The President of the
Republic Mr Nicos Anastasiades presided today, at the Presidential Palace, over
a meeting of the National Council.
After the meeting, the
Government Spokesman Mr Christos Stylianides told reporters: “The President of
the Republic briefed the National Council on the basis of a chronological
order, beginning from the previous meeting of the Leaders of the Political
Parties that took place at the end of October.
In essence, the
President started his briefing from the conversations he had with the Prime
Ministers of Finland and Sweden, in view of the meetings of these two Prime
Ministers with the Prime Minister of Turkey Mr Erdogan.
There was subsequently a
briefing about a memorandum addressed to Prime Ministers and foreign Embassies,
which concerns the positions of the Greek Cypriot side, in particular with
regard to the issue of the joint communique and the efforts and consultations
that are taking place for the resumption of the dialogue.
Then they were briefed on
the meeting of the President with UK Minister for Europe Mr David
Lidington, on the meeting with Mr Alexander Downer, UN Special Advisor to the
Secretary General on Cyprus, on 6 November, and on the very important
conversation with the Prime Minister of Israel Mr Benjamin Netanyahu. The
President briefed the National Council extensively about all the issues that
concern the relations between Cyprus and Israel, but also with regard to a
strategic analysis that took place between the two men as far as the new
geopolitical facts of our region.
There was also a
briefing with regard to the letter from the US Secretary of State Mr John Kerry
to the President of the Republic and the reply by the President.
Then there was a
briefing about the consultations that are taking place between the
interlocutors (of the two communities), about all the documents that are
submitted in chronological order, how the consultation is conducted, on what
contested points the discussion is taking place, and it concluded of course
with the meeting of the President with Mr Eroglu on which there was a full
briefing to the members of the National Council from the minutes of the
meeting.
In the end there was a
briefing about the two important meetings – that concern mainly the Cyprus
problem – in Brussels, between the President of the Republic with Mr Herman Van
Rompuy, President of the European Council, and with Mr Jose Manuel Barroso,
President of the European Commission. There was also a briefing about the
discussion that took place at the College of the EU Commissioners.”
Mr Stylianides added
that “the President of the Republic submitted his schedule for the next period
with regard to the meetings of the National Council and the meetings of the
Political Leaders. The deliberations of the Political Leaders will be in
continuous session in view of all the discussions that concern the formulation
of the joint communique. We will have a meeting of the National Council in
December, which will concern, mainly, the issue of the Greek Cypriot properties
(in occupied Cyprus) and the issues that concern the ‘compensation commission’,
and in January there will be a date set for a meeting during which there will
be a discussion on issues of strategy related to the Cyprus problem and which
is requested by nearly all the political parties.
The climate that
prevailed was very consensual and positive. There was a clear support for the
President as far as the necessity of the joint communique (with the Turkish
Cypriot community). The political leadership of Cyprus supports the President
of the Republic in this effort.”
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