Greek Foreign Minister Demetris Droutsas expressed his grave concern over the positions submitted by the Turkish Cypriot leadership, for having as their point of reference the era of hardliner and ex-Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktas, Greek Foreign Ministry Spokesman Gregoris Delavekouras said today.

Delavekouras, while briefing journalists in Athens, referred to Droutsas’ separate meetings with Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Conveying Droutsas’ position on the prospect of a five-party conference on the Cyprus issue, Delavekouras said that the position of the Turkish Cypriot side does not leave much room for optimism for the future.

He added that Turkey bears great responsibility for the current lack of progress in the negotiation process to find a solution to the Cyprus issue and said that a conference would be necessary for solving the external aspects of the Cyprus problem, like the security aspect and the issue of guarantees.