Turkish, Greek Cypriots almost agree on schedule for direct talks
Güncelleme Tarihi:
The Turkish Cypriot leader said on Sunday he had almost reached an agreement with his Greek Cypriot counterpart on the schedule of direct negotiations. The technical committees and working groups have made the necessary preparations, Mehmet Ali Talat added. The U.S. is encouraged by what appears to be the best chance in decades for a resolution to the division of Cyprus, a senior U.S. diplomat said on Monday. (UPDATED)
Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias and he agreed on "a bi-communal and bi-zonal federation established by two founder states," the Turkish Cypriot leader told the Greek Cypriot "Alithia" newspaper, adding there was no reason to delay the resumption of direct talks.       Â
"This federation will be set up by the Greek Cypriot administration and the
The two leaders agreed last week in principle that any settlement should involve a single state, with common citizenship for all Cypriots. The leaders also agreed to meet again on July 25.   Â
Talat said the new state would not be founded under the constitution of the Greek Cypriot administration but it would be comprised of elements from both parties.
"If we are to create a new state, it would be established from elements of both parties. It will be a new partnership, which is what I wish," he told the newspaper.
Talat also denied recent media reports, saying it is not true that Christofias and he agreed to start comprehensive negotiations on September 1.
The two leaders agreed in their latest meeting to start comprehensive negotiations on September 1 to reunify the island,
The reunification talks stalled in 2004 when Greek Cypriots rejected a U.N. blueprint for the island’s reunification; a plan overwhelmingly supported by Turkish Cypriots.
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"The time has not been so favorable in many years for a settlement," Fried was quoted by Reuters as saying.
"My bottom line assessment will be we need to get ready because there is a chance, not a certainty, that we will be moving forward in a way we haven't for some time ... Always cautious, always careful, but this time we have a shot at moving towards a solution," Fried added.He also said the United States was eager to see bi-zonal and bi-communal federation, one nation, one citizenship and an undivided country, adding his country supported comprehensive negotiations to start in Cyprus soon. "There is no American plan. We want to help but this is not an issue that can be imposed on which settlement can be imposed from the outside. We look to the leaders to show the way forward and we look forward to supporting them," he was quoted by the Anatolin Agency as saying.
Fried earlier met Talat, Christofias and Taye-Brook Zerihoun, special representative of the UN Secretary-General and chief of UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus.