THE leaders have in recent weeks been making progress on specific aspects of peace talks, but there’s a long road ahead for the negotiations, UN envoy Alexander Downer said yesterday.
He was speaking after a working dinner with President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu at the residence of the UN’s Chief of Mission, Lisa Buttenheim, in the UN Protected Area in Nicosia.
The leaders, accompanied by their lead advisers, made no media statements after the two-hour dinner, which was held at Downer’s suggestion.
“There was a very good meeting today,” Downer told newsmen. He said the leaders discussed issues pertaining to international treaties.
There was some progress achieved on this chapter of the talks, which was not an “insubstantial” aspect, Downer said.
Likewise, over the last few weeks the two sides had made progress on issues of internal security, he noted.
“I don’t want to over-egg the omelet,” Downer hastened to add. “There’s a long way to go on these talks.”
Responding to questions, the Australian diplomat said so far no agreement has been reached for the two sides to hold simultaneous censuses.
“But that doesn’t mean they won’t have separate censuses,” he added. “Both sides have made it clear that they will take censuses.”
“The Turkish Cypriots are offering resistance to having a joint census. We don’t have any views on that…but both sides would like the UN to give credibility to the censuses.”
The Greek Cypriot side has proposed that the UN or any other international organisation “organise, supervise and execute a simultaneous census on the whole island,” something which Turkish Cypriots reject.
The taking of a census touches upon the thorny issue of Turkish settlers on the island whose precise numbers are unknown.
Downer said the talks would continue throughout the parliamentary elections in Cyprus as well as the general elections in Turkey on June 12.
“At some point in June, the Secretary-General will meet the two leaders and have substantive discussions with them about the future,” Downer said.
Almost three years have passed since the latest round of negotiations aimed at reunifying the island.
