Cyprus President: Negotiations for a Cyprus settlement will be difficult

Cyprus President Demetris Christofias said here today that negotiations aiming at settling the Cyprus question will be difficult, adding that as the Greek Cypriot side’s interlocutor he will defend the fundamental principles on which the settlement of the Cyprus problem will be based.

In statements at Larnaca airport before leaving for Brussels, where he will attend the European Council to be held October 15-16, and responding to a question on direct negotiations on the Cyprus question, Christofias said that there can be no assessments about the possible results of this effort after only a few meetings between him and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat.

“A lot of meetings will take place because there are a lot of pending aspects of the Cyprus questions, which are difficult ones, due to Turkey’s stance,” he added.

Christofias said that he will defend the fundamental principles on which the settlement of the Cyprus question will be based, the rights of the people, to have a really united Cyprus, a federal Cyprus as provided by the High Level Agreements, with political equality, as has been defined by the UN.”

The Cypriot President said that a lot of discussions will have to take place so that all these are implemented and it is through these potential disagreements and different views that he hopes that they will reach a settlement that will serve the well-perceived interests of the Cyprus people and not of the foreigners.