The leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot will meet near New York later this month for talks aimed at reunifying the island of Cyprus.
The meeting aims for the Cypriotic leaders to reach agreement on core issues.
Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus Alexander Downertold reporters in Nicosia after today’s meeting between Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu that there are outstanding core issues to be thrashed out on governance and power-sharing, property rights, territory and citizenship.
Mr. Downer stressed those issues will be the focus of the 22-24 January talks at the Greentree Conference Center outside New York.
“Obviously there are elements in all of those chapters which have been agreed. But there is still in some cases quite a lot more work to be done and we really want to see that work done by the end” of the Greentree meeting.” -Mr. Downer
Mr. Downer cited that he was today due to have a meeting with Mr. Eroglu and confer with Mr. Christofias separately tomorrow before the two leaders meet again in Nicosia on Monday.
He added that the two leaders have produced draft outline papers on their visions of an agreement.
The force, known by its acronym UNFICYP, has been deployed on the island since 1964, when inter-communal fighting erupted.
The UN has been facilitating talks between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leadership with a view to the eventual establishment of a federal government with a single international personality, consisting of a Turkish Cypriot Constituent State and a Greek Cypriot Constituent State, each of equal status.
The last set of talks hosted by Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon with Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart, Dervis Eroglu, were held on 30 and 31 October, following which the Secretary-General said he was confident that a comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus issue can be reached.
