Annan Says Cyprus Problem Can Be Solved By June

by Lorys Charalambous, Tax-News.com, Nicosia

20 May 2002

After his 2-day visit to Cyprus last week, aimed at reviving the stalled talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders Glafcos Clerides and Rauf Denktash, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan left the island on Thursday saying he had told the leaders they could resolve the core issues of the Cyprus problem by the end of June if they really wanted to.

Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides said on Sunday that Kofi Annan had conveyed four messages to the leaders of the two sides: to speed up the ongoing talks, to insist on the time-frame of June, to abandon unproductive discussions and focus on the fundamental principles, and to take advantage of the presence of his Special Adviser on Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto.

The Foreign Minister said the Greek Cypriot side had no problem accepting any of these messages, but that it was up to Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash to show whether he would respond to them, during the direct talks with President Glafcos Clerides.

"There is a window of opportunity that will close by autumn and even if Denktash continues to have the same positions, Cyprus will proceed at full speed to join the EU," Cassoulides said.

A deal by June would give the European Union time to incorporate the terms of any settlement into negotiations to include Cyprus in plans to enlarge the union in December. In the absence of a settlement, the European Union has said it might be forced to admit only the Greek Cypriot south.

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