REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL, AMBASSADOR SERGEY LAVROV, FOLLOWING P- 5 LUNCHEON WITH THE SPEAKER OF THE CYPRUS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, MR. DEMETRIS CHRISTOFIAS


4 April, 2002

Question: “Just recently the Council and you personally expressed some views about the Cyprus issue and the talks that just started in Nicosia again. Do you think that the message you gave will be taken seriously, especially by Mr. Denktash?” 

Ambassador Lavrov: “Well I certainly hope so because the message was very clear that we want the solution, we want this dialogue in the format of direct talks to continue, we want this dialogue to be based on Security Council resolutions and we want both participants of the dialogue to make more use of the United Nations Good Offices be it in the person of the Secretary General, be it in the person of his Special Adviser, Mr. Alvaro de Soto. So I think the Security Council position has been very consistent and we have endorsed the basic principles of the settlement and we want the parties to arrive to those principles.” 

Question: “When will Mr. de Soto brief you again?”

Lavrov: “Well that depends on how the dialogue continues but we don’t have any specific dates set, we would certainly rely on the Secretary General’s opinion when such a briefing would be necessary.” 

Question: Finally, about today’s meeting with the Speaker of the Cyprus House of Representatives? 

Lavrov: “Well I enjoyed the meeting. The President presented his views on the situation which are entirely within the Security Council resolutions, which aim at reunification on the basis of a bicommunal country and he also gave us a very interesting expose of his own efforts to bring about a dialogue between the two communities and to build a grassroots level co-operation, friendship, co-existence as people of one country.”

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