Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders to hold talks in July, announces UN envoy

The leaders of the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities, Demetris Christofias and Mehmet Ali Talat, will meet again on 1 July for further talks on possible reunification, the United Nations envoy to the Mediterranean island said today.

Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Cyprus, was speaking at a news conference in Nicosia, following an announcement by representatives of the two communities of a series of measures aimed at easing the daily life of Cypriots across the island.

The measures provide for educational programmes in connection with cultural heritage; steps on road safety; easing the movement of ambulances between the two sides; the establishment of a Cyprus Joint Committee on Health; cooperation for an island-wide assessment of all major waste streams; and agreement on environmental education.

Mr. Zerihoun added that further measures could be announced in the coming days.

“The momentum of the process has not slowed,” the Special Representative stated. “It is in fact producing tangible results.”

Following their last meeting on 23 May, Mr. Christofias and Mr. Talat committed themselves in a statement to working towards “a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, as defined by relevant Security Council resolutions.”

The partnership will comprise a Federal Government with a single international personality, along with a Turkish Cypriot Constituent State and a Greek Cypriot Constituent State, which will be of equal status.

The UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has been in place on the island since 1964 after the outbreak of intercommunal violence. It is tasked with preventing a recurrence of fighting, contributing to a return to normal conditions and the maintenance of law and order.