Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 09-02-16

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

CONTENTS

[01] UN ADVISER - CYPRUS TALKS

[02] COC PRESIDENT - GSSE GAMES

[01] UN ADVISER - CYPRUS TALKS

Downer said he still remained cautiously optimistic about the process, inevitably difficult, because these are issues that go back many-many years and there is a lot of a history to them. I think the two leaders remain very committed to the process and very determined to succeed. Thats front and centre of this. If you have leaders determined to succeed, they can succeed. I think people should give the leaders space to negotiate and continue to work their way through these complex issues. If they are given the space to do that they can succeed, the Australian diplomat noted.

Asked if he is satisfied with the progress achieved so far, Downer said I am not sure what peoples expectations were, but when I first came here which was in July last year and I have a look at the issue and I think about the issue it was my view that this is an issue which has deep roots.

People here feel strongly about the property question, they feel strongly about the way a constitution would work and territorial issues and so on, and the security questions, they feel very strongly about those matters. So it struck me when I arrived here that it would take a little while to solve this problem, for the leaders to solve this problem. And when I read in the media commentators saying they thought this could be finished by Christmas or quickly, it struck me, as somebody who has spent most of my adult life in diplomacy and politics, that that was completely unrealistic. You could never solve a problem as complicated as this that quickly and Ive proven to be right, Dowenr said.

He noted that the leaders need space. They certainly need some time. And they dont need a strict time-table imposed on them. I think that would be counter-productive. But they are working their way through these issues which are complex and politically very sensitive issues with a great level of maturity and with clear determination to succeed.

[02] COC PRESIDENT - GSSE GAMES

From 1 June, the Opening Ceremony of the Games will set the tone for the five following competition days for the XIII GSSE Games where 12 sports will be included in the programme, athletics, basketball, beach volleyball, gymnastics, judo, mountain bike, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis and volleyball.

Cyprus 2009 is considered to be the greatest challenge in 20 years for sporting Cyprus. The last such challenge was in 1989, when Cyprus hosted the III GSSE - a competition that even today remains a point of reference in the Olympic Movement and the international sporting community, according to the organisers.

In an interview with the Cyprus News Agency, President of the Organising Committee, Chairman of the Cyprus Olympic Committee (COC) Ouranios Ioannides urged everyone to participate and support Cypriot and foreign athletes for the biggest possible success of the Games.

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