By Jean Christou
THE U.N. could put forward a third version of Secretary-general Kofi Annan's
peace plan, government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou said yesterday.
Speculation had been rife for weeks that a third version of the plan was in the
pipeline but nothing official was announced.
But Papapetrou told reporters yesterday that such a plan might be presented
"very soon". He was speaking after a working breakfast between
President Glafcos Clerides and Britain's special Cyprus envoy Lord David
Hannay.
"We have no specific information about a new peace plan being put forward
but I believe this is a possibility that we should focus our attention
on," Papapetrou said. "Since the UN is working with the timeframe of
February 28 in mind, you should understand that if they are going to move in
this direction, then they would do so very soon."
Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash are engaged in face-to-face
talks in an attempt to reach a settlement by February 28, which aims to give
both sides enough time plan separate referenda by March 30 so that a united
Cyprus can join the EU in April.
Denktash has objected to the current second version of the plan, saying he
would rather resign than sign it as is. The UN has made it clear that there is
not much scope for major changes to plan, which they believe is balanced.
Papapetrou said that the UN Secretary General's special adviser on Cyprus
Alvaro de Soto met twice over the weekend with Denktash but did not see
Clerides.
He said Denktash was seeking detailed clarifications on the UN proposal, which
the Greek Cypriot side did in early December when the revised proposal was
first presented to the two sides. At the time Denktash had refused to seek any
clarification, he added.
Commenting on Clerides' meeting with Hannay, Papapetrou said they had reviewed
the latest developments.
"The President reiterated our determination to seek a solution that would
secure the fundamental parameters of the objectives of the people of Cyprus,
Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, which we consider necessary so that an
agreed settlement can work," Papapetrou said. "Lord Hannay said that
time constraints are becoming tight and efforts must intensify to open up avenues
that would lead to a solution."
Hannay, who arrived on the island on Saturday for contacts with both sides,
told reporters after the meeting that the month ahead was going to be a long,
complex and very difficult time as far as negotiations for a comprehensive settlement
in Cyprus were concerned.
He said decisions taken in the coming weeks would affect all interested parties
and he pledged that London would do its best to secure a positive outcome in
the negotiations for all concerned.
"We are now just entering the last month of a long, complex and extremely
difficult negotiation," he said after a 50-minute-long meeting with
Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides.
"The decisions that will be taken during this last month will be of great
importance and consequence for everyone concerned and the British government
will be doing its best to ensure that the outcome is positive for everyone
concerned," he said.
CYPRUS MAIL 18/01/2003
By Jean Christou
PRESIDENT Glafcos Clerides yesterday presented rival Turkish Cypriot leader
Rauf Denktash with a birthday present: a new pen to urge him to sign a
political solution based on the Annan plan.
Denktash turned 79 yesterday and has been adamant that he would rather resign
than sign an agreement based on the plan submitted by UN Secretary-general Kofi
Annan as it stands.
The two leaders met yesterday at the UN-controlled Nicosia Airport as past of
their thrice-weekly talks aimed at reaching an agreement by February 28, the UN
deadline.
At yesterday's talks the UN provided a cake to help along the celebrations but
spokesman Brian Kelly could not say if it would be lit up with 79 candles.
"All I can tell you is that it's a raspberry and nougat cake," he
said.
Sources close to the talks told the Cyprus Mail that President Clerides,
who will turn 84 in the next couple of months, would also be extending his best
wishes, and a present to the Turkish Cypriot leader.
"The president is bringing him a gift. a pen to facilitate him in signing
the agreement," Papapetrou said.
After the meeting ended insiders said that Clerides jokingly told Denktash he
was giving him the pen to sign something. "Denktash replied: 'Obviously
this pen won't write', but it was all in jest," the insider said.
CYPRUS MAIL 18/01/2003
By Alex Mita
THE UNITED Nations yesterday officially launched the competition for a flag and
national anthem to represent a reunified island.
In full page advertisements in Greek and Turkish Cypriot press, the UN
announced they had been authorised by both leaders to set the competition in
motion.
"It is envisaged that the flag and anthem would be part of a comprehensive
settlement to be submitted to separate referenda," the advertisement said.
The two competitions are open to all people without age restrictions, while
joint entries from Greek and Turkish Cypriots are particularly welcome.
"Entrants should bear in mind that both Greek and Turkish Cypriots, as
equal partners in a new state of affairs should be able to identify with their
flag and anthem," it said.
"Accordingly, the flag and anthem should reflect a commitment to a common
future in a spirit of mutual respect, tolerance and reconciliation in an
independent and united Cyprus."
The flag design should be striking, easily recognisable, pleasing to the eye
and simple enough for a child to draw, while the length of the anthem should
not be less than 30 seconds or more than 60 seconds.
According to the competition guidelines, the anthem competition is mainly for
music, and not for lyrics. However, lyrics may be included in the entry,
preferably in both Greek and Turkish. If an anthem with lyrics is selected, its
official version will be in both Greek and Turkish.
Two years ago EU negotiator and former President George Vassiliou met with a
storm of protest when he said Cyprus should have its own state national anthem.
Vassiliou made the comment about a Cypriot national anthem in response to a
question at a news conference. He said there would be a need to compose a state
national anthem in the event of a federal solution to the Cyprus problem, one
which would be acceptable to all citizens of the Republic.
Cyprus has used the Greek national anthem since the 1960s because no one ever
got around to composing one for the fledgling Republic.
The Greek national anthem Imnos is tin Eleftheria (Hymn to Liberty)
written by poet Dionisios Solomos, has over 158 verses and talks about rising
from the sacred ashes of the Greeks and other heroic deeds.
Since the Turkish invasion in 1974 the North has been using the Turkish
national anthem.
CYPRUS MAIL 18/01/2003