Secretary-General reaffirms support for Cyprus reunification talks

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today met with Cypriot President Demetris Christofias and reaffirmed his support for the complex efforts by Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders in United Nations-backed talks aimed at reunifying the Mediterranean island.

Today’s discussions, held on the margins of a UN summit on development in New York, focused on the status of the negotiations. Mr. Ban expressed his appreciation for the proposals that have been put forward on property, and encouraged continuing efforts to increase agreement on this complex and key issue.

The talks began in 2008 after the then-leaders of the two communities committed themselves to working towards a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality, as defined by relevant Security Council resolutions.

The property aspect of the talks tries to resolve numerous complex claims between the two sides on property seized decades ago.

A UN peacekeeping mission, known as UNFICYP, has been stationed on the island for over 45 years since an outbreak of inter-communal violence in 1964.

In a separate meeting with Turkish President Abdullah Gül, Mr. Ban encouraged Turkey to continue helping to sustain momentum in the Cyprus negotiations. The two men also discussed the situation in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Iraq. The Secretary-General praised Turkey's diplomatic leadership and active engagement on key regional issues including the western Balkans and the Middle East.