The President of the Republic received
the UK
High
Commissioner
The President of the Republic, Mr Nicos Anastasiades, received today, at
the Presidential Palace, the High Commissioner of the United Kingdom, Mr Damian
Roderic Todd.
After the meeting, the High Commissioner told reporters that with the
President they discussed about “what is a very important time: the leaders
meeting that took place last night. It is clearly very positive and the
President was able to brief me on where things have got to.”
He added that “I said to the President that the UK government, me
personally, all of us in the UK, we are keen to do what we can to support the
process of a settlement partly because we are a P5 member, partly because we are
a guarantor power, but also because Britain and Cyprus have so extraordinary
human connections, culturally and in human terms. We want to make everything we
can to bring about a settlement of the Cyprus issue.”
Replying to a question on whether he sees the possibility of an EU
involvement to the process, he said that “everyone agrees that this is a process
led by the UN. We are all working on the basis of an agreed framework of the UN
Security Council resolutions. Mr Eide is working very hard and very well to
bring about a settlement. The EU of course has an important role to play in
support of that settlement, I know that the UK and every other member of the EU
will do what they can to help and, of course, the European role matters; but it
is a UN led process.
Everyone agrees that this is a UN led process. We have a framework of the
UN Security Council resolutions. Cyprus is a member of the EU as is the UK. A
united Cyprus will be in the EU. Therefore the EU does have a role to play but
the process is one which is led by the UN.”
Asked if a solution should be compatible to the European principles and
values, he said that “every country in the EU ascribes to the European
principles and values. So, yes, of course. However, we need to find a settlement
here to the Cyprus question led by the UN and the EU has an important role to
play here.”
Invited to say if the UK is ready to abandon the state of the guarantor
power as Greece has stated, he said that “that is a question I would have to
discuss further. The UK government has only just taken office, so I think I will
answer your question later.”
_______________
