The US hopes rapid progress will be achieved toward a just and lasting settlement of the Cyprus problem that will be acceptable to both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, a State Department official has said in response to a question regarding the tomorrow’s meeting of the leaders of the two communities on the island.
“The United States is encouraged by these reports and looks forward to successful resumption of the U.N.-led talks in the coming days”, the American official said.
He noted that the United States strongly supports the efforts under the auspices of the United Nations Good Offices Mission to reunify the island as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation that would bring security and economic prosperity to all the people of Cyprus.
He also confirmed that the US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns called Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu on February 6.
“Deputy Secretary Burns reiterated strong U.S. support for the efforts under UN auspices to reunify the island as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation that would bring security and economic prosperity to all the people of Cyprus”.
“We hope rapid progress will be achieved toward a just and lasting settlement that will be acceptable to both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities”, he concluded.
Cyprus was divided in 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. The latest UN-backed talks were suspended by the Turkish Cypriot side in July 2012, when Cyprus assumed the presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Last week the leaders of the two communities agreed on a draft joint declaration on the resumption of the talks and will meet Tuesday in the United Nations Protected Area in Nicosia in the presence of Lisa Buttenheim, Special Representative of the UNSG in Cyprus.
