[PIO] The Government Spokesman answered journalists' questions in his media briefing

The Government Spokesman, Mr.Konstantinos Letibiotis, responded today to journalists' questions, as part of his briefing to the media, at the Presidential Palace.

Asked about the protest event of potato and wheat farmers and their demands, Mr. Letibiotis said: "The government has made a €4.3 million sponsorship proposal which is equivalent to €6 per quintal to wheat farmers and €55 per quintal to potato farmers. We think that the proposal is very good. The right to take any measures is respected, but you understand that these measures do not help and it is not the best thing in the midst of discussions or consultations to take such measures as today's, when the roads around the Presidential Palace are blocked and people are inconvenienced."

Asked if the Republic of Cyprus has given its consent to a regulation proposed by the Spanish Presidency of the European Union (EU) on the monitoring of media officials under certain conditions, the Spokesman said: "As far as I understand the information is drawn from an internal European Commission minute and certainly does not reflect the reality. It is exactly the opposite that is happening. The European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council are currently discussing the formulation of a common framework for media services, the European Media Freedom Act. This proposal is a set of rules aimed at protecting the media and the Republic of Cyprus, together with 24 other Member States, has supported Article 4, which provides for the protection of journalistic sources and the prohibition of the use of surveillance software, with the exception for the purposes of investigating very serious crimes and under very serious conditions. So what the Republic of Cyprus has been discussing is the further shielding of media workers and the media themselves. A minute has been leaked which does not reflect the position of the Republic of Cyprus and it would be more appropriate to ask for the official position because a misunderstanding could be avoided from the beginning."

Asked if the Government feels threatened by journalists, the Spokesman said: "It is not a matter that concerns journalists, it is not a matter for the Government. In the discussion there was the issue of exceptions in very exceptional cases concerning national security issues - as there is also relevant legislation in Cyprus, not only for journalists, for issues concerning national security or terrorism - that this procedure should be preferred. The Republic of Cyprus was among the Member States that had very specific proposals and strong safeguards to protect and shield the media."

He clarified that "the debate that is going on at the moment is about the protection of the media, about how to ensure pluralism, freedom of expression. In the context of that discussion, one of the issues that came up was in which exceptional cases this method could be used."

To a comment by a journalist that this would be arbitrary if done without the intervention of the judiciary, the Spokesman said: "To be specific, at the Committee meeting on 22 November, the Republic of Cyprus, together with the Spanish Presidency, supported the inclusion of the following two safeguards in favour of journalists. The first is the obligation to ensure prior judicial authorisation for surveillance issues, and secondly, the obligation to periodically review the use of intrusive software. In the Republic of Cyprus there are very specific provisions in the legislation that must touch on issues of national security and terrorism."

He added that "there must be documented evidence that anyone can contribute to the threat of national security or terrorist attacks for this provision to be put in place."

Asked if these provisions cover every citizen, then why is there talk of journalists, the Spokesman said: "What we are discussing is the piecemeal marginalisation of an aspect of a great effort on the part of the EU in terms of the protection and independence of the media. An aspect that is not correctly attributed to the position of the Republic of Cyprus, as the Republic of Cyprus has expressed exactly the opposite with regard to the protection of media workers. What is being discussed is a framework of regulations that will protect both the media and their officials from interference in editorial decisions, the transparency of media ownership and the distribution of state advertising. It is a debate that started two years ago in the Commission and is now continuing at the level of the European Parliament."

Asked what will be the terms of reference of the United Nations (UN) Secretary General (SG) envoy and whether there will be a timetable for the mission, the Spokesperson said: "We have no update as to the timeframe of the appointment. The terms of reference, as derived from UN resolutions, are to explore the prospect of resuming negotiations within the agreed framework, in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. It is the same GA resolutions that bind the SG himself, let alone his envoy. With sincere political will, we look forward to the appointment as soon as possible and hope to enable the resumption of negotiations as soon as possible from the point where they were interrupted."

He added that "there can be no time limit. What we hope is to create the conditions for the resumption of negotiations sooner than six months."

Asked whether the UN Secretary General's envoy would only record positions or try to bridge differences, the Spokesman said: "His mission will be to explore the prospect of a resumption through intensive efforts, with the highest priority being to enable the resumption of negotiations from where they were interrupted."

Asked if the appointment would prove to be a waste of time given the Turkish side's positions, the Spokesman said: "We are after a prolonged period of stalemate, after six years without an envoy on the part of the UN Secretary General. A few months ago we were told that we were wasting time in trying to appoint an envoy. Today we are facing an important development in terms of efforts to resume negotiations. Let us not anticipate the outcome and not adopt what the other side says. We welcome this important development and we will work with absolute sincerity."

Asked about Euro-Turkish issues and progress on the Cyprus issue, Letybiotis said: "De facto, Turkey's European course is still interlinked with progress on the Cyprus issue. We and the EU institutions have said so."

The agenda of the European Council (EC) will be dominated by other issues. There would not be enough time in them for a thorough discussion of the Euro-Turkish issues. The President of the Republic has expressed his readiness to raise the issue for discussion at a forthcoming EC when and if an envoy is appointed. We hope that there will be developments on the Cyprus issue then."

Asked if the President will revisit the issue of appointing an envoy from the EU as well, the Spokesman said: "It is something that we have discussed in the past, that what was put forward as the key step was the appointment of an envoy by the UN Secretary General, and that would be the key stepping stone for the next steps which, among other things, is a more active engagement of the EU."

Asked to comment on reports that Chevron had requested a 12-month extension, the Spokesman said: "There is agreement on the next steps, and both parties, through the convergences provided for in the memorandum of understanding, are proceeding to update the existing development and production plan. Each company can choose the timing of the announcements it wishes to make. We as the Republic of Cyprus reiterate our conviction that such a company in the Cypriot EEZ is a vote of confidence and we do not understand the insistence of some to question what we are saying. I would recommend patience if indeed what we want is the well-intentioned interest of our energy planning, and there will be official announcements once the discussions are concluded."

Asked if the Iranians arrested in Limassol will be deported, the Spokesman said: "I cannot comment on any issue touching on national security."

Asked if the President has approached the Attorney General on the issue of legal interpretations on the part of the Audit Office, the Spokesman said he would.

Asked if there was any news on the issue of the buffer zone violation by the occupation regime, the Spokesperson said that the President had conveyed the developments in the buffer zone to the UN Secretary-General during their recent communication. He added that "we are in constant communication with the peacekeeping force from which we expect them to secure the status of the buffer zone and restore the status quo as it was before" the violations.

Finally, asked about information in relation to the possible presence of terrorist organizations in the occupied territories and whether there should be a feeling of insecurity in the free areas, the Spokesman said: "All necessary measures are being taken to maintain the sense of security and safety of the Republic of Cyprus by all competent authorities."

(PM/GS/EP)
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