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/The Cyprus problem is back at last/ THE CYPRUS problem appears to be
making a return to the front pages, which have been dominated for weeks by
reports about the Kosovo crisis. Most of the papers carried President
Clerides' prediction, made during his Monday evening press conference, that
the US initiative on Cyprus would take place in September. This was what he
had been told by the Americans.
Phileleftheros
also reported that the US and Britain had been working to finalise the
framework within which the new initiative would operate. According to
reliable sources, Britain was to approach Russia as part of this new move.
Britain's envoy to Cyprus Sir David Hannay had flown to Moscow on Monday
night for talks with the Russian envoy Vladimir Chizov; this was a
continuation of discussions the two sides had had in Cyprus. Italy's deputy
foreign minister Umberto Ranieri's visit to Cyprus today was part of this
diplomatic mobility, the paper said. Ranieri, who is expected to discuss
the Cyprus problem and the EU accession process, was scheduled to meet
President Clerides.
Politis
carried an exclusive report from Washington based on a conversation between
the paper's political correspondent and Turkish foreign minister Ismail Cem,
who said that he knew nothing about a new US initiative on Cyprus. He said
the Americans "always try to do something." He expected any US initiative
to be no different from other initiatives. Cem also said that Turkey
opposed the involvement of the Group of Eight in the Cyprus peace process.
The writer, quoting a reliable diplomatic source, claimed that Turkey was
opposed to the Group of Eight because it did not want Russia, the eighth
member, to have a bigger say in the peace process.
Simerini
reported that the destruction of the third bridge in the Yugoslav town of
Novi Sad by Nato bombers meant that Belgrade had been cut off from northern
Yugoslavia. Only a small metal bridge in Pancevo, 13 km from the capital,
now linked Belgrade to the north of the country. While Nato was destroying
bridges, Moscow was trying to build diplomatic bridges between the rival
sides, wrote the paper's correspondent in Belgrade. Belgrade had pinned all
its hopes on the latest Moscow initiative, as things were getting worse,
with Nato expected to step up its bombing campaign in the next few weeks.
Haravghi
was outraged that the Cyprus government had adopted the decision taken by
Nato and the European Union to slap an embargo on the supply of oil to
Yugoslavia. The government said the decision served the country's national
interests, a point disputed by communist party Akel and Diko. Akel said
that the government had a mistaken notion about what constituted the
national interest; it certainly did not involve seeking the approval and
the praise of Nato and the Americans. Akel dismissed the oil embargo as
illegal, a view that Diko also shared.
Alithia led with
Clerides' assertion during his press conference that Cyprus' interests were
with the European Union. There was no question of reconsidering the
decision to join the EU because of the Yugoslavia crisis as Akel had been
demanding, because that would be "a mistake of huge proportions", Clerides
said. The paper applauded Clerides' clear response to those who resorted to
demagoguery with regard to the Yugoslav crisis.
© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1999
