Annan Says Cyprus Settlement Possible

by Lorys Charalambous, Tax-News.com, Cyprus

11 September 2002

Speaking following last week's meeting with Greek Cypriot President, Glafcos Clerides, and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan expressed the opinion that a settlement which takes into account the needs and wishes of both sides is still possible.

In a statement issued after Friday's meetings, Mr Annan announced that he had asked the two leaders to return to the island to work with his special adviser on Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, and to meet with him again in New York on October 3 and 4. The United Nations subsequently stressed that an agreement is not expected by that deadline, but revealed that it hopes that significant progress will have been made.

'I have seen a great deal of speculation in the press, much of it pessimistic,' the UN Secretary General observed in his statement on Friday. 'My discussions today confirm my belief that, though serious differences remain, the elements of a comprehensive settlement that would meet the basic needs of both sides do, in fact, exist.'

He went on to explain that: 'Each side has its own distinct and strongly held perspective, both on the history of the Cyprus problem and on the way forward. Nevertheless, I continue to believe that the gaps dividing the parties can be bridged. On some issues, I feel they are quite a bit smaller than when these talks began. There is an opportunity at hand, waiting to be seized.'

Mr Annan's suggestion that the differences of opinion between the two sides are smaller than when the talks began earned President Clerides something of a grilling on his return from Paris on Saturday night.

However, he refused to share much detail with reporters assembled at Larnaca airport, merely commenting that the issues to which the Secretary-General was refering were not 'fundamental' points of conflict.

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