UN envoy Downer upbeat on Cyprus peace deal despite difficulties

"If these problems were easy to solve they would have been solved a long time ago," Downer said after meeting Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias.

"But the political will has to be there above all to solve the problem in Cyprus, and I think the two leaders do have that political will and inevitably the details of the negotiations are going to be from time to time difficult," he was quoted by AFP as saying.

Although the process has been criticized as sluggish, Downer said he was satisfied with the pace of talks and the progress made so far.

"The negotiations are moving forward and we will continue on that process tomorrow (Thursday)."

Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat will meet for an eighth time on Thursday since a fresh peace bid was launched on Sept. 3.

Downer also met Talat earlier on Wednesday ahead of the next phase of talks on power sharing, but made no comment afterwards.

GOOD PROGRESS
Following a Christofias-Talat meeting on Tuesday at the U.N. controlled buffer zone in Nicosia, the Australian diplomat said the leaders were "making good progress" on the topic of power-sharing - one of several key issues to resolve along with security guarantees and property arrangements.

"An expectation that you can suddenly solve all these problems overnight after so many years is unrealistic, but nevertheless, there are a number of areas of convergence," Downer said after Tuesday's meeting.

Cyprus has been divided since 1964 when Turkish Cypriots were forced to withdraw into enclaves.

The launch of negotiations marked the first major push for peace since the failure of a U.N. reunification plan in 2004, which was approved by Turkish Cypriots but overwhelmingly rejected by the Greek Cypriots.

Under agreements dating back to the late 1970s, the two sides are pledged to reunite in a bizonal, bicommunal federation.

Power sharing disputes remain at the heart of the Cyprus problem. Other thorny issues include security guarantees and property settlement claims.

However Foreign Minister Marcos Kyprianou, another Greek Cypriot official who met Downer, was less upbeat.

"He knows the position of our side. We consider that at this time there is not the progress that we desire," he told AFP.

"Of course on certain issues there is convergence, but we would like to see more. If there was a more constructive approach from the other side, the talks would progress much quicker."

BAN CALLS ON INT'L COMMUNITY
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has called on the international community to support the ongoing negotiation process in Cyprus, the Anatolian Agency reported on Tuesday.

Ban said at a new conference at the United Nations headquarters that the international community should always support the extremely fragile process on the island.

He said both leaders were displaying a very sound political will to find an acceptable formula to solve the Cyprus issue.