President Demetris Christofias said he wants to go to next month’s meeting in Geneva with the UN Secretary General with as many convergences between the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot sides as possible.
Speaking after Wednesday’s meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, Christofias also said he wants to continue in the most constructive way possible efforts to solve the Cyprus problem.
As regards the UN Secretary General’s report on the renewal of UNFICYP`s mandate, the President said that this is not based on purely political criteria and does not refer to the Secretary’s role and mandate.
“I guess”, he added, “all these will be included in a new report after the meeting on July 7,” between UN Secretary General Ban Ki moon, President Christofias and Eroglu.
He noted that today they discussed the issue of the Police, adding that “under certain circumstances, we are not particularly far from achieving absolute convergence.”
“But I want to be reserved and wait for the next meeting of our advisors. I have made a suggestion on the issue of international treaties and the competencies of the central government and the administrations of the constituent states on the issues of signing and implementing international treaties. There will be a response on the part of Eroglu and our advisors will discuss the details,” he added.
The President was invited to comment on the fact that Ban notes in his report that a European club basketball match “in south Nicosia between a visiting Turkish team and a Greek Cypriot team was marred by acts of hooliganism by Greek Cypriot fans against the Turkish team players“ and that “Turkish Cypriot police interrupted a Christmas service for the Greek Cypriot residents in the Karpas Panninsula“, in northern Turkish occupied Cyprus.
Christofias said that these are two incidents which have taken place, adding that Ban also commends the role of the Cypriot Police in tackling the situation during the basketball match.
President Christofias stressed that such incidences must be avoided as they create tension and harm the trust between the two sides.
Asked if the role of the UNSG could change, Christofias pointed out that only the Security Council can determine or change his role.
“We are in favour of maintaining the UN Secretary General’s role as it has been defined by the Security Council,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Cyprus Lisa Buttenheim said after the meeting that “the two leaders continued to discuss police issues and evaluated the discussions of their representatives at their meeting yesterday”.
She said that the representatives will continue these discussions at their meeting on Friday.
Buttenheim added that the two leaders also started an exchange of views on the competences to conclude international treaties. The leaders have agreed to meet on Wednesday, 15 June, she said.
Asked if the leaders discussed anything about the meeting with the Secretary-General on July 7, in Geneva, Buttenheim said: “No, not at all”.
UN-backed direct negotiations for a solution to the Cyprus problem began in September 2008. Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.
