National Council meets

President Anastasiades yesterday briefed the National Council on all meetings, letters and discussions held on the Cyprus problem with various stakeholders since the end of October, Government Spokesman Christos Stylianides said.

These included conversations with the Prime Ministers of Finland and Sweden, following their discussions with Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan; a meeting with UK Minister for Europe David Lidington, with UN Special Adviser Alexander Downer, and on the “very important conversation” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The president also briefed the parties on an exchange of letters with US Secretary of State John Kerry, as well as on the latest efforts to bridge the gap in the peace talks over the joint communiqué.

Party representatives heard the latest from Brussels, following Anastasiades’ recent meeting with the Presidents of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso regarding the Cyprus problem.

Stylianides said the president planned on keeping party leaders continuously up-to-date on any developments regarding the formulation of a joint communiqué.

The National Council will meet again later this month in order to discuss the question of Greek Cypriot property owners in the north applying to the Immoveable Property Commission. In January a meeting will also be set to discuss issues of strategy related to the Cyprus problem, the Spokesman added.

“The climate that prevailed was very consensual and positive. There was clear support for the President as far as the necessity of the joint communiqué,” said Stylianides, adding that this was “very positive” as it sent a clear message to the international community.

Meanwhile, efforts to agree on a joint communiqué continue, as the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative, Alexander Downer is about arrives on the island on Sunday for a five-day stay.

Nicolas supports Anastasiades

The newly elected president of the Democratic Party (DIKO) Nicolas Papadopoulos had a private meeting yesterday with President Nicos Anastasiades.

In statements after the meeting Papadopoulos said he assured Anastasiades that DIKO will use all means to strengthen the President’s negotiating position on the Cyprus problem and to help efforts to kickstart the Cypriot economy.

“I have pledged to undertake every effort to improve further the cooperation between DIKO and the presidential palace.”

According to the Cyprus Mail, the question on everyone’s lips was would Papadopoulos remove his party from the government? And if he stays, would he fight the government on its Cyprus problem policy, given his highly critical stance so far on the national issue.

Speaking after the National Council meeting, Papadopoulos said as far as the latest developments in the peace process are concerned, “we agree with the President’s handling of the matter”.

“As regards the joint communiqué, the President must insist on his position that we should not sacrifice content for the sake of form. The basis of the talks must be clarified”, he said.

“Constructive ambiguities over the content of the communiqué simply help the Turkish Cypriot side depart from the framework of the negotiations. If we proceed with an unclear communiqué and unclear basis, we will simply delay apportioning blame because we will not be able to have any real progress in the talks,” he added.

He said the joint communiqué was not a formality, but an essential clarification on the basis of the talks.

Nicolas could surprise us all

An editorial in the Cyprus Mail says newly elected DIKO president Nicolas Papadopoulos appears to be happy with the way things are going for now in the Cyprus problem. His close aide Chrysis Pantelides said yesterday that the party fully agreed with the president’s insistence on a joint declaration before the start of negotiations, which was no big surprise. What everyone is wondering is what DIKO’s position would be once negotiations start.

Pantelides indicated what should be expected, saying that Papadopoulos “will play the role that is needed in the Cyprus problem” and would work for a settlement “with the right content.” The late Tassos Papadopoulos regularly said he wanted a settlement, but “with the right content,” which was his way of saying he was opposed to any settlement that the Turkish side would agree to, as it would not have the “right content”.

We should not make assumptions. Nicolas could surprise us all and abandon his father’s hard-line ideology now that he has become party leader in his own right.