President of Cyprus and Ban exchange views on reunification talks
| Publisher | UN News Service |
| Publication Date | 19 September 2011 |
| Cite as | UN News Service, President of Cyprus and Ban exchange views on reunification talks, 19 September 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4e80191f2.html [accessed 28 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the President of Cyprus, Demetris Christofias, today exchanged views on the status of the ongoing talks aimed at the reunification of the Mediterranean island.
Mr. Ban encouraged Mr. Christofias to continue the efforts to increase convergences between the Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots on all issues under negotiation, according to a read-out of the meeting issued by the Secretary-General's spokesperson.
Mr. Ban also reiterated his expectation that the two sides will move the process forward during the current intensified phase of discussions prior to the Secretary-General's next scheduled meeting with the leaders of both parties at the end of October.
The two sides in July accepted an offer from the Secretary-General for an enhanced UN mediation role in the talks. Mr. Ban said at the time that he expected both sides to reach convergence on core issues by October.
The UN-sponsored talks began in 2008 with the aim of setting up a federal government with a single international personality in a bi-zonal, bi-communal country, with Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot constituent states of equal status.
The UN has maintained a peacekeeping force on the island (UNFICYP) since 1964, when inter-communal fighting erupted. The mission has a current strength of some 920 uniformed personnel and over 150 international and national civilian staff.
