The meeting in Geneva between the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus and the UN Secretary General this week is an important part of the process to solve the Cyprus problem and the UN chief hopes it will contribute to maintaining the momentum in the negotiations, the UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus Alexander Downer said on Wednesday.

Speaking after a meeting with President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias, Downer said he also met Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu earlier on in the day, “not just to talk about where the negotiations are at the moment but also to start making preparations for next week in the meeting in Geneva on January 26”.

“This is going to be an important meeting. This is an important part of the process. The Secretary General is very much looking forward to it and the Secretary General looks forward to hearing from the leaders, not just how they have been getting on for the last two months, since he last met them, but also to hear how they are planning to address the core issues and he will look forward to hearing about the plans for the future as well from both of the leaders,” Downer said.

He added that “this is going to be an important component of the process and the Secretary General very much hopes it will contribute to maintaining the momentum in the negotiations.”

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. President Christofias and Eroglu are currently engaged in UN-led negotiations with an aim to reunify the island.

Source: CNA