From the President's Office de George Vassiliou

From the President's Office: A Journey Towards Reconciliation in a Divided Cyprus

George Vassiliou

When George Vassiliou was elected President in 1988, it was a surprise to many people in the international community, both within Cyprus and abroad. Not affiliated to any political party, despite his family's role in the creation and development of AKEL, Cyprus' left-wing movement, Vassiliou was in many ways an outsider. But this position outside party politics proved to be an advantage, giving him a unique perspective on the international situation and allowing him to focus on his ultimate goal: a solution to the Cyprus issue. "From the President's Office" offers a full and comprehensive summary of the achievements of Vassiliou's time in office alongside a frank critique of their limitations. It offers a personal and unique account of a crucial period in Cyprus' recent history by one of the leading players in Cypriot politics. It will be an invaluable resource for students of International Relations and Conflict Resolution as well as anyone wishing to understand the politics of Cyprus today.

Citește tot Restrânge

Notă biografică

George Vassiliou was President of the Republic of Cyprus from 1988 to 1993. He was the founder and leader of the Cypriot United Democrats party (EDI) and served as a member of the Cypriot Parliament. He also served as Chief Negotiator for the accession of Cyprus to the European Union from 1998 to 2003. His political memoirs have previously been published in two volumes in Greek and he is also the Editor of The Accession Story: The EU from 15 to 25 Countries.

Cuprins

FOREWORDINTRODUCTIONFirst Period: February 1988-August 1988Preparation of the Secretary-General's new initiative - Talks Begin-Re-establishment of the National Council-'A Solution Yesterday'-Agreement on restarting talks-Preparation for talks and further internationalization-Talks begin 1988Second Period: September 1988-July 1989Intercommunal Talks-First phase: September-November 1988-Start of the 1st round of talks amid mounting domestic reaction-Visits to Paris Italy, EU-Brussels-Meeting in New York with the UN Secretary-General - The 'war' continues in Cyprus-Second phase: January-March 1989-A new campaign to promote our positions-'Women Walk Home' March 1989-Visit to Athens and New York-New York - Meeting with the UN Secretary-General-Third phase: May-June 1989-The issue of military unmanning in Nicosia-The need to continue the talks-Women's Protest and incidents in the Ayios Kassianos areaThird Period: August 1989-December 1990Efforts to make the best of the 'Set of Ideas' and to save the talksResolution 649 and the Gulf crisis-The UN Secretary-General's 'Food for Thought' proposals-1990 - Continued efforts aimed at substantive talks-Resolution 649 - Rejection of Turkish conditions-Application for membership of the EU-UN efforts continue-Iraq invades Kuwait. International attention focuses on the Gulf crisis-EU acceptance of Cyprus' application for membership-New visit to the USAFourth Period: January 1991-December 1991Efforts to convene an International Conference on the Cyprus Issue and increased pressure on Turkey - Rejection of Turkish conditions and the involvement of the Security Council, Resolution 750-Submission of the Secretary-General's report -Increased international momentum-Paris meeting, Turkey reneges-Debate in the House of Representatives (26 September 1991)Fifth Period: January 1992-February 1993Intensification of efforts to find a solution - Unprecedented involvement of the Security CouncilThe Ghali Set of Ideas - Resolutions 750, 774 and 789-Renewed efforts to restart talks-Davos 1992-New contacts by the Secretary-General's representatives-Clerides - Kyprianou and the 'Greece-Cyprus Conference' slogan-Continuing efforts aimed at substantive negotiations-The Secretary-General's Report to the Security Council and Resolution 750-Indications of a change in the Turkish attitude-A new round of talks. First round: May-June 1992-Work in Cyprus - Preparations for the second round-OSCE Summit in Helsinki-Second round of talks: 13 July-14 August 1992-Proximity talks: 11-12 August-Face-to-face negotiations-The Non-Aligned Summit and a visit to Athens-New York - Seville - Brussels (September-October 1992)-Visit to Russia - Agreement on Krasnodar -Third round of talks: October-November 1992-Resolution 789 (1992)-Mr Clerides' change of policy-Pre-election period (December 1992-February 1993)AFTERWORDAPPENDICES