GREEK CYPRIOTS DOES NOT EXPECT A PEACE DEAL

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
15.07.2009 02:05 GMT+04:00

The Greek Cypriot government does not expect a peace deal and
referendum on the Cyprus issue, a spokesman said on July 14th.

"As things stand now, with the positions tabled by the Turkish side,
and nothing changes, we don’t see how it’s possible for a settlement
to be agreed on and put to a referendum by December. That’s why
we call on the Turkish side to change its stance", Greek Cypriot
government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou told reporters, Cyprus News
Agency reports. Stephanou called on Turkey to change its stance
and pointed out that he is not in a position to decide now whether
the negotiations will have "a happy ending", while assuring of the
determination of the Greek Cypriot side to achieve an agreed solution.

His remarks came a day after Turkish President Abdullah Gul told a
joint news conference with Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat
that Turkey wants peace negotiations aimed at reunifying the divided
island of Cyprus to conclude soon and a referendum by the end of 2009.