The Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs Dimitris Droutsas said here Friday that he
wants to see a settlement in the Republic of Cyprus based on UN Security Council resolutions and taking into consideration the accumulated European Union (EU) legislation."Since the Republic of Cyprus is a full member of the EU, this must be taken into account in the search for a settlement," Droutsas told reporters here after meeting with UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon.
The UN-sponsored talks, which began in 2008, seek to set up a federal government with a single international personality in a bi- zonal, bi-communal country, with a Turkish Cypriot constituent state and a Greek Cypriot constituent state of equal status.
The UN chief will provide the Security Council with a report on the state of the talks by the end of February.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish forces invaded the island in response to a Greek-led coup apparently aimed at making it part of Greece.
The last attempt at a negotiated solution to the Cypriot problem -- in 2004 -- collapsed when Turkish Cypriots voted in favor of a UN settlement plan, but Greek Cypriots rejected it.
As a result, Cyprus -- or the southern part ruled by Greek Cypriots -- joined the European Union that year, while the north remained effectively excluded.
Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders have met many times under UN sponsorship since 2008, apart from additional meetings between their representatives. The United Nations has maintained a peacekeeping mission on the island since the 1964 violence.
Greece is also part of the wider Middle East and North Africa region, currently plagued by nationwide anti-governmental popular protest, and therefore has "a special interest and responsibility, " Droutsas said.
"Greece is a country with long standing traditional ties and relations with the Arab world and relations of mutual respect and understanding," he noted.
source: XINHUA
