Athens, Nicosia continue efforts to reach Cyprus settlement

The governments of Greece and Cyprus will continue to strive for a viable solution to the Cyprus problem on the sideline of the ongoing Olympic Games, Greek government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos said Tuesday.

Roussopoulos told reporters that Greece and Cyprus are in close contacts in an effort to reach a solution to the Cyprus problem that would help reunify the island.

He added that Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis would be meeting with Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos in Athens, capital of Greece, on Thursday to exchange views on recent developments in the Cyprus problem.

Asked if Karamanlis would pursue a renewed effort during his meeting with US Secretary of State Colin Powell to solve the Cyprus problem or if he would request amendments to a UN plan for a settlement, Roussopoulos reiterated that "the Greek government'seffort, in co-operation with the Cypriot government, is continuousand aims at maintaining the Cyprus question on the forefront internationally."

Powell will visit Greece and attend the closing ceremony of the Olympics later this week,

"Our effort to find a good, viable solution that will help reunify the island is continuous," he stressed.

Cyprus 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.

However, the southern Cyprus alone, on behalf of the Mediterranean island, joined the European Union on May 1 this yearfollowing an overwhelming objection by the Greek Cypriots to the peace plan suggested by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in a referendum held in April.

Source: Xinhua