Leaders meet for first time since New York

THE TWO leaders yesterday pencilled in more meetings for December, after meeting for the first time since their get-together with the UN chief in New York last month.

Speaking after the meeting between President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, UN Special Representative in Cyprus Lisa Buttenheim said the two leaders met for just over an hour in a “friendly atmosphere”.

They reviewed the discussions of their respective aides, who met twice last week, exchanged views and agreed to meet three more times this month, on December 13, 21 and 28.

Meanwhile, their aides, Georgios Iacovou and Kudret Ozersay, will meet again tomorrow and on Friday, to decide the schedule of their own meetings in the coming weeks as well, she added.

The two aides have committed to meeting twice a week. It is believed they will use these meetings to map out the points of convergence and difference between the two sides in all six chapters in the talks. They began discussions last week on the economy, said Eroglu after the talks.

It is then up to the leaders to provide the UN with a plan for how they will overcome remaining differences when they meet UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Geneva on around January 25/26.

Asked if there will be all-day meetings between the two leaders in January, Buttenheim said the leaders have yet to decide the dates for that month.

“But, I think you can see that they are intensifying their contacts by meeting throughout the holiday period,” she said.

On the issue of which chapters will be discussed during their meetings, she reminded that when Ban met them both in New York in November, he asked them to focus on core issues and try to agree on a practical plan for overcoming their remaining points of disagreement. “So, this is going to be across all chapters,” she said.

Buttenheim noted that the committee on the opening of more crossings on the island, agreed and set up by the two leaders, will meet for the first time tomorrow.

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