Solana: Cyprus Definitely not a Pre-Condition

Brussels, BELGIUM, November 12, 2003 – The European Union (EU) Council Secretary-General Javier Solana has said that the progress report released on November 5 was misconstrued by Turkey.
Emphasizing that there was no change regarding the Cyprus issue, Solana said: “I want to give the Turkish public and the government a very clear message. There is no change on the Cyprus issue. There are no any additions to the Copenhagen Criteria. There is no need to worry, react or feel offended concerning the issue.” Solana summed up the message in the report as, “A solution for Cyprus will be for the benefit of Cyprus, the E.U. and Turkey.”

After the meeting between Turkey and the E.U. in Rome, Solana, in a telephone interview said that the Lipponen letter related to Cyprus was still valid.