AKEL replies to President’s “warning” to parties
Statement by Aristos Damianou, member of the AKEL Political Bureau
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 16th July 2017, Nicosia
President Anastasiades claimed in the “Kathimerini” weekly newspaper that he knew from various sources that Turkey wasn’t ready to discuss the chapter on “Security and Guarantees”. We will not ask why then did Mr. Anastasiades go to Switzerland, but why his original position was that there should be an agreement on this chapter and then a discussion and an agreement on the issue of Territory, given the information he had about Turkey’s negative position? Was it for a second – after Geneva – failure to be recorded?
The President of the Republic refers to making the minutes of the Greek Cypriot side known to the public and is issuing a warning to political parties and leaders. We have no problem if he wants to make our side’s minutes public. However, on our part we also issue a warning: that he should look to ensure the success of his handlings and acceptance of our positions is recorded in the texts and actions of the UN and the EU. Otherwise, Turkey will once more remain unscathed, despite the long-standing responsibility it bears for the continuation of the partition and the failure to achieve a solution.
