November 2002 HM King Constantine's statement on the Cyprus issue. Sunday, November 17 2002 HM King Constantine responded to questions regarding Mr. Kofi Annan's latest proposal on the Cyprus issue: It is imperative that the European Union abides by its commitment to include Cyprus in the next round of membership entries, irrelevant of the current developments regarding the Cyprus issue. At the same time, but without this being a pre-condition, negotiations should yield a fair, practical and above all, a viable solution which would primarily benefit the Cypriot people and Hellenism in general. The final word should be left upon our Cypriot brothers and sisters, who should be free to choose their country's future.