The government is working on measures to prevent Turkish plans that seek to create new faits accomplish on the ground, Government Spokesman Nikos Christodoulides has said.
In statements after the meeting of the National Council (top advisory body to the President as regards the Cyprus issue), the Spokesman said that the President has asked the political party leaders to submit concrete proposals for a list of preventive measures.
Christodoulides said that the President of the Republic is convinced that this is the time to take common actions to deal with the situation after the Conference on Cyprus in Crans Montana (28 June – 7 July).
He said that there was no outcome at the Crans Montana Conference due to the persistence of Turkey to maintain intervention rights in Cyprus and a permanent military presence on the island.
The Spokesman said that it is time for common actions to address any Turkish plans, which intend to serve communicative or other purposes and are not related to the solution of the Cyprus problem, but aim to extend the Turkish occupation of Cyprus and create new faits accomplis.
It is in this context, he continued, that the Government is working on very concrete measures, some of which were outlined by the President of the Republic, especially as regards the EU factor.
Regarding the Cyprus talks, he noted that ‘the invitation-challenge that the President of the Republic has made a week ago is publicly known and there is no reply yet on behalf of the Turkish side’.
Referring to the meeting that President Anastasiades will have with UNSG`s Special Advisor on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide on Thursday, Christodoulides said that it will be a farewell meeting during which the President will repeat his positions.
As regards Eide’s report on what happened in Crans Montana, the Spokesman said that it will most probably be finalized on the first ten days of August, adding that ‘it is very well known what happened in Crans Montana and the government is not concerned’.
Replying to questions, Christodoulides said that in the UNSG`s framework there were six points. Only in one of them, in the point concerning the issue of security and guarantees and the withdrawal of the (Turkish) army, there was a concrete position on behalf of the UNSG.
“In all remaining five points, the Secretary General was describing the positions he heard, his own summary of what he had heard from the sides,” the Spokesman pointed out.
He said that in Crans Montana there was no outcome because Turkey was far from point 1 of the UNSG’s framework, which concerned the issue of security and guarantees.
Replying to a remark by a journalist that main opposition party leader (AKEL) Andros Kyprianou, said that this is not the position of the international community, the Spokesman said that during the previous meeting of President Anastasiades with Mr Eide it was clear which were the reasons for the lack of outcome at the Crans Montana Conference.
He added that when the Turkish Foreign Minister publicly challenged EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini to state that the collapse of the conference was due to the positions of the Greek Cypriot side, ‘we all saw that (Mrs Mogherini) did not confirm such a thing’.
The Spokesman said that a new meeting of the National Council will take place in September. He added that the government awaits to receive from the members of the National Council the soonest possible very concrete proposals which the government will assess, in order to further enhance the government’s reactions to Turkish plans.
Invited to say which measures the government will take, Christodoulides said that when list of measures is finalized and they are implemented, they will be announced.
The Spokesman stressed that the government must, with utmost seriousness, deal with developments saying that this is not the time for confrontation.
Asked if there was a reply on behalf of the US Pentagon as regards the Turkish NAVTEX, he said that until today, the information that the government has received by the US State Department and the US Ministry of Defense is that no NAVTEX was asked to be issued, as Turkey has done.
He pointed out that more detailed information is expected by the US side within the day.
Christodoulides also pointed out that many US vessels are stationed in the region due to developments, especially in Syria.
UN-peace talks at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana commenced on June 28. In the early hours of July 7 it was announced that the Conference on Cyprus ended without an agreement.
The talks, held under the auspices of the UN, aim at reuniting Cyprus under a federal roof. The island remains divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion.
