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Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 03-06-17
From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>
[01]Tuesday, 17 June 2003 EU and Cyprus Government remain committed to
accession of unified Cyprus
[02] President Papadopoulos ascertains US special interest for Cyprus
settlement
[03] Foreign Minister participates in Luxembourg General Affairs Council
[04] Jack Straw: Britain greatly regrets failure to reach a Cyprus
settlement
[05] Exploratory excavation at Alaminos to establish the fate of Turkish
Cypriot missing persons
[01] EU and Cyprus Government remain committed to accession of unified
Cyprus
The European Union and the Cyprus Government are ready to work towards the
resolution of the Cyprus problem so that a reunified Cyprus could accede to
the EU in May 2004, the EU Enlargement Commissioner, Mr Gunter Verheugen,
noted after a meeting with the President of the Republic of Cyprus this
morning at the Presidential Palace. Mr Verheugen expressed gratitude to the
Government, the House of Representatives and the people of Cyprus in
general, whose strong efforts made possible the "historical achievement" of
the island's EU accession. With regard to the efforts of resolving the
Cyprus problem, the EU Commissioner stressed that there was still a window
of opportunity which should not be missed, and acknowledged President
Papadopoulos' "clear commitment" to negotiate on the basis of the Annan
plan. Mr Verheugen pointed out that the decision to use the existing window
of opportunity now depended on the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr Rauf Denktash
and his friends in Ankara.
He also sent a message to Turkish Cypriots that the door for a solution was
still open, and that both the EU and the Cyprus Government would ensure
that it remained open. For his part, President Papadopoulos said he had an
interesting, useful and friendly meeting with Mr Verheugen, whom he thanked
for his "right positions on the Cyprus problem" throughout the years. ''It
is not an exaggeration to say that he is one of the important factors that
led to the successful completion of the accession negotiations of Cyprus
with the EU,'' Mr Papadopoulos said. The President reiterated the
Government's commitment for reaching a solution before 1 May 2004.
Asked to comment on the support measures for Turkish Cypriots that the
Cyprus Government had introduced, the President said that they were being
implemented smoothly and effectively. Mr Verheugen arrived on the island
yesterday for a three-day visit, the first after the signing by Cyprus of
the Treaty of Accession to the EU. He also met this morning with the
President of the House of Representatives, Mr Demetris Christofias, and
Cyprus' Chief EU Negotiator, Mr Takis Hadjidemetriou. In the evening, he
will meet with the Foreign Minister, Mr Georgios Iacovou, and will attend a
dinner hosted in his honour by Mr Iacovou.
Tomorrow, Mr Verheugen will cross into the Turkish occupied areas and early
in the afternoon he will hold a press conference at the Hilton Hotel in
Nicosia, after which he will depart for Brussels.
[02] President Papadopoulos ascertains US special interest for Cyprus
settlement
The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Tassos Papadopoulos, has
underlined the US' interest in finding a solution and said that Washington
remained actively involved in the peace efforts. Speaking last Friday after
having received the US State Department's Special Coordinator for Cyprus,
Mr Thomas Weston, President Papadopoulos noted that he had a "friendly,
sincere and useful" meeting with the US envoy, during which they discussed
the prospects for resuming the peace talks. "I reiterated the National
Council's firm position that we are ready, at any moment, when we are
invited by the Secretary-General, to resume talks under the auspices of the
United Nations", Mr Papadopoulos said. Invited by journalists to say
whether he had ascertained a new US initiative on resuming the talks, the
Cyprus President replied, "I have not ascertained such a thing".
Asked whether the US believed that the UN General Assembly, to convene in
New York in September, would be the right forum for deliberations on the
Cyprus problem, Mr Papadopoulos noted, "The US - and I have thanked Mr
Weston for this - have a special interest in resolving the Cyprus problem,
remain very actively involved and have indicated that pressure should be
exerted on the Turkish Cypriot side, and every opportunity to meet the
Secretary-General, such as the one at the UN, is an opportunity to
investigate the possibilities of resuming the talks". Mr Weston arrived in
Cyprus last Friday for talks on the Cyprus issue, as part of his tour to
the region.
[03] Foreign Minister participates in Luxembourg General Affairs Council
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Georgios Iacovou, is in Luxembourg
participating in the two-day meeting of the General Affairs and External
Relations Council, which deals mainly with the preparations for the
Thessaloniki European Council on 19-20 June 2003. Mr Iacovou went to
Luxembourg from the US where he had completed on Saturday a series of high-
level contacts in New York and Washington. The General Affairs Council
began its sessions yesterday with deliberations on external relations
issues, such as the situation in the Western Balkans, the Middle East, EU-
US relations, and weapons of mass destruction. The draft proposal of the
Convention on the Future of Europe for an EU Constitution was also
discussed. The Cyprus problem was among the issues included in the agenda
of the General Affairs Council, in light of the Thessaloniki European
Council. The Foreign Minister, Mr Iacovou, held talks with his European
counterparts regarding the phrasing of the reference on Cyprus, to be
included in the Presidency Conclusions of the Thessaloniki European
Council. He expressed satisfaction with the outcome of his contacts and
praised the Greek Presidency of the European Union for its successful
handlings. The Cyprus Foreign Minister will return to the island later
today.
[04] Jack Straw: Britain greatly regrets failure to reach a Cyprus
settlement
The British Foreign Secretary, Mr Jack Straw, made a reference to Cyprus
last week at the House of Commons, during a meeting of the Foreign Affairs
Committee in light of the Thessaloniki European Council. In particular,
replying to a question on Cyprus, Mr Straw expressed his government's deep
regret for the failure to reach a settlement of the Cyprus problem so that
a united Cyprus could join the EU. He pointed out that the UN Secretary-
General's Cyprus Adviser, Mr Alvaro de Soto, the British envoy, Lord David
Hannay, and many others had worked to secure a positive result, as did the
Greek Foreign Minister, Mr George Papandreou and the new Turkish government.
"I regret the decisions which Mr Denktash took", Mr Straw further said,
adding, "However, as you suggest, I think the Turkish Cypriot people in
Cyprus have shown by voting with their feet that they want unity and they
are going to carry on and get it". In concluding, the British Foreign
Secretary noted that his government wished to assist Turkey with its
application to join the European Union.
[05] Exploratory excavation at Alaminos to establish the fate of Turkish
Cypriot missing persons
In the framework of the efforts of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus
to investigate and establish the fate of all the missing persons, without
any discrimination, and to the degree that this can be achieved through its
own efforts, in December 2002, an exploratory excavation took place of a
burial site in the village of Alaminos in the district of Larnaca.
According to witnesses' testimonies, a number of Turkish Cypriots had been
buried in this site. These Turkish Cypriots had been registered as missing
by their families and their names are included in the list of Turkish
Cypriot missing persons, published in the Official Gazette of the Republic
on 12 May 2003. The excavation was carried out by a team of scientists of
the independent, international non-governmental organisation "Physicians
for Human Rights." The Mission of the United Nations Operation in Cyprus
(UNFICYP), has been apprised of the exploratory excavation, and through
them, the First Assistant of the Third Member of the CMP, visited the site
while the exploratory excavation was taking place. The competent authorities
of the Republic of Cyprus expressed their willingness to facilitate visits
to the burial site of the families concerned and of the Turkish Cypriot
Member of the CMP. As a result of the exploratory excavation, human remains
have been located. The scientific team will proceed to the exhumation of
these remains, when the necessary blood samples and ante mortem information
are secured from the families concerned. These elements are considered
necessary for the scientific identification of the remains through DNA
processes. For this purpose, an appeal is made to the families concerned to
give the necessary blood samples for DNA purposes and the ante mortem
information. The families can arrange meetings with relevant officials by
contacting the Office of the Greek Cypriot Representative of the Committee
on Missing Persons, tel 22305794 and 223057595.
It should be stressed that the whole process has purely humanitarian
purposes and aims to express respect, in a concrete manner, to the right of
the families to be informed with convincing and conclusive elements, of the
fate of their loved ones, and to return to these families scientifically
identified remains, for a decent burial, according to their customs,
traditions and religious practices.
From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/
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