FM, in Cyprus, sees ‘dynamic’
Foreign Minister George Papandreou kicked off a two-day visit to Cyprus yesterday on an optimistic tone. «Cyprus is high on the international community’s agenda, the Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots are inspired by a common dream, while there is also the matter of Turkey’s course toward the European Union,» he said before a meeting with President Tassos Papadopoulos. «There is a new dynamic which must be made use of.» Later, Papandreou met Turkish-Cypriot opposition leaders who have formed a common front against veteran Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash. Meanwhile yesterday, Denktash said he was preparing a «surprise» peace plan that would replace United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s reunification blueprint, which the Turkish-Cypriot leader rejected in February. Papadopoulos, who will visit Athens next week, was not impressed. «It is not the first time this sort of thing is announced,» he said. «Let Mr Denktash, who is responsible for the failure [of the Annan plan] take an initiative of his own.»
