NEGOTIATIONS: Greek Cypriot President Christofias and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart, Mehmet Ali Talat, set Sept. 3 as the date when they would begin direct negotiations
Saturday, August 2, 2008
ISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News
The leader of the Greek Orthodox Church in Greek Cyprus said Thursday he fully supports a new initiative to reunify the ethnically divided island.
After a meeting with Greek Cypriot President Demetris Christofias, with whom he has had a number of disagreements, Archbishop Chrysostomos II said the church supports new efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem, according to the Associated Press.
“We wish the president success, because his successes will be to the benefit of our people and homeland,” Chrysostomos was quoted as saying by daily Cyprus Mail.
The archbishop said he was satisfied with the briefing he received and with the positions expressed by the president regarding the principles for a Cyprus settlement. He said he no longer has concerns that the initiative may fall short of Greek Cypriot expectations of a fair settlement.
Chrysostomos claimed Wednesday that without talks Greek Cyprus could not solve its “national problem.” He had been invited to the Greek Cypriot House of Representatives to comment on whether the church stands by the Greek Cypriot president's efforts to reach a Cyprus settlement.
In a statement after his meeting with the president of the House of Representatives, Marios Garoyian, the archbishop said he had asked for a meeting with Christofias to be informed about the latest developments regarding the Cyprus question.
Only three weeks ago the archbishop incurred the wrath of the ruling Progressive Party of the Working People, or AKEL, after he criticized its handling of the Cyprus problem in a speech he made in Athens, according to daily Cyprus Mail.
“I know what the people want, but sometimes the people are asleep when the leadership is not vigilant. There is a risk of indifference and everyone has to be on national alert,” he had said during the speech. “Because the entire political leadership accepted a federation and so that the people of Cyprus would not be divided, it is with great pain that the church and archbishop accepted a federation,” he said, adding that it was his right to speak his mind about the Cyprus issue and he was not trying to divide people.
Thursday's statements made it look like reconciliation had been reached between the Greek Cypriot religious and political leadership. “The president stated unequivocally that he will stick with his principles until the end. He will claim the rights of our people and wants a solution so that people could easily survive in the land of their forefathers. We agreed on this and I am very satisfied,” he said after the meeting.
Chrysostomos was elected to his position last November, but only after receiving the "green light" from the Istanbul Fener-based patriarchate. The day after his election to the post, Chrysostomos said he was "not made uncomfortable by the muezzin on the northern side but by the Turkish soldiers." Chrysostomos was also behind a campaign letting Greek Cypriot residents know, "If you vote 'yes' for the Annan Plan, you will not go to heaven."
Chrysostomos also plans to meet other party leaders and said he would seek meetings with the ambassadors of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- Britain, France, Russia, China and the United States.
Christofias and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart, Mehmet Ali Talat, set Sept. 3 as the date when they would begin direct negotiations to bring about an end to the island's 34-year-old division.
Meanwhile, a poll conducted for the Politis newspaper shows that most Greek Cypriots support Christofias' handling of the Cyprus issue. The figures show that 75 percent would like to see direct negotiations underway in autumn. A total of 67 percent of the respondents agree with Christofias' handling of the Cyprus problem, while his overall approval rating stands at 70 percent.
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