Zapatero visits Cyprus on eve of EU presidency

Spain fully supports the ongoing UN-led negotiations for a solution of the Cyprus problem, said Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, speaking to the press after a meeting on Monday with President Demetris Christofias at the Presidential Palace.
The Spanish leader, who stayed in Paphos over the weekend while on a private visit, said he welcomed and supported the ongoing peace dialogue procedure.
“We support the one and single state in Cyprus,” Premier Zapatero pointed out, noting that Spain would give the peace process its full backing.
“We will encourage as much as we can this negotiation process and we will try, to the extent that we are asked or the extent of our capability, to contribute to its successful development,” he added. “We welcome this process within the framework of the foundations put in place by the decisions and resolutions of the United Nations as well as the European Union framework”.
Zapatero also presented the main goals of the Spanish Presidency of the EU which commences on January 1, 2010. These entail economic recovery and the EU’s financial future, external relations with the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Latin America, Russia and inter-Atlantic relations, the broadening of EU citizens’ rights with emphasis on equality between the two sexes, and the immediate implementation of the Lisbon Treaty. The Spanish Prime Minister also underlined Cyprus’ significant role in the Mediterranean region.
For his part, President Christofias wished Premier Zapatero and Foreign Minister Moratinos the best in carrying out their difficult tasks. “We are convinced that the Spanish Presidency of the EU will be a successful one and that Madrid’s goals will be achieved,” he added.
Regarding the Cyprus problem, Christofias noted: “We conveyed yet again our commitment to the Prime Minister that we will do our utmost so that these talks will bear the outcome that we are all hoping for. We reassured him that we are ready for a solution the soonest possible, that we will attend the negotiations with good will but we will also defend principles. What we have agreed with Mr Talat is to pursue a solution of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, as this is defined by the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, providing for a state with a single sovereignty, a single citizenship and a single international personality”.