Let’s talk about the Cyprus problem every week

By Athena Karsera

THE HOUSE of Representatives decided yesterday that it would be a good idea to debate the Cyprus problem at every meeting of the plenum.

From November 25, time will therefore be set aside every week to discuss the national issue.

The decision was sparked towards the end of last night’s session when House President Spyros Kyprianou began discussing recent developments in the Cyprus problem during a speech on an unrelated issue.

The Diko leader had begun speaking about the recent murder of enclaved man Stelios Harpas; Kyprianou then broadened his vision to the increasing number of settlers in the occupied areas, before letting deputies know what he thought about prospects for a resumption of stalled negotiations between the two communities.

As Kyprianou completed his speech, veteran Edek leader Vassos Lyssarides suggested time ought to made for the Cyprus problem on a more regular basis: “I hope that this issue can remain on our agenda every week,” he said.

Kyprianou warmly welcomed the idea, as did those deputies still present in the chamber.

Edek’s Demetris Iliades backed the proposal, saying other issues often got left behind when they were overtaken by unscheduled digressions on the Cyprus problem.

The topic now looks set for inscription on the agenda every week under the title, “The current phase of the Cyprus problem”.

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.