Ban urges Cypriot leaders to make effort for Jan 22

NICOSIA - Anatolia News Agency

UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon ABACAUSA photo

The United Nations Secretary General Ban ki-moon said Jan. 7 he urged Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders to reach success in ongoing talks before the meeting in Greentree, New York between January 22 and 24.

“There is no deadline as such, but I have made it quite clear that we cannot go on this way, considering Cyprus is going to take the Presidency of the European Union from July 1st, then there is not much time left,” Ban told reporters when asked the Greentree summit was the last chance to achieve peace. 

Northern Cyprus President Derviş Eroğlu and Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias are expected to hold a trilateral meeting with Ban in Greentree, New York at the end of this month. “I urged them, the two leaders, to do as much as possible and agree as much as possible during negotiations in Greentree, and think about the possibility of moving towards the international conference announced by me at the conclusion of our meeting last year,” Ban said. 

“I hope before they come to New York, they [will] engage continuously in that negotiation. I understand they are going to meet again Jan. 9th. I hope there will be a good result,” he said. 
Ban has also sent a letter to both leaders calling on them to reach an agreement and officially inviting them. In his letter, Ban says a map will also be negotiated but after the Greentree meeting takes place, reiterating his invitation to spouses of Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders to come together with Eroğlu and Christofias. 

According to diplomatic observers, the tendency of the Greek Cypriot administration to postpone or cancel the Greentree summit is no longer a possibility after Ban’s clear and frank invitation. Meanwhile, Derviş Eroğlu said Jan. 7 Turkish Cypriot executives were working for an acceptable agreement, in a meeting with members of Turkish ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). 

Eroğlu said he hoped to reach an agreement on the Cyprus issue that could be accepted by Turkish Cypriot people and Turkey. “But, this is not something that can be achieved only by ourselves,” Eroğlu said. Meanwhile, Eroğlu was expected to attend a dinner with Greek Cypriot party Democratic Rally Party leader Nikos Anastasiadis in Limassol yesterday.