Source: CNA
Christodoulides is ready to meet Tatar alone or with Stewart, Cabinet to be announced by the end of the week or next
President-elect Nikos Christodoulides said he is ready to meet Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar with or without the presence of UN Secretary General’s Representative Colin Stewart.
He made the remark when asked on Tuesday evening about press reports that said the two are planning to meet without Steward.
Speaking to volunteers who participated in his election campaign in Nicosia he also announced that by the end of the week or the beginning of next week, he will announce his final decision on the composition of his cabinet.
“I am ready to meet Tatar both on our own and in the presence of Stewart and in the presence of the negotiators”, adding that from yesterday’s meeting with Stewart he understands there will be a meeting of the three and at the meeting a more extended meeting in the presence of the negotiators as well.
Regarding the appointment of his cabinet, Christodoulides said it will be a powerful one with personalities from all political backgrounds, based on competence. He also announced that by the end of this week or the beginning of next, he will make all announcements.
He also told reporters that the list of candidates is long but very soon he will announce his decisions.
One of the greatest advantages of this country is its human resources, the new president said, adding that there are people from all political cadres.
Christodoulides said he fully respects the political parties which are the quintessence of democracy and fights daily. From his discussion with society, he received a clear message to which he needs to respond to and it is part of the social contract he signed with the people of Cyprus.
Christodoulides thanked his volunteers, noting they are the protagonists. He said when he opened his election office in Nicosia, there were only a handful of volunteers but by the end there were many. "I told you the key to winning the elections was Nicosia. And you are the ones who won the elections", he added.
"For us, there are no winners or losers, our opponents are the problems that the people of Cyprus face. These are the challenges we have to face…and we began working before the elections and now we are ready from 1st March, with a strong Cabinet and personalities from all political cadres”, he said.
He also said that his attention is on the first issues that he will have to tackle on March 1st because from there the people will judge him and “we want the people to be strict with us. We will be judged by the implementation of our election program” and all that was promised to the people of Cyprus.
Christodoulides further said the message of cooperation was not merely a pre-election slogan but that he had meetings with all political party leaders where he explained his program and told them he looks forward to their cooperation. “Cooperation is not an open cheque. It is a cooperation where when they disagree with us, they should exercise criticism..“If we work collectively, we will be able to respond to the people’s expectations”, he added.
