Greece rejects quartet meeting to be held at premiers level

ANKARA (NTV) – The Greek government rejected on Monday a quartet Cyprus meetings which UN scheduled to be held at prime minister levels among Greece, Turkey, Turkish Cyprus and Greek Cyprus and Greece demanded the meeting to be held at undersecretaries level.

Greece rejected the quartet meetings to be held at prime ministers levels on March 24 and reportedly, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan would give the last decision in which level the meeting would be held.

Reportedly, meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Greece Ambassador in Turkey told Erdogan that his government wanted quartet meeting to start at undersecretaries level and to end foreign ministers level.

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot President Rauf Denktas will come to Turkey on March 21 for a summit meeting at Presidential Palace of Cankaya. After the summit it would be clear whether Denktas would participate in quartet meeting.

Regarding the claims that Denktas would withdraw the quartet conference, Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos said that without completing the three stages of the meeting, a withrawal would be a contradiction and he blamed on Denktas with uncompromising stance.

Responding the questions from the Greek correspondents regarding whether Greece’s new Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis would attend quartet meeting, he said that it was an issue which was discussed and it would depend on whether there would be a positive development perspective.