Cypriot-Syrian FMs to address ship dispute
       

25/09/2007  
 


The Foreign Ministers of Cyprus and Syria, scheduled to meet on Wednesday in New York, will address a disagreement that broke out between the two countries, relating to the docking of a Turkish vessel at a Syrian port, which originated from the closed port of Turkish occupied Famagusta.
Acting Cyprus Foreign Minister Fotis Fotiou told the press today that he expects Damascus to reply to all three queries he had raised with them about last Saturday’s incident.
Nicosia sought clarifications to see if the Syrian authorities have entered into an agreement with the illegal Turkish Cypriot regime in occupied Cyprus, to find out if a representative of this regime had actually met Syrian government officials and whether Damascus intends to allow more ships, sailing off the closed port of Famagusta, to its shores.
“We have been told that the replies will be given to us today but I would recommend patience until tomorrow when the Foreign Minister will meet with her Syrian counterpart on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York,” Fotiou told the press today.
Replying to questions, he said that on Monday he briefed President Tassos Papadopoulos about his meeting with the Charge D’ Affaires of the Syrian embassy here.
“The President believes that we should wait for the outcome of the meeting in New York, which should clarify the situation with regard to Syrian moves on the matter,” Fotiou added.
He said the government will wait and see and act accordingly.
The regime in Turkish occupied Cyprus is recognized only by Ankara and the UN have described it as “legally invalid” and called on all states not to facilitate it in any way and not to recognize any other state in Cyprus except the internationally recognized government of the Republic of Cyprus.