Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 10-11-19

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From: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>

CONTENTS

[01] UNSG - MEETING - STATEMENT

[02] PRESIDENT - NY MEETING

[01] UNSG - MEETING - STATEMENT

Speaking after a meeting with Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, Ban said he will meet again with both leaders in January next year in Geneva.

We have just had a constructive exchange of views on the core issues, including governance and power-sharing, economy, EU matters, property, territory and security, he said, having thanked the two leaders for traveling to New York for the meeting and having expressed appreciation for their commitment.

He said that real progress was being made in the talks, noting that when he visited Cyprus earlier this year, he could feel the hope and expectation among people on both sides for a settlement that would finally reunify Cyprus

That sense of anticipation has faded, however, as talks continued throughout the remainder of the year without clear progress or a clear end in sight. That is why I invited the leaders to meet with me today. The peace talks on Cyprus were losing momentum and needed a boost if the two sides are to reach a settlement while there is still the time and the political opportunity to do so, the Secretary General explained.

He stressed that only the leaders can give it that boost. The United Nations can support them, as we have been doing through the work of my Special Adviser and his team. But only the leaders can arrive at a solution.

I made it clear to both leaders that the United Nations respects these talks as a Cypriot-led process. It is precisely for that reason that we expect the Cypriot sides to assume their responsibility to drive this process toward a solution. The people of Cyprus and the international community want a solution, not endless talks, he pointed out.

Commenting on Thursdays meeting with the two leaders, he expressed hope that the meeting had helped to restore momentum to the process. Both leaders have told me they recognize the need to move more quickly and decisively in order to reach a settlement. Serious differences remain, but both leaders expressed their commitment to work together, as partners, toward that goal.

Projecting positive messages, he added, is critical if any agreement is to be trusted and embraced by the respective publics in referenda.

Specifically, the leaders agreed today to intensify their contacts in the coming weeks in order to establish a practical plan for overcoming the major remaining points of disagreement. We have agreed to meet again at the end of January next year in Geneva, Ban announced.

In the meantime, he continued, the leaders will identify further convergences and the core issues which still need to be resolved, across all chapters. That, in turn, will help the United Nations determine its own next steps.

Referring to his forthcoming report to the Security Council later this month, which is to provide an assessment of the state of the negotiations, Ban said he had promised the leaders that the report will be frank and fair.

Today`s meeting has helped to inform that report. I will remain in close touch with my Special Adviser in the days ahead, he concluded.

Peace talks, under UN auspices, began in September 2008 in Cyprus with a view to find a negotiated settlement to reunite the island, divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion.

[02] PRESIDENT - NY MEETING

``I am leaving New York very satisfied with the results of this meeting,`` he said, noting that ``there are no timeframes, there is no threat from anywhere, and there is no intention on behalf of the Secretary General to exert pressure.``

President Christofias added that ``we want a solution of the Cyprus problem, we do not want talks just for the sake of it,`` noting that ``we will do everything possible to break the deadlock and I hope we do.``

Earlier on, President Christofias met the Permanent Representatives of France, Russia and Greece, to brief them on the results of the meeting, and will be wrapping up his meetings on Friday with the Permanent Representatives of China and the United Kingdom, and possible the US Ambassador.

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