Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 12-05-10

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

CONTENTS

[01] UN: Nothing new on the Cyprus talks

[02] Logo of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU unveiled

[01] UN: Nothing new on the Cyprus talks

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon`s spokesman Martin Nerisky spokesman for Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday he did not have any information on whether the Cyprus talks had been frozen.

Asked about the state of the talks in Cyprus and what comes next, Nerisky said that UN Secretary General`s Special Adviser on Cyprus Alexander Downer has been continuing his conversations with the leaders on the island.

``I don't have anything further beyond what's already been said in recent days, including after the telephone calls that were made. If there is an update that comes in, then I'll let you know. But certainly the Special Envoy does of course remain in touch with the leaders,`` he added.

Asked if the talks have been frozen, Nerisky said he did not have any information on that.

The leaders of the two communities in Cyprus have been engaged in peace talks since September 2008 to find a negotiated settlement that would reunite Cyprus, divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third.

Downer has recently announced that the UN would engage in shuttle diplomacy between the two sides to negotiate the way forward and the precise way in which matters should be handled concerning Cyprus talks.

[02] Logo of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU unveiled

This ship/bird is depicted on the logo of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union, unveiled during a ceremony held here on Europe Day at Filoxenia Conference Centre, in the presence of ambassadors, representatives of diplomatic missions of EU member states and other officials.

The logo, a product of an open invitation to the public for ideas, is a graphic design of a ship sailing to the heart of Europe. As it does, the ship becomes a bird, the universal symbol of peace, carrying Cyprus' vision for a better Europe to Brussels. Three sails stand on the upper part of the ship/bird, in three different colours (copper and green inspired by the Republic's flag and the copper producing land and blue expressing the colour of a welcoming sea).

The logo is a concept and creation of the joint venture of "Partners", which has also taken on the responsibility of developing the Presidency's visual identity. This particular proposal was chosen after an open invitation to the public by the Press and Information Office on September 30, 2011. No award was given for the logo that has been chosen.

In his speech after the unveiling of the logo, Deputy Minister for European Affairs Andreas Mavroyiannis noted that the logo expresses "in a simple but eloquent manner the character of Cyprus as the country presiding the Council, using a language that is both familiar and easy to understand by all our European partners.

It depicts, he said, a distinct ship which sails towards Europe and "while it is sailing becomes a bird, the universal symbol of peace, the herald of the message we want to share with our partners: the vision for a better Europe, dedicated to the fundamental principles of solidarity and a Europe which is in a position to face more effectively today's challenges and ensure the cohesion of the European edifice, a better Europe, more hospitable, which offers more to its citizens and neighbours."

He explained that the colour of the ship/bird is the blue colour of the EU, while its three sails are "copper and green, colours inspired by our flag and the sun-bathed and dotted with olive threes copper producing land of Cyprus" and the "blue of the sea and the clear friendly sky, which provides cover for the harmonious co-existence of peoples, and also between man and the environment."

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