UN Secretary General’s Special Advisor on Cyprus, Alexander Downer, will discuss the Cyprus issue during his two-week stay at the UN headquarters in New York.

On Wednesday, September 16, Downer is expected to hold a meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. On Wednesday, a meeting of the UN group that deals with the Cyprus issue has also been scheduled.

Downer is likely to meet the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to brief them on developments in the Cyprus problem since the beginning of the direct negotiations, in September 2008, and to exchange views on the second phase of the talks that began on September 10.

The experience of one year of negotiations will be discussed in a meeting on September 22. The meeting will take place with the participation of members of the Mediation Support Unit, that was founded last year under Lyn Pascoe, and members of the Secretariat who deal with the Cyprus issue.

UN Secretary General is expected to meet Cyprus President Demetris Christofias in New York on 23rd of September. President Christofias will host a lunch for the five permanent members of the UN SC, on September 24.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Peace talks are underway between the leaders of the two communities to find a negotiated settlement that would reunite the country. The second phase of the talks began September 10.