The new leader of Cyprus ruling Democratic Party (DHKO) Marios Karoyian held talks with Greece's state and political leadership during a lightning visit to Athens on Wednesday, before he returns to Cyprus on Thursday for local government elections taking place there.

The round of meetings began with talks held with Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis, while he was later received by President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias.

Papoulias congratulated Karoyian on his recent election as head of Diko and asked him to convey his regards to Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos and Cypriot Foreign Minister George Lillikas on his return to Cyprus.

In his meeting with Bakoyannis, they discussed Turkey's European prospects, the Cyprus issue and the Finnish EU presidency's proposal for ending problems caused by Turkey's refusal to fully implement the EU-Turkey customs union protocol and open its ports and airports to Cyprus ships and planes.

Karoyian said his talks with Bakoyannis had been "warm, friendly and substantive" and that the two sides shared "common assessments and objectives and common synergies in terms of carrying out the plans of the two governments [Greek and Cypriot]".

In comments on the anniversary since the illegal Turkish occupation regime in northern Cyprus was first established, Karoyian said that his party condemned the "illegal formation in the occupied territories, which was an entity subject to Turkey" and noted that its existence was a "provocation for the international community".

The new leader of the Diko party also met Parliament President Anna Psarouda-Benaki, who again expressed her congratulations on his election and her best wishes for his term as party leader.

This was followed by a meeting with ruling New Democracy's Central Committee Secretary Lefteris Zagoritis to discuss cooperation between the two parties and exchange views on the Cyprus issue and the European Commission's progress report on Turkey issued a week earlier.

In a New Democracy party announcement after the meeting, Zagoritis stressed the party's support for Turkey's European orientation while noting that Turkey had an obligation to respect the values and principles of the European Union and to fully adopt and implement the criteria and terms it had been set for accession.

After meeting main opposition PASOK party leader George Papandreou, Karoyian said they had the same views and positions with regard to the Cyprus government's objectives and handling of issues and that Papandreou had undertaken to intensify general efforts to influence decision-making centres that also determine assessment of Turkey's accession course, so that Turkey would finally realise that it must behave like a modern, European country and be able to fulfill its obligations.

Papandreou said they had discussed the EU progress report on Turkey, and stressed that Turkey had to comply with the terms and its obligations toward the EU, including EU member-state Cyprus.

"This is necessary and I believe that there will be the required assessment of this course at the Summit meeting in December," Papandreou added.

PASOK's leader also commented on the anniversary of the pseudo-state, recognised only by Turkey, stressing that the day was a reminder that the Cyprus problem was one of occupation and of occupation forces, which should not exist in Europe today.

He called on Karoyian to "wage our battle together with the Cypriot people, with you, for a just solution to the Cyprus issue".

Karoyian was elected as party leader on October 24 with the backing of the party's old guard, who had set up Diko three decades earlier. At 45, he became the third and youngest party leader from an extraordinary conference where he was challenged only by deputy leader Nicos Cleanthous. Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos had stepped down as party chief in August.

Karoyian, an Armenian Cypriot who rose up the ranks of the party founded by the late Spyros Kyprianou, father of European Health and Consumer Affairs Commissioner Markos Kyprianou, won by a surprisingly wide margin of 62.6 per cent of the party's voters over 37.4 per cent for Cleanthous.

ANA-MPA

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