Former Disy leader urges president to take initiatives in NY

Former Disy leader Averof Neophytou has urged President Nikos Christodoulides to display clarity and a readiness to undertake initiatives at Friday’s meeting with the UN Secretary-General in New York.

In a written statement, Neophytou appealed to the president to approach the meeting “with the determination of clarity and the diplomacy of initiatives,” adding that the basic demand of our side “must be the immediate appointment of a special envoy of the UNSG.”

Christodoulides was also warned not to try to change the framework of the negotiations. “The framework, which we will pursue, must be that of the agreed conclusion in Crans Montana and not an a priori negotiation, which essentially cancels the Guterres framework and at the same time raises questions about our real intentions,” Neophytou said.

One way of being convincing, Neophytou added, would be the official announcement of the confidence-building measures the president has prepared.

While these measures have been leaked to the press, they were not formally submitted to the Turkish Cypriot side, with government sources saying this would depend on what happened in New York.

Neophytou issued his statement after a series of meetings with party leaders and the ambassadors of the permanent members of the UN Security Council.

In a dig at Christodoulides’ approach, the former Disy leader said that in the Cyprus issue “substance and responsibility is needed and not communication through statements which replace dialogue.”