‘Cyprus issue up to leaders’ will’

NICOSIA- Anatolia News Agency

Alexander Downer, special adviser to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said the Turkish and Greek sides of the Cyprus issue keep their position unchanged and warned that if this situation continued, the Greentree meeting with Ban might be their last meeting, weekly Greek newspaper Kathimerini said.

“They might come to an agreement this evening. It is up to their will [to do so],” he said. Downer doubted the political will of the two leaders to come to an agreement and said there was no reason for the U.N. to spend time and effort on an unsolvable problem. He said all hopes were not yet lost and there was still time to overcome the deadlock in the meetings if only the two leaders would show the courage to make certain decisions.

Downer also said he was optimistic that Turkish Cypriot leader Derviş Eroğlu and Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias might agree on common terms in the Cyprus issue. The Mediterranean island has been divided since Turkish troops intervened in 1974 in response to a Greek Cypriot coup seeking union with Greece.