UN chairs opening talks by 'technical committees' for Cyprus

The members of the two ad hoc technical committees in Cyprus met today under the chairmanship of the United Nations to discuss procedural aspects and chart a course for the technical work ahead, a UN spokesperson said in New York.

The parties agreed that the committee on treaties will meet tomorrow and again on Friday, while the committee on laws will meet on Thursday. "In view of the workload of the committees, it is envisaged that the schedule will further intensify starting from next week," spokesperson Hua Jiang said.

A UN official in Nicosia stressed that the purpose of these meetings is to "flesh out" some aspects of a comprehensive settlement that are necessary if it is to function smoothly and effectively upon entry into force.

"The technical meetings should go ahead in parallel with the ongoing political negotiations," Robert Dann, an aide to the UN Special Adviser for Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, told UN Radio. "That is to say, the work of the technical committees is to finalize texts on the matters they deal with and then essentially recommend them to the [Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot] leaders, who would then approve them."