Property discussion put aside for now

THE TWO leaders are putting the mountainous property issue in the hands of their respective aides for now as they prepare to move on to the issue of settlers and migration.
According to UN Special Representative Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, the leaders had “good and friendly” discussions on property yesterday. They decided their two aides, George Iacovou and Ozdil Nami, will meet tomorrow to continue the discussions on the various categories of property that exist. 
President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat will meet again on Friday, to discuss organisational matters. “They are going to review the process, the timing of the meetings, the schedule of meetings of representatives and the leaders to make sure that they have an efficient process,” said Zerihoun.
Next Tuesday, the two leaders will pick up on the issue of aliens, citizenship, immigration and asylum.  
Speaking to reporters on his return, Talat said the two leaders still had differences over the principles related to solving the property issue. Despite these differences and others, the fact that the talks had not ground to a halt and are continuing was a positive thing, he highlighted.
Talat said the two aides would continue compiling categories of property after which the two leaders will discuss solutions related to each category.
It is believed they will hold off agreement on the property chapter until the territory issue is cleared up as the two are inextricably linked. Presidential adviser Toumazos Tselepis was quoted in Politis on Sunday saying the Greek Cypriot side sought the inclusion of Karpasia in the territory under the proposed Greek Cypriot constituent state.
Meanwhile, government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou yesterday announced that the
National Council would convene next Tuesday.
Following the talks, the two leaders attended an event at the Ledra Palace Hotel to mark the European Commission’s two million euro humanitarian contribution to the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) in Cyprus.
During the event, Christofias stressed that both communities should support, not only in words but in practice, all efforts towards the resolution of the problem of missing persons. “We owe it to the families; we owe it also to Cyprus and to all its people. We should work together, in good spirit and trust, to improve and expedite what is already being done, in the framework of the CMP,” he said. 
“It has caused a lot of suffering and agony to so many persons, for so many years. It is a humanitarian problem, and, as such, should remain outside politics or other considerations and expediencies,” he said.
Regarding the scientists working together in the Anthropological and DNA Laboratories, as well as for excavations in the field, Christofias said: “They are an example of the way things should have been in Cyprus.”
He thanked the Commission, which is the CMP’s largest donor, for its “generous support”.
Talat said the CMP was doing an excellent job and any contribution towards it was most valuable. Healing the wounds of the family of the missing must be a top priority, he added. 

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