Christodoulides ‘Ready’ for Immediate Meeting on Opening Crossing Points

He said the president had submitted eight proposals which needed to be reciprocated.

To remarks that Christodoulides had said “all or nothing”, Letymbiotis said this referred “mainly to the aspect of the crossing points.

“All the proposals put forward must contain the aspect of reciprocity and this is something that is perfectly understandable in terms of positive substantive development,” Letymbiotis said.

He said the eight proposals were made “with a positive outcome at the heart of our efforts”. They will now be evaluated by the other side, and “we await the second meeting that will take place to discuss these proposals.

“All the points and every positive development in this discussion must contain the aspect of reciprocity. The four points concerning crossing points should be accepted as four crossing points because in this way the aspect of reciprocity is ensured,” he said.

Letymbiotis explained that the remaining four points concerning either proposals for a youth technical committee or the implementation of the Pyla agreement.

“What we expect, through the constructive attitude we demonstrated during yesterday’s [Monday] meeting, is for the Turkish Cypriot side, after its evaluation, to come to the next meeting with specific positions on the proposals, and these positions will be evaluated with the same constructive attitude,” he added.

“There are four points that concern the crossing points and another four points that concern some other proposals that the president of the Republic has submitted, whether they concern the establishment of a technical youth committee, a proposal that was also mentioned in the past, or whether they concern the implementation of the Pyla agreement, which was achieved last summer but was not implemented,” he said.

Asked if the crossing points were essentially one crossing point and three passages, the spokesman said “the practical arrangements are matters to be discussed at the second meeting.

“It is well-known that we have submitted the two proposals for Athienou-Pyroi and for the point at Kokkina, for Mia Milia, as well as a point that will serve the community in Louroujina,” he said.

Tatar has repeatedly stated that the crossing points need to support both communities and not just a corridor through the north linking two areas of the Republic.

Commenting on Monday’s remarks by Tatar, Letymbiotis said “it is consciously that we say that this discussion cannot be held in public nor can it be beneficial in public.

“Yesterday we submitted our own thoughts in a very specific way, there had been a preparatory period at the level of negotiators where we had also submitted our own thoughts, some aspects of these proposals had also been discussed at the level of the UN secretary general, at the dinner on October 15,” he said.

He added that “what we expect, as stated by Mr Tatar yesterday, is to evaluate and study these proposals and to hold the second meeting as soon as possible.

“We are ready even tomorrow, if this becomes possible, for the meeting to take place.”

Source: Cyprus Mail