AKEL general secretary Andros Kyprianou and DIKO leader Marios Garoyian refused to answer questions after the meeting, saying they would make only general comments.
Kyprianou said leadership wasn’t AKEL’s main goal, but it would be sought if it was accompanied with political positions which serve the public’s best interests.
“There are different approaches between us (AKEL and DIKO),” said Kyprianou. “We feel there are margins and they should be investigated, so we can achieve the biggest possible convergences.”
AKEL’s priorities, he added, are the Cyprus problem, economy, energy, modernisation of the broader state, as well as combating crime and corruption, but also matters of health and education.
But Kyprianou said that for any coalition to work the participating parties should be as coordinated and cooperative as possible, a clear continuation of his row with DIKO vice chairman Nicolas Papadopoulos on Tuesday, who Kyprianou described as a “thorn” in the DIKO-AKEL collaboration.
In response, Papadopoulos said he was happy he wasn’t living in earlier times as he would have been exiled to Siberia.
“We need to clarify how we will achieve the best possible participation of the collaborating parties in political decisions on major issues, so we can avoid any unnecessary conflicts,” said Kyprianou.
A candidate backed by AKEL, he added, should be a personality that is credible and dignified, honourable, honest, efficient and capable of setting goals and implementing them.
Kyprianou concluded that AKEL would complete its meetings with all the parties before deciding what to do next.
Garoyian said there had been common approaches, but also contradicting views in yesterday’s meeting.
He said a meeting would be taking place at the DIKO headquarters in the next few days to decide how the party will proceed.
Garoyian said DIKO – which is currently in talks with the other three minority parties, EDEK, EVROKO and the Green Party to come up with a jo int candidate – wanted to contribute actively and creatively to a national plan to move with the times.
“Regarding DIKO and the other powers of the in-between area, I am sure that the critical times and social demand for appropriate political answers will be the main driver behind the common stance we want adopted,” said Garoyian.
He added that next year’s presidential elections would be the most critical in the Cyprus Republic’s history, which was why DIKO was attempting to find a broader political understanding with the other parties, to ensure a prosperous future.
Source: Cyprus-Mail
By Jacqueline Agathocleous
Published on May 17, 2012
