Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 11-01-27

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

CONTENTS

[01] UN SPOKESMAN - GENEVA MEETING

[02] GREEK CYPRIOT SIDE - GENEVA MEETING

[01] UN SPOKESMAN - GENEVA MEETING

``Nonetheless, he has said, more work must be done on the outstanding core issues. The Secretary General said the two sides have also agreed to intensify the negotiations to a series of additional meetings in the coming weeks, and he pledged to make himself available to them again soon,`` Nesirky noted.

Replying to questions, Nesirky pointed out that the Secretary General ``is being personally involved in this, as you have seen in November and now today, and he said he will remain personally involved, and that is a sign not just of his own personal commitment but of the UN`s commitment to this, to help as the two leaders from the two communities work to bridge the differences that they have`` and ``that is really where we are.``

Asked when the UN chief would be back in New York, Nesirky said ``the Secretary General will be back, if I am not mistaken, on the 6th of February.``

Invited to say if the Secretary General was confident that this was going to be a crucial year for the Cyprus issue and that his meetings with the leaders of the two communities could be a political success for him and UN, Nesirky said ``the most important thing is what this process means for the people of Cyprus, and really that is where the focus should be and that is why he is encouraging them to do more work.``

``He has recognised that the leaders have been able to work, in repeated meetings, to come closer together in some areas, but obviously they have some way to go in other areas and that is why he is saying that more work needs to be done, particularly on some of these outstanding core issues,`` he added.

Concluding his remarks, Nesirky noted that the Secretary General ``said that this is an important process for the people of Cyprus, because they are the ones who stand to gain considerably from a solution to this longstanding problem.``

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.

[02] GREEK CYPRIOT SIDE - GENEVA MEETING

During the meeting, efforts by Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Erogly to secure, by extortion, a deadline for a solution to the Cyprus issue by the end of March, failed.

On the contrary, Eroglu assured the Secretary General that he accepts the convergences achieved during the talks his predecessor Mehmet Ali Talat had with President Christofias. However, this will become evident only in Nicosia when the negotiations will resume.

During Wednesday`s meeting, the UN Secretary General listened to the views of both sides on most of the issues concerning the Cyprus issue.

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