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Thursday, 19 December 2024
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Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 10-01-31Cyprus News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>CONTENTS
[01] UNSG - CYPRUS - ARRIVALUN Secretary General Ban Ki moon arrives Sunday evening to Cyprus and on the next day he will hold separate meetings with the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus as well as a joint meeting on the same day.According to the program of his visit, the UN chief will hold meetings on Monday morning with the UN personnel and will visit the buffer zone in Nicosia. Later on, he will hold a separate meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat and then with the Greek Cypriot leader and President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias. In the afternoon, the UNSG will hold a joint meeting with the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus at the UNFICYP Chief of Missions residence in the UN protected area in Nicosia, followed by a joint press conference. Ban Ki moon will depart from Cyprus on Tuesday morning. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. President Christofias and Talat have been engaged in UN-led direct negotiations since September 2008, with an aim to reunify the island. [02] FM - CYPRUS TALKSSimple statements of support to the talks are not enough but Turkey should actively do constructive steps that can contribute to a solution in Cyprus, Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs Markos Kyprianou said in a speech in London. Kyprianou urged Turkey to allow Turkish Cypriots to negotiate freely, putting their interests above the interests of Turkey. Speaking at an event of the Association of Cypriot Students of Imperial College entitled «Cyprus: Time for Hope?», he gave an outline of the developments since the start of the talks between the two sides in Cyprus, stressing that this was the result of an initiative of President Christofias and a clear demonstration of the political will of Greek Cypriot side for a solutionThe Foreign Minister stressed the basis of talks, which is a single state with a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with one sovereignty, one citizenship, and one international personality. He added that the decisive part of the talks so far concerns governance, relations with the EU and economic issues. He also said that compromise proposals tabled by President Christofias should be considered as such and not as starting points. He furthermore recalled that the proposal for a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation was a compromise proposal. The aim is the transformation of Cyprus Republic into a federal state, member of the UN, the EU, the Council of Europe and other international organizations rather than creating a new state and certainly the aim is not the creation of two states that will form a confederation, he explained. He also pointed out that the solution must ensure basic human rights and the freedom of movement, settlement, property as well as security conditions for all Cypriots. He added that Cyprus membership in the EU is enough to guarantee safety for all of its residents. In his conclusion, Kyprianou said that despite any difficulties as long as the effort to find a solution continues there is also hope for Cyprus. [03] SPOKESMAN TALKS CONVERGENCESThe Government of the Republic of Cyprus considers that there is progress in the direct negotiations process for a Cyprus solution, based on convergences achieved in some issues under discussion, Government Spokesman Stephanos Stephanou said on Saturday.On Friday UN Secretary General`s Special Adviser on Cyprus Alexander Downer made a statement that significant progress has been made in a series of areas of the chapter of governance, speaking on behalf of the leaders after the last meeting of the second round of intensive talks. What I record now is that further convergences are achieved in a number of issues we are discussing and debating during the intensive negotiations and these steps forward we have made can be seen as progress,`` Stephanou said. Speaking in view of the forthcoming visit of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the island on Sunday, Stephanou clarified however that when he was speaking about convergences and steps forward he did not mean an agreement in the chapter of governance. Cyprus News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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