CYPRUS: The Cyprus President, Mr Glafkos Clerides, announced yesterday in a formal address to the Cypriot people that he will stand as a candidate in the February 16th presidential poll and seek a limited 16-month mandate.
During this period he said he would seek to reach a settlement with the Turkish Cypriots and complete the accession of Cyprus to the EU.
With the aim of securing broad support for this move, Mr Clerides declared his intention to form a national unity government. He indicated that other candidates should stand behind him rather than compete in an election campaign. He called on the political forces and the people of the island to give him a "strong mandate so that united, we can deal with the greatest challenge Cyprus has ever faced. A challenge that will determine the future of us all."
Mr Clerides's second term ends on February 28th, the deadline set by the UN and the EU for Greek and Turkish Cypriot acceptance of the UN plan for the reunification of the island in a bicommunal federation ahead of its 2004 entry into the EU.
The Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr Rauf Denktash, was non-committal on Mr Clerides's announcement. Following his refusal to agree to the UN plan ahead of the EU summit in mid-December, Mr Denktash has been under increasing pressure from his people and Ankara to negotiate a deal with Mr Clerides.
One of his main objections to the proposal is that the plan proposes the return to Greek Cypriot administration of territory now held by Turkish Cypriots, particularly the citrus-growing Morphou area. However, a poll revealed that 59.9 per cent of its residents would not object to such a territorial adjustment.
