An uncomfortable meeting

Kyprianou met today with Anastasiades to brief the President on his recent conversation in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu.

In what amounts to playground logic, the two men intensified their confrontational rhetoric in anticipation of the meeting.

Kyprianou had accused President Anastasiades of being a traitor for doubting the viability of a solution formula based on a federation. Anastasiades responded by saying that such criticism is unwarranted: ''If we create a state that is not functional, people will reject it'' said Anastasiades.

"We do not deny the Turkish Cypriots their security, we do not deny their right to be protected from arbitrary decisions of the majority. That is why we accept the positive vote in any decision that will affect the vital interests of the Turkish Cypriot community. But what we need is a functioning state to be able to withstand in the long run, so it can be sustainable, so it can give hope and prospect and cooperation between the two communities. This is how confidence is restored'' said Anastasiades.

Kyprianou held a press conference following the meeting. Visibly irritated regarding accusations against his party, Kyprianou said that AKEL is a ''patriotic party that puts the country above the party.'' He implied that the President discussed with Cavusoglu ''other types'' of solutions for the Cyprus problem but did not reveal details of his conversations with Cavusoglu or Anastasiades.