PRESIDENT Glafcos Clerides and the UN Secretary-general's special adviser on Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, met yesterday do discuss the ongoing peace talks and the work of two technical committees established to speed things up.
Speaking after the hour-long meeting, De Soto admitted time was running out in the effort to find a negotiated settlement, but added: "All is not lost."
De Soto was tight-lipped about possible UN plans to submit an overall solution plan to the two sides and said he had no wish to add to current speculation about such an option.
"I do not think I should be talking about my intentions in public. We are of course ready to assist the parties in whatever way we can and we are conscious of the fact that time is running out, though all is not lost," he said.
Commenting on his meeting with Clerides, he said: "We discussed the functioning of the committees, the state of play and plans for the future, I am also in touch with Mr Denktash's staff in New York and hope he recovers very soon." The Turkish Cypriot leader is recovering from heart surgery in a New York hospital.
"As I understand, (Denktash) is still in hospital, he should be coming out soon, he will rest for a time in New York and then go to ?urkey to rest for a couple of weeks," De Soto said.
Government Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou said yesterday the Greek Cypriot side was not prepared to accept "absolutely anything'" that was put forward at the negotiating table, saying it had certain "safety limits" beyond which it could not go.
The spokesman said that if and when the UN presented both sides with a proposed solution, the Greek Cypriot side would examine it thoroughly and take everything into consideration before expressing an opinion.
"Let us see first of all if such a plan will be forthcoming or not, let us see what its content is and on the basis of what we have before us, we shall take a stance," the spokesman said.
His comments come in the wake of speculation that the UN intended to present a blueprint for an overall solution after the Turkish elections in November, and before the EU's Copenhagen summit in mid-December.
"The government will take into consideration all factors, including our accession course, but this does not mean that our reply will be a positive one, for the sake of any solution plan," the spokesman said.
Clerides and Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis are expected to evaluate developments in the Cyprus question and the island's EU accession course during talks on Friday in Athens.
"The purpose of the visit is to have a general assessment of the situation with regard to the two central goals of our policy - to settle the Cyprus problem and to conclude successfully our accession course," Papapetrou said.
CYPRUS MAIL 16/10/2002
THE GREEK Cypriot members of a bilateral technical committee set up to work on the UN-led peace process have begun work, following consultations with the UN talks team on the island, led by Special Adviser Alvaro de Soto, the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) reported yesterday.
The team is headed by Attorney-general Alecos Markides and includes two other legal experts. The committee will deal with legislation that will be in place, if and when a comprehensive settlement is reached between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides, engaged in direct talks since January.
UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan has asked the two sides to "create two ad hoc bilateral technical committees to begin work immediately on important technical issues." Each side is expected to nominate its own representatives to the committees. The Turkish Cypriot side said on Monday it was not ready to announce the members of its team.
Government Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou said yesterday the UN and the Greek Cypriot side were ready to begin work, but added: "It is impossible to work on our own, if the Turkish Cypriot side refuses to work with us within these committees, then they will cease to exist."
The Greek Cypriot side has already informed the UN of the representatives it has appointed to the two committees, but the Turkish Cypriot side says its top priority at the moment is to see leader Rauf Denktash recover from heart surgery he underwent in New York last week.
Papapetrou said Denktash had the last word on the composition of the committee for the Turkish Cypriot side. The Turkish Cypriot leader is not expected to assume his duties before the end of the month.
Sources told CNA that the UN had given the Greek Cypriot side a list of legal issues that needed to be ironed out so that, should an agreement be reached, these could be applied immediately as legislation of the new common state.
The vast majority of the issues on the list have already been dealt with in the context of Cyprus' harmonisation effort with the European Union.
Attorney-general Markides heads the Greek Cypriot representation to both committees. The one dealing with legal matters will comprise Leda Koursoumba, senior lawyer with the Republic's Law Office, and Commissioner on Legislation George Stravrinakis.
The second committee will tackle treaties the Republic has entered into and agreements the Turkish Cypriot regime might have clinched in the past couple of decades with a view at deciding which ones will be in force if and when the Cyprus question is resolved.
That committee is made up of Director of the Cyprus problem division at the Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Tassos Tzionis and retired Ambassador Nikos Makris.
CYPRUS MAIL 16/10/2002