UN Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon conveyed his assessment to Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu that there is no sufficient progress on core issues of the Cyprus problem that would provide a basis for calling an international conference at this time.
According to a statement by the Spokesperson of the UNSG, Ban talked on Saturday over the phone with the two Cyprus leaders, following his meeting in New York with the Special Advisor on Cyprus Alexander Downer.
The Secretary-General, it is added, urged the two sides to undertake bold and decisive action in order to move the process forward. Ban also informed the leaders that his conclusions would be discussed with them in more detail by Downer, who will travel to Cyprus next week for this purpose.
Diplomatic sources say that Ban’s meeting with Downer on Friday, in the presence of Under-Secretary-General of the UN for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe and the Irish expert on governance issues John McGarry, focused on ways to continue the process in Cyprus, under certain conditions, which Downer will discuss with the leaders in Cyprus.
The effort is to come up with an acceptable formula, to continue talks until the last quarter of 2012, in line with the UN Security Council mandate.
An official announcement issued on Saturday by the Presidential Palace, in Nicosia, confirmed the content of the telephone conversation between President Christofias and the Secretary-General.
The announcement adds that the two men had a cordial and friendly discussion, while it is noted that Ban informed the Cyprus President that he will be briefed in detail by Downer, in their meeting scheduled for April 27, in Nicosia.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third. A new round of peace talks started on September 2008 to find a negotiated settlement that will reunify the country, under a federal roof.
The leaders of the two communities in Cyprus, President of the Republic Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, met last January with the UN Secretary-General in New York.
In his statement after the conclusion of the talks, Ban urged the two leaders to make decisive steps towards a final agreement on the Cyprus problem. He said that he would be hearing about the progress of the talks from his Special Adviser Alexander Downer and would decide on the next steps.