The President
of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, and the President of
the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, issued today the following
statement:
The European Union welcomes the
agreement announced today by the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot
leaders on a Joint Declaration, which lays a solid foundation for
resumption of negotiations for a fair and viable comprehensive
settlement of the long-standing Cyprus problem. This Joint Declaration
should help them to swiftly address matters of substance and to achieve
rapid results in the negotiations. President Barroso and President Van
Rompuy congratulate and salute the courage the two leaders have shown in
agreeing it.
At the time of accession of
Cyprus, the European Union declared its readiness to accommodate the
terms of a settlement in line with the principles on which the Union is
founded. As previously announced, the European Commission is keen to
play its part in supporting the negotiations, conducted under UN
auspices and to offer all the support the parties and the UN find most
useful. As the negotiations resume, President Barroso's personal
representative will contribute actively to the search for constructive
solutions in compliance with the EU acquis to overcome outstanding
problems. In parallel, the European Commission will also step up its
efforts to help the Turkish Cypriot Community prepare for implementation
of the acquis.
The European Union also supports
the efforts to reach an agreement between the two parties on a package
of Confidence-Building Measures which can help to create momentum
towards a settlement to the benefit of Cypriot people. The European
Union stands ready to look creatively at how to contribute to this
objective in the prospects of a final settlement.
