as a positive step toward bringing about a just and lasting solution for all Cypriots and improving Greek-Turkish relations for a more secure southern Europe.”
But while the Greek Cypriot side and the international community appear optimistic for a positive outcome to the talks, the Turkish Cypriot side continues to play hardball.
Dervis Eroglu, the `Prime Minister’ of the breakaway regime in the north, was yesterday reported as saying that the Greek Cypriot side “escaped from the negotiating table when a peace was about to be provided”.
Eroglu said the Greek Cypriot side should accept the fact there was a `state’ in the northern part of the island.
In an interview published yesterday with the Turkish newspaper Cumhurryiet, Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash said that the “fair results” in New York had been accomplished by his own efforts and with the support of Turkey.
He said he was working towards peace and finding an agreement on the Cyprus problem, but that the main condition for the security of Turkish Cypriots was Turkey’s membership in the EU.
