Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos said in Nicosia on Sunday that he expected new initiative from the international community to restart unification process following the rejection of UN chief Kofi Annan plan on Saturday.

Speaking during a press conference to the foreign press, the Cypriot president said although he did not believe there would be a new round of talks in the next weeks as people need time to reflect and analyze what went wrong, "there will be a new initiative" to continue the process and noted that "we all want talks under UN auspices."

He said he wanted to start negotiations on a limited number of issues which did not necessarily take away the rights of Turkish Cypriots and said that the Annan plan would not fade away or disappear.

The Cypriot president said he intended to work "very, very hard to explain" the Greek Cypriots' rejection of the peace deal to other countries and he would send special emissaries to many capitals to explain the positions of Cyprus.

Responding to questions about the possibility of a second referendum based on changes to the Annan plan, Papadopoulos replied"we are even more eager in getting a solution, we want a solution yesterday, but not just any solution, we want a viable solution."

He said in addition to the security the Greek Cypriot side was seeking, "more important for me is the safeguard that whatever other provisions of the plan would be truly implemented in time."

He said the changes submitted by the Greek Cypriot side in the latest round of talks were all within the parameters of the Annan plan and did not aim at undermining the plan or canceling out the core issues of the plan, its philosophy, its concepts.

"I want changes which will make the state functional, thereby viable. We want a solution to survive, not just closing up the Cyprus problem," he said.

He added that these changes did not receive proper consideration during the talks and were not adopted. He expressed the hope that the Turkish Cypriots will realize that it is for the benefit of both communities that a viable, functional solution will come about. Their "yes" vote does not give them all they deserve and all they need, the president claimed.

Papadopoulos said the Greek Cypriot side dose not want to walk to the EU alone. "We will try that our Turkish Cypriot compatriots will get as many of the benefit that the EU may bring to us," he said.

He said improving the economic position of the Turkish Cypriots was sound policy for the future and the present.

The Annan plan is now null and void following the rejection by the Greek Cypriots though it was approved by nearly 65 percent of the voters in northern Cyprus in Saturday's referenda. Only the Greek Cypriot part of the island will join the European Union on May 1.

Cyprus, an east Mediterranean island, has been divided into the Turkish-Cypriot north and the Greek-Cypriot south since 1974 when Turkish troops entered the north of the island after a failed Greek-Cypriot coup seeking union with Greece.

Annan declared Saturday in a message that his Cyprus plan aimed at reunifying the divided island will not enter into force following the twin referenda held in Cyprus' two communities.

Annan's plan has been rejected by the Greek Cypriots and approved by the Turkish Cypriots.

In the message delivered here by his special advisor for Cyprus Alvaro de Soto, the UN chief said he respects the outcome of the two referenda.

But he expressed his regret that the reunification goal has not been achieved and an unique and historic chance to resolve the Cyprus problem has been missed. 

Source: Xinhua