Cyprus’ rival leaders resumed reunification talks on Thursday after a month-long summer recess, each submitting compromise proposals aimed at nudging the slow-moving process forward.

United Nations envoy, Alexander Downer, said President Dimitris Christofias, a Greek Cypriot, and breakaway Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat exchanged proposals to bridge differences on power-sharing under a future federation.

The leaders “discussed bridging proposals… in relation to the election of the president and vice-president of the… united republic,” Downer said after the talks.

President Dimitris Christofias believes that the second round of UN-led negotiations has begun in a good spirit, saying that discussion on procedural matters will continue at next week’s meeting.

The President expressed the hope that events like the ones at Limnitis checkpoint, on the northwest, which led to the postponement of his meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, will not be repeated.

Speaking to reporters after the end of his meeting with Talat, signalling the start of the second round of the UN-sponsored direct talks, Christofias said next week, when the leaders will hold their next meeting, they will discuss further the procedure, stressing however that “the procedure will not change.”

A pilgrimage from the village of Pyrgos in Paphos district to the church of Saint Mamas in the Turkish occupied area of Morphou, via the Limnitis checkpoint, was called off last week, due to long delays caused by the Turkish Cypriot side.

This led to the postponement of the September 3 meeting between the leaders of the two communities.

“We have said that the Limnitis incident should be set aside and we should look forward in the hope that from now on, we won’t witness similar events”, the President remarked.