Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 12-01-16

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

CONTENTS

[01] National Council agrees on framework ahead of Greentree meeting

[01] National Council agrees on framework ahead of Greentree meeting

According to a statement read out by the Government Spokesman Stephanos Stephanou following the 3-hour meeting of the National Council, the main issues the Council agreed on is that President Demetris Christofias must not accept any deadlines, arbitration or an international conference unless the two sides agree on the internal aspects of the Cyprus problem.

The statement reads that since the last meeting between UNSG and the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus, no progress has been made in the direct talks.

Replying to a question the Spokesman said that having the National Councils support, the President feels even stronger ahead of the Greentree meeting.

He said that there has been consensus and agreement on most of the issues, although on the issue of international conference different views have been expressed.

Stephanou underlined that from the beginning of direct talks, the President of the Republic had stated that the Greek Cypriot side will not accept any deadlines and arbitration and this firm position leads all our efforts in order to find a solution to the Cyprus problem.

Asked whether the National Council has discussed the possibility the meeting at Greentree to reach a dead end the Spokesman said that there have been concerns on various prospectives, however he gave no further details, noting that each one of the parties as well as the President of the Republic have their own views.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki moon has extended a new an invitation to the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus, President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, to meet with him in New York 23-24 January in the framework of the UN backed direct talks for the Cyprus problem.

The two leaders are set to meet UNSG at Greentree mansion in Long Island, New York. This will be their second meeting at the same venue. The first one took place on October 30-31, last year.

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, during which both sides reaffirmed their commitment to finding a comprehensive solution as soon as possible, while in Geneva, on 26 January 2011, the sides agreed to intensify the negotiations.

After their October 2011 meeting in New York, the leaders continued the Cyprus talks as usual in the UN protected area in Nicosia.

The latest round of UN - led negotiations has been underway since 2008 between the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus with an aim to reunify the island -divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion- under a federal roof.

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