Names announced

The Government has announced the names of the Greek Cypriot heads of the working groups and technical committees as follows:
Working Groups
1. Governance and power sharing: Andreas Mavrommatis
2. EU Matters: George Vassiliou
3. Security and Guarantees: Sotos Zackhaeos
4. Territory: Alecos Shiambos
5. Property: Erato Marcoullis
6. Economic Matters Michalis Sarris
Technical Committees
1. Crime and Criminal Matters: Andros Kapardis
2. Economic and Commercial Matters: Dionysis Mavronicolas
3. Cultural Heritage: Takis Hadjidemetriou
4. Crisis Management: Marios Lyssiotis
5. Humanitarian Matters: Symeon Matsis
6. Health Matters: Charis Charalambous

Toumazos Tselepis is expected to help co-ordinate the meetings under Presidential Commissioner George Iacovou.All the members of the committees and working groups consisting of around 50 technocrats convened at the Presidential Palace for a briefing by President Christofias ahead of Friday’s first ceremonial meeting.

Politis says that Christofias’ desire to ensure that the committees and working groups on the Cyprus problem are productive is reflected in his choice of people chosen to lead the committees. They all satisfy his criteria of having acute political judgement, sufficient experience, being tolerant to the opposite point of view and able to handle disagreements, while at the same time being experts in their field. The paper says that Christofias told them he expects hard work, positive proposals to bridge gaps and lead to solutions, total blackout, patience and tolerance for opposing opinions.

Disy welcomed the start of the work of the committees and groups and said that they view it with guarded optimism. Edek expressed its doubts as to their composition saying since political persons and officials had been chosen, representation should have been broader.

Meanwhile, reports in the Turkish Cypriot press say that there has been criticism in the north at the fact that the Turkish side has not announced the names of the Turkish Cypriots who will be participating in the technical committees and working groups. Volkan reports that the chairman of the National Unity Party (UBP), Tahsin Ertugruloglu reacted at the fact that the names are being kept secret and called on Talat to show transparency.

The Government Spokesman Stephanos Stephanou announced that Christofias and Talat will be meeting again on 7 May at a social function organised by G/C and T/C parties.

The spokesman also said that the government is considering ways to prepare public opinion for a bizonal,bicommunal federation and stressed that society must know what a solution will mean both in theory as well as in practice. “This is something we have a duty to do and will try to do”, he said, and which, as President Christofias had pointed out, was something past governments had failed to do. “A solution”, he added “would bring about a change in the lives of Cypriots and so they must be prepared for it”.

An editorial in Alithia says that while the public debate in other countries revolves around a plethora of issues, in Cyprus we are just concerned with one thing – the Cyprus problem. Without wishing to denigrate its importance and our desire to see it solved, it does however hold us back and we should also deal with other issues.

Savvas Iacovides in Simerini under the headline “Who is paying for unification? It’s you Greeks, you suckers”. He refers to a letter he received from a reader who says that one only has to read the Annan plan to know who will pay, and without doubt it is the Annan plan that comrade Christofias has in mind. That’s also what the PRIO report which presented the Annan plan in a favourable light said and that’s what they’re trying to do now, by presenting another favourable report which practically says that we will all be eating out of golden spoons in the event of a solution and will practically conquer Turkey economically! He says ruefully we are heading for another Turkification and the vehicle taking us there is being driven by the new ‘linovamvakoi’ that have sprouted up in recent years.