UN political chief discusses Cyprus with officials in Greece and Turkey

The top United Nations political official is continuing his consultations on how the world body can best assist reunification efforts on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, holding meetings today in Athens ahead of discussions in Ankara tomorrow.

B. Lynn Pascoe told reporters in the Greek capital that he and Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis had “very fruitful talks” and had agreed to work together to help the people of Cyprus in their efforts at reunification, UN spokesperson Michele Montas said.

Tomorrow he will meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and other officials in Ankara before joining Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on his official visit to Moscow which begins on Wednesday, she added.

Mr. Pascoe’s meeting with Greek and Turkish officials follows last week’s visit to Cyprus, during which he noted a “palpable sense of momentum” on the island toward a lasting solution to the dispute between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities.

He attributed this to the positive tone of recent discussions between the Greek Cypriot leader Demetrios Christofias and the Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat. At their 21 March meeting, the two leaders agreed to start full-fledged negotiations within three months on resolving the long-running dispute.