[autom.vertaling] Geen doorbraak in de besprekingen van Cyprus (en)

Met dank overgenomen van EUobserver (EUOBSERVER) i, gepubliceerd op maandag 9 september 2002, 9:44.

The meeting in Paris last Friday between the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and the two Cypriot leaders Glafcos Clerides and Rauf Denktas, did not lead to the long awaited breakthrough in the talks aimed at reaching a solution about the future state of the island. Both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot sides maintained their positions, where there seems to be "no way of approach." Although no breakthrough was registered in these talks, Kofi Annan feels that the gaps between the two sides could be bridged, and scheduled another meeting with the two leaders on the 3 and 4 October in New York.

Whilst the Turkish Cypriots want a confederation of two sovereign states, the Greek Cypriots want a unitary federation and a "reinstitution of property rights." In the meeting, Mr Annan appears to have urged both sides to find a compromise and intensify their efforts before the October meeting takes place. Should no progress be reached by that time, it is not out of the question that the UN put forward a comprehensive solution plan to facilitate the peace process.

The Security Council's informal consultations on Cyprus scheduled to take place on Monday have been postponed, since further talks were scheduled for October.

Pressure to solve this issue has increased with the prospect of the next EU enlargement, where Cyprus is expected to be one of the countries to join in 2004. The EU has repeatedly said that a resolution of the conflict is not a precondition for enlargement, although it would prefer that the whole of Cyprus enters the EU. However, if no agreement is reached before the Copenhagen summit in December, it could mean that only the Greek Cypriot part will accede to the EU, a move which would put a strain on EU-Turkey relations.


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