Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 12-01-07

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

CONTENTS

[01] UNSG: No deadline for Cyprus talks at Greentree but progress

necessary

[02] Defence Minister to pay official visit to Israel

[01] UNSG: No deadline for Cyprus talks at Greentree but progress necessary

In remarks at the United Nations Correspondents Association dinner on Friday, Ban was asked whether the Greentree meeting, which will take place at the end of this month, will be the last chance to achieve peace in the UN-backed talks for a solution to the Cyprus problem.

There is no deadline as such. But I have made it quite clear that we cannot go on this way, and considering that Cyprus is going to take the Presidency of the European Union from July 1st, then there is not much time left.

Therefore, he said, I urged them, the two leaders, to do as much as possible and agree as much as possible during the January 23rd and 24th negotiation in Greentree, and think about the possibility of moving towards the international conference that was announced by me at the conclusion of our meeting last year.

Ban said he hoped that before they go to New York, the leaders will engage continuously in that negotiation. He said the leaders are going to meet again on January 9th and hoped there will be a good result.

Asked on what condition he would say to the leaders that he is out of the peace process, the UN Secretary General replied we will have to assess this in our discussions later.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third. UN - led negotiations have been underway since 2008 between the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Erglou, with an aim to reunify the island under a federal roof.

The two leaders are set to meet UNSG at Greentree mansion in Long Island, New York the end of January. The last meeting at the same venue took place end of October.

The first meeting between the two leaders and the UNSG took place in November 2010, followed by two more meetings held in Geneva on January 26 and July 7, 2011.

[02] Defence Minister to pay official visit to Israel

This is the first official visit by a Cypriot Defence Minister to Israel.

The two ministers will hold talks on issues of mutual interest and sign agreements on defence cooperation and protection and the exchange of classified information, an official statement said.

During the visit, the Minister of Defence will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III.

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