1. Christofias in Brussels
The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, yesterday asked to meet with President Christofias and they had an impromptu meeting at the Brussels Hilton lasting 15 minutes. Commenting on the meeting he had with the British PM, Phileleftheros says that according to EU sources, Mr Brown urged him to show "courage" and proceed with solving the Cyprus problem. Earlier yesterday Christofias met the President of the Party of European Socialists Poul Rasmussen and Russia's Permanent Representative at the EU Vladimir Chizhov. He was also due to meet , President of the European Parliament Hans Gert Poettering and President of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament Martin Schultz. Later today he will be meeting with the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso. Christofias also gave a press conference in Brussels to Cypriot, Greek and foreign media representatives. In his opening statement he said "We are ready to move forward towards implementing the 8 July agreement in a creative manner and with good will in order to achieve a solution on the basis of UN resolutions, the High Level Agreements and international as well as EU law". He added that "if Turkey really wants to follow a creative stance that will provide us the possibility to turn hopes into actions, then we will truly have what we are all looking forward to - breaking of the deadlock and promotion of substantive discussions for the solution of the various aspects of the Cyprus problem."Replying to questions he said that if Talat could "unhook himself from Turkey's strong embrace" so that we can all manage to function as Cypriots, then he was optimistic that the deadlock could be broken. He added, however, that the recent statements from the Turkish side were not promising but hoped they were just tactical statements.
He said he would be taking part in the meeting with Talat full of good will and stressed that the main purpose of his standing for president was to solve the Cyprus problem. He stressed he had no hatred towards the Turkish Cypriots and on the contrary fought for the rights of the Turkish Cypriots as citizens of the Republic of Cyprus and for the rapprochement between the two communities. "I accept and honour the High Level Agreements of 1977 and 1979, according to which the unitary state would be transformed to a bizonal, bicommunal federal state". "The problem has to be solved. Time is passing. New fait accomplis are created and are becoming deeper and this is against the fate and destiny of all Cypriots. This is my promise, this is my position and I hope that the hand I give to Mr Talat will be accepted".Asked if he felt a bit lonely in Europe, as a head of state of a communist party, Christofias replied "I am the head of state of the Republic of Cyprus, not of a communist party. The communist party is there and I am proud of my party, I am proud of its history and contribution, for decades, to the liberation of the country and to the independence of the Republic of Cyprus and, of course, to win rights for the ordinary people. We have achieved this and I am proud of it. I must say that I feel equal with the other leaders of the EU member states and I am happy our proposal to strengthen the social aspect of the Lisbon Strategy has been accepted ".


2. Talat meets with UN SG
Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met yesterday with UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon in Dakar, the capital of Senegal on the sidelines of the Islamic Conference. Mr. Talat said he had underlined the urgency of a solution and told him that achieving one by the end of 2008 is an attainable target. “The Secretary-General stated that the UN would take a position after it makes the necessary assessment", Talat said after the 40-minute meeting. “I have the impression that he will undertake an initiative”. He added that Mr. Ban Ki-moon told him that he will be sending Mr. Lynn Pascoe, UN Under-Secretary-General responsible for Political Affairs, to Cyprus .

Meanwhile with a week to go until he meets with Christofias, Talat yesterday continued to plug the failed Annan plan. He was quoted as saying yesterday that even former President Tassos Papadopoulos, “who had demonised the Annan Plan” accepted that “there is no escape from it”. “Given that even Papadopoulos knew this, it is not possible for any other Greek Cypriot leader not to know it,” said Talat. Talat stated he had put no preconditions for the start of negotiations and that he only pointed out that it would be more correct to start from the Annan Plan. Talat said: “When the 8 July procedure was still being discussed, Papadopoulos himself had said to me: ‘When we sit at the table you will bring the Annan Plan and we will evaluate it. Either we will oppose or we will try to change it.’” Talat said the July 8 was not an agreement but a procedure as to how things were to be discussed and could not be an alternative. “Even if we do not put the plan onto the table and discuss it officially, the Annan Plan is a text that we could take as reference on every issue and this will come about by itself, it is inevitable,” Talat added.“If, however, the Greek Cypriot side says ‘let us put the Annan Plan onto the table and discuss it officially’, the solution will be easier and faster. The Annan Plan is not perfect and without deficiencies…it will be be taken as reference.”
3. Erdogan letter
According to Phileleftheros, the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan has sent a letter to the leaders of the 26 EU member-states (except Christofias), asking them to put pressure on Nicosia. The paper says that the letter is similar to the one sent by Talat to the UN SG and repeats the position that negotiations should be held on the basis of the Annan plan, on parthenogenesis and on the equality of the two states and peoples and requests the removal of the isolation of the T/Cs.

4. Papers comments
Politis says that the UN SG will decide whether to undertake a new initiative on the Cyprus problem after the visit to the island of the UN Undersecretary General.The paper says he is expected on the island on 30 March and quotes him as having told reporters at the UN that he is 'very optimistic'. It adds that he is coming without an agenda and will just listen to what the two sides have to say as to how they would like him to proceed and sets special emphasis on meetings he is expected to have with NGOs from both sides. Meanwhile the paper says London is getting ready for action and quotes the assistant Foreign Secretary Jim Murphy as telling UK cypriots that the Cyprus problem will be his most important task in the next few months. He expressed his delight at the election of Mr Christofias saying that this opportunity must not be missed.

Pambos Charalambous writing in Alithia refers to Talat's latest comments about the Annan plan that even Tassos Papadopoulos had accepted that there was no getting away from it and wonders is it possible that TP may have told Talat that the Annan plan cannot be buried? And if he did so, why does Talat saying that make our hairs stand on end even if he mentions it as a point of reference for a possible solution? Actually, it's not just once that TP said what Talat claims he has said, he did so innumerable times and even said it must be brought back to the negotiating table and improved. The writer says he has ten thousand words of statements by TP to this effect and proceeds to quote some of them eg when he said "such plans are always on the table. They never disappear, they never die. So we cannot say that the Annan plan will be forgotten or won't be renegotiated". Or "By necessity any solution shall have to be within the parameters and philosophy of the Annan plan. We insist on the functionality of the final solution, that's why we seek to make changes to the Annan plan. Changes that will not affect its general philosophy". Or more recently: "The Annan plan remains the basis for negotiations. Our policy hasn't changed". And: "We have quietly and responsibly already prepared and given to the UN specific changes to the Annan plan that would make it more functional and viable".