President of the United Democrats addressing Graham Watson

Address by the President of the United Democrats,
Praxoula Antoniadou Kyriacou,
At the launch of

Building a Liberal Europe:
The ALDE project

by Graham Watson MEP.

Your Excellency President Vassiliou,
Dear colleague Michalis Papapetrou,
former President of the United Democrats and former Government Spokesman,
Dear Christos Christofides,
Director of the office of President Christofias,
Dear colleagues, leaders and representatives of the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot political parties in Cyprus,
Dear Mr. Matsakis, former MEP,

Your Excellencies Mr. Alexander Downer,
Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on Cyprus,
and Mrs Lisa Buttenheim
Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Cyprus
Admiral Sanchez, UNFICYP Force Commander
Your excellencies, High Commissioners of Britain and Australia, Ambassadors of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Hungary and Ireland ;
and other members of the Diplomatic and UN Community in Cyprus,
Dear Tasos Georgiou, Head of the European Parliament Office in Cyprus

Dear members and friends of the United Democrats,

It is with great pleasure and honour that I welcome you to this exceptional event organized this evening by the United Democrats.

Allow me also to convey the greetings and wishes for success of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Mrs Dora Bakoyianni, as these have been expressed in a letter addressed to our party sent yesterday. Mrs Bakoyianni regrets that she cannot be with us tonight, given the intense preparations for the announcement of the founding of a new party in Greece on 21st November.

Tonight, dear friends, the United Democrats have the great privilege and honour of hosting the Cyprus Launch of Graham Watson’s “Building a Liberal Europe: The ALDE Project”.

Graham Watson led the Liberal group in the European Parliament from 2002 to 2009, when the Group emerged as a powerful third force in the Parliament, challenging the bi-polar order of Conservatives and Socialists.

He is currently Member of European Parliament and has recently been elected Vice-President of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform (ELDR) Party.

In his book, Graham describes not only “how the Liberal ranks in the European Parliament more than doubled in number within the space of five years” but also how “the largest centre party in the European Parliament’s history -the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe- used its power to shape the policies of the European Union in the first decade of the new century.” It was the time when “the challenges of a new global age called for political thinking and responses which transcended the boundaries of the former century’s nation states”.

In the words of Romano Prodi (President of the European Commission, 1999-2004), 'Graham Watson chronicles a fascinating period in the EU's development with the humanity and humour which were a hallmark of his leadership of the EU's Liberal MEPs.'

Above all, the United Democrats see in Graham a true European who has worked hard and consistently for European integration and enlargement.

As Graham notes on page 91, “When the European Parliament voted to approve the accession treaties with each candidate country on 9 April 2003, the Liberal group was the only group to vote 100% in favour.”

Furthermore, Graham and other Liberal MEPs, including today’s Deputy Prime Minister of Britain, Nick Clegg, “devoted time to campaigning in the countries due to join the EU, each of which had to secure public support in a popular referendum for so doing”.

Throughout the years, Graham has been a friend of Cyprus and of all its people, a friend who is truly concerned about bringing Liberal values to the service of the Cypriots and who looks forward to the prompt reunification of the island. For the quest for Peace, Freedom, Democracy and respect of human rights are fundamental liberal values of direct relevance to the Cypriots and indeed to all people in the world. In serving the cause of Peace in Cyprus, Graham is now a member of the High Level Contact Group of the European Parliament with the Turkish Cypriot community.

In this regard,

The United Democrats look forward to the coming meeting in New York of the Secretary General of the United Nations with the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus.

It is an opportunity that the two leaders can utilise towards the attainment of further and substantial progress in the negotiations for an agreement on the reunification of the island, on the basis of a bicommunal bizonal federation with political equality as described in the relevant UN resolutions.

It may be interesting to note that the ELDR –of which the United Democrats are a full member party- has in its last year’s congress, unanimously adopted in a resolution on Cyprus the content of the agreements of Mr. Christofias and Mr. Talat of 23rd May and 1st July 2008 concerning the basis of a solution in Cyprus.

The United Democrats consider that the willingness which Turkey voices for a prompt solution to the Cyprus problem must be put to the test, rather than being dismissed as a communication trick.

In this sense, it is important that a commonly acceptable formula is found to bring Turkey to the table of negotiations.

We also consider that it is in the interest of Turkey to make a move on the ground, so that hope is rekindled amongst both GC and TC that things can actually move forward to the benefit of all.

In accordance with the same spirit, developments with the direct trade regulation have to be utilized in a positive manner that will give an incentive to both or indeed to all sides to move towards the prompt attainment of a comprehensive settlement that peacefully reunifies the island.

An agreement for the peaceful reunification of Cyprus will facilitate Turkey’s way to the European Union and will open win-win ways for both the Cypriots and Turkey, where through cooperation within their wider European family they will be able to deliver benefits to the Cypriots, to the people of Turkey and certainly to their European partners who need all the members of the family in addressing the challenges of the new global age.

And as Graham points out in his preface, Liberals are in the best position to respond to global challenges, drawing “on the three traditional currents of their creed – classical Liberalism, economic Liberalism and social Liberalism”.

Graham concludes that 'the potential for further growth of the European Liberal centre remains greater than at any point in the last 100 years'. The United Democrats offer Graham their full support towards the materialisation of this potential to the benefit of peace, freedom, democracy and respect of human rights and towards further leading the process of “building Liberal strength across the continent of Europe and beyond”.