National Council concern over agreement with Talat
By Jean Christou

PARTY leaders declined to comment after yesterday’s National Council session but statements made earlier revealed the majority were not happy with the result of the leaders` meeting on Tuesday.

The Council met for two hours yesterday afternoon when President Demetris Christofias briefed the party leaders on his meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat.

Discussions and an exchange of views will take place when the Council meets again tomorrow afternoon, it was announced after the meeting.

Party leaders and other members of the Council filed out of the Presidential Palace around 7pm but declined to comment.

However yesterday morning, a day after Christofias and Talat opened the road for new Cyprus negotiations to take place in September, the mood among the majority of the parties was negative.

This was despite the fact that Christofias had managed to secure from Talat a commitment in principle to a “single sovereignty and citizenship” that would be discussed in the new negotiations, and for which Talat faced harsh criticism from factions on the Turkish Cypriot side yesterday.

Christofias needed the ‘sovereignty and citizenship’ clarification to ease the parties` earlier concerns over his agreement with Talat on May 23, which made no reference to the term.

Despite now securing the reference, only ruling AKEL opposition DISY and the United Democrats seemed happy with the outcome of Tuesday’s meeting.

Socialist EDEK said it appeared the objective of the meeting, which he said was to review progress in the working groups and technical committees, had not been achieved. Neither had the ‘common language’ sought.

The European Party’s Nicos Koutsou said it was obvious no progress had been made either at the working groups, or between Christofias and Talat while the Green Party said the new joint statement was unclear.

“The situation has not been clarified,” said party leader George Perdikis.

“The statement had enough gloss to give the picture of a good climate but the substance is sparse, which indicates precisely what we are up against.”

In the north, Talat faced a barrage of criticism, some of which went as far as to call him a traitor. Single sovereignty meant Turkish Cypriots would end up as part of the Republic of Cyprus, some critics said.

“Prime Minister’ Ferdi Sabit Soyer said Tuesday’s meeting had not been fruitful while Talat’s own party, the Republican Turkish Party, said the results were not satisfactory for the start of negotiations because no date has been fixed for talks.

The leaders are due to meet again on July 25 and a date is expected to be announced then.

The TMT organisation called for an end to all discussions on the Cyprus issue or it would “instigate a resistance”.



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