PRESIDENT Glafcos Clerides and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Sezer met briefly yesterday on the sidelines of a meeting between the Danish EU presidency and the leaders of the 13 candidate countries in Copenhagen.
According to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), the two men exchanged a few words about the Cyprus problem and Clerides told Sezer that the closer Turkey got to Europe, the easier it would be to solve differences.
Clerides also said Cyprus believed Turkey should be given a date for the start of accession negotiations with the EU.
Sezer asked Clerides about ongoing efforts to find a settlement in Cyprus and expressed the hope that things might move towards a resolution of the problem, CNA said.
Clerides said the Greek Cypriot side was ready to continue the peace negotiations with a view at concluding them successfully, adding that he was waiting for Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Dentkash to recover from open heart surgery. Clerides said he had been in touch with Denktash, who is still in New York, and wished him well.
CNA said Sezer also made inquiries about the work of two ad hoc bicommunal committees that the UN is seeking to set up to discuss technical matters with regard to legislation that will be in place once a settlement is reached.
The President told him that the Greek Cypriot side was ready to begin work as soon as the Turkish Cypriot side was ready. The Greek Cypriot side has already appointed its representatives to the two committees and is waiting for the Turkish Cypriot side to do the same.
The brief meeting between Clerides and Sezer took place as the two leaders were leaving the room, where they had just been briefed by Danish premier Anders Fogh Rasmussen on the outcome of last week's EU summit.
Absent from the Copenhagen meeting was Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides, who was to have accompanied the President. Cassoulides travelled to Paris by train from Amsterdam yesterday after bad weather in Europe delayed the Cypriot delegation's journey to Copenhagen on Sunday.
Cassoulides will be meeting French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, Minister Delegate for European Affairs Noelle Lenoir and members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs at the French National Assembly and Senate.
CYPRUS MAIL 29/10/2002
PAPERS yesterday speculated heavily on the UN's expected settlement proposal on Cyprus, with UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan widely expected to submit a proposal next month, following Sunday's elections in Turkey.
Phileleftheros cited sources saying the UN had already come up with a draft plan on the territorial aspect. According to the UN plan, 27 to 28 per cent of the island would come under Turkish Cypriot control, although this figure could be further reduced provided the Turkish Cypriots secured more gains in the new constitution. According to the daily, the maps drafted by the UN envisage that the line dividing the two administrative areas will run through the northern mountaintops of Morphou. In addition, say the same sources, Famagusta will come under Greek Cypriot control, although its port will remain under Turkish Cypriot administration. The UN's aim is for the arrangements to involve as little population transfers as possible, although President Clerides has reportedly submitted a proposal providing for the return of some 10,000 Greek Cypriot refugees to their homes. For his part, ailing Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash has tied the territorial aspect to sovereignty.
Simerini focused on the EU aspect, noting that the European Council last week confirmed a political solution was not a prerequisite for the island's accession. However, it pointed out, the European Council also pledged in November to examine legal matters allowing the provision of financial aid to the northern breakaway regime. The paper cited legal experts wondering whether this was a veiled intention to lift the embargo on the north. Meanwhile President Clerides said over the weekend that, due to Denktash's illness, the negotiations between two sides would turn from face-to-face to proximity talks. For his part, British envoy to Cyprus Lord Hannay noted that a chasm still separated the two sides on most issues, but added he hoped enough progress would be made in time for the EU's Copenhagen summit.
Alithia predicted that crucial decisions on Cyprus would be taken over the next few weeks. Despite Rauf Denktash's illness, both British and US officials have said there is enough time for the two sides to reach a settlement before the December 14 EU summit in Copenhagen. Thomas Weston, the US State Department's co-ordinator on Cyprus, said that important decisions needed to be taken in the next few weeks, in light of the upcoming elections in Turkey and the crucial Copenhagen summit. Other sources said Denktash's illness would not postpone developments. The paper quoted President Clerides as saying a solution could not depend on the absence of one of the leaders due to health reasons.
Lastly, the lead story in To Tharros quoted Greek Speaker of the House Apostolos Kaklamanis voicing concerns over Annan's motives. Kaklamanis' reservations focused on the fact that, in his view, the recent flurry of activity on Cyprus resulted from US and British initiatives. He pointed out that the period November 3 to December 13 would be the most crucial time for Cyprus since independence in 1960. The Greek House Speaker said he could not understand the UN's drive for a settlement, given that the two sides on Cyprus still have enormous disagreements.
CYPRUS MAIL 29/10/2002