UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed on Monday the outcome of the meeting between Cyprus' two communities, calling it "a positive step forward."
In a statement released by his spokesperson, Ban congratulated the Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias and the Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat on the outcome of their meeting which was hosted by the Secretary-General's Special Representative Michael Moller on Friday.
He warmly welcomed the leaders' decisions to expeditiously set up a number of working groups and technical committees, and to meet again in three months' time to review their work and start full-fledged negotiations under UN auspices.
"Their agreement on the opening of a Ledra Street crossing, as soon as technically possible, is also a positive step forward," the UN chief observed.
Ban reiterated his consistent position on the issue, saying that the United Nations stands ready to lend its full support to the Cypriot people in their efforts to reach a settlement, adding that the mission later this month of Under-Secretary-General B. Lynn Pascoe to Cyprus will help the United Nations to determine how it can be as helpful as possible to this process as it moves forward.
Cyprus has remained divided since 1974 when Turkey militarily intervened and occupied the north of the island following a coup by a group of Greek officers.
In 1983, the Turkish Cypriot authorities declared the establishment of the breakaway "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which is recognized only by Turkey.
For several decades, the UN has continuously worked to persuade the two communities to find a viable solution to the Cyprus issue but failed so far due to lack of political will on both sides.
The election of a moderate and pro-solution Christofias as the new president and Greek Cypriot leader last month has given a big push to reviving the stalled talks.
Source:Xinhua
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