Christofias rejects Turkish proposal for Cyprus conference

19/11/2009

NICOSIA, Cyprus -- President Demetris Christofias said on Wednesday (November 18th) that Cyprus has rejected Ankara's proposal for a five-party conference on reunifying the divided island. Christofias explained that the proposal is reminiscent of a 2003 procedure, which resulted in a UN plan that was ultimately rejected by 74% of Greek Cypriot voters as one-sided. According to local media, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested the conference during a meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday. Erdogan proposed that participants from Turkey, Greece, Great Britain, the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities meet under UN supervision. Christofias says Turkey is "pretending to seek solutions and to make proposals [while] at the same time Turkish officials accuse me personally of obstructing a solution". (Xinhua, ISRIA, MIA - 18/11/09)