Statements by President Christofias after a short meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu
Yesterday’s meeting between the President of the Republic Mr Demetris Christofias and the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu in the framework of the direct negotiations on the Cyprus problem was postponed on the initiative of the President of the Republic in order to avoid, as President Christofias said, a crisis at the talks, after public statements made by Mr Eroglu, which questioned the basis of the talks. President Christofias said that, during a brief discussion he had with Mr Eroglu yesterday morning at the venue where direct talks are held, he proposed that the whole issue be discussed by the two leaders’ advisers George Iacovou and Kudret Ozersay to which Mr Eroglu agreed. “We talked a bit about this process. This was accepted by him as well. It is clear that Mr Eroglu came under a tremendous pressure from his opposition even before he arrived at his office last week and it seems that it is under this pressure that he made the statements. Everyone is under some sort of pressure. Either we have the courage to go on on the basis, which is crystal clear, or every time that we are under attack from our home front we will review our positions,” the President of the Republic noted
