Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades stressed tonight that he is determined to make all the necessary steps to help resume the peace talks; he is engaged with the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community to find a negotiated settlement which would reunite the island.
Expressing regret at the inconclusive UN-led talks, in Mont Pelerin in the early hours of Tuesday morning, the President said he has no wish at all to enter into a “blame game,” adding at the same time that he would reply to claims which suggest that the failure of the most recent round of talks is due to the stance of the Greek Cypriot side.
Speaking at a televised interview, the President said he merely outlined the facts as these unfolded at the negotiations on territory, which ended inconclusively.
President Anastasiades mentioned that the three territory criteria he agreed to discuss with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci were as follows:
– The size of the Turkish Cypriot constituent state after the territorial adjustments
– The number of refugees that would be returned to the Greek Cypriot constituent state
– The size of the coastline of each constituent state
The President said that as per UN recommendations ha has proposed for the return of at least approximately 78,000 to 92,000 refugees.
However, President Anastasiades added that the Turkish Cypriot side continued to insist on fewer refugees, a number which varied from approximately 55,000 to 65,000.
President Anastasiades has said that he has had excellent cooperation with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
In a written statement, Ban Ki-moon urged both leaders to “do their utmost to overcome this obstacle and finalize the promising work undertaken in Mont Pelerin” and avoid statements and actions that will hinder the resumption of talks.
(source: CNA)
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
