UN chief urges Cypriot leaders to continue peace talks
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday appealed to both leaders not to let a "historic opportunity" to reunify Cyprus slip away.
Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the U.N. leader shares Cyprus's disappointment over the deadlocked talks, and "urges the leaders to continue their efforts in line with their shared commitment to do their utmost in order to reach a settlement in 2016."
Dujarric said Ban repeated his full support to the peace talks that have been hailed as the best chance in decades to resolve one of the world's most intractable problems. He said the U.N. chief would soon be in touch with both leaders to discuss the next steps.
"He reminds them that temporary setbacks are not uncommon in peace processes as talks approach the final stage," Dujarric said.Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) President Mustafa Akıncı early Wednesday blamed the Greek side for the failure of reunification talks to find a solution to the Cyprus issue. Akıncı said talks in Mont Pelerin, Switzerland, were deadlocked due to Greek Cypriot insistence on the division of territory on the divided island.
He said Greek Cypriot negotiators had "proposed the final result that they wanted to see on territory at the first meeting and created this deadlock by insisting on this mistake."
Speaking at Ercan Airport in KKTC, Akıncı said the Greeks had taken a position on territory before agreeing on a rotating presidency and active participation on resolutions - crucial topics for Turkish Cypriots. "I tried to explain to them that we cannot accept efforts to bring Turkish Cypriots to a point where we cannot negotiate," he added.
Meanwhile, Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades said Wednesday that he is ready to pick up where talks aimed at reunifying the ethnically divided island left off earlier this week after hitting an impasse and throwing the 18-month peace process into question.
But Anastasiades said further negotiations with breakaway Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı must remain focused on how much territory each side would control in an aimed-for federation before the talks can move on to a final phase.
Anastasiades said he and Akıncı made progress during two days of intensive, United Nations-backed talks at the Swiss resort of Mont Pelerin, but deadlocked after Turkish Cypriots balked at the number of Greek Cypriots who would be eligible to reclaim property under redrawn federal boundaries.
"Despite the disappointment caused by the Mont Pelerin outcome, I want to assure you that I'm determined...to take all those necessary steps in order for negotiations to resume," Anastasiades said during a televised address.
Negotiations between Akıncı and Anastasiades ended Monday without a solution.
Greek and Turkish Cypriots were displaced when the island was first divided 42 years ago, a possible federalist agreement would mean redrawing existing boundaries and potentially moving thousands of residents from their homes.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras are expected to meet in early December and Akıncı said that the meeting would contribute to the negotiation process.
"We are not going to flee from the negotiation," he said, adding that the Turkish Cypriot side would not be the reason for failing to reach a solution.
Reunification discussions resumed in May 2015, and both sides have repeatedly expressed optimism that a solution can be found by the end of the year.
Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the U.N. leader shares Cyprus's disappointment over the deadlocked talks, and "urges the leaders to continue their efforts in line with their shared commitment to do their utmost in order to reach a settlement in 2016."
Dujarric said Ban repeated his full support to the peace talks that have been hailed as the best chance in decades to resolve one of the world's most intractable problems. He said the U.N. chief would soon be in touch with both leaders to discuss the next steps.
"He reminds them that temporary setbacks are not uncommon in peace processes as talks approach the final stage," Dujarric said.Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) President Mustafa Akıncı early Wednesday blamed the Greek side for the failure of reunification talks to find a solution to the Cyprus issue. Akıncı said talks in Mont Pelerin, Switzerland, were deadlocked due to Greek Cypriot insistence on the division of territory on the divided island.
He said Greek Cypriot negotiators had "proposed the final result that they wanted to see on territory at the first meeting and created this deadlock by insisting on this mistake."
Speaking at Ercan Airport in KKTC, Akıncı said the Greeks had taken a position on territory before agreeing on a rotating presidency and active participation on resolutions - crucial topics for Turkish Cypriots. "I tried to explain to them that we cannot accept efforts to bring Turkish Cypriots to a point where we cannot negotiate," he added.
Meanwhile, Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades said Wednesday that he is ready to pick up where talks aimed at reunifying the ethnically divided island left off earlier this week after hitting an impasse and throwing the 18-month peace process into question.
But Anastasiades said further negotiations with breakaway Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı must remain focused on how much territory each side would control in an aimed-for federation before the talks can move on to a final phase.
Anastasiades said he and Akıncı made progress during two days of intensive, United Nations-backed talks at the Swiss resort of Mont Pelerin, but deadlocked after Turkish Cypriots balked at the number of Greek Cypriots who would be eligible to reclaim property under redrawn federal boundaries.
"Despite the disappointment caused by the Mont Pelerin outcome, I want to assure you that I'm determined...to take all those necessary steps in order for negotiations to resume," Anastasiades said during a televised address.
Negotiations between Akıncı and Anastasiades ended Monday without a solution.
Greek and Turkish Cypriots were displaced when the island was first divided 42 years ago, a possible federalist agreement would mean redrawing existing boundaries and potentially moving thousands of residents from their homes.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras are expected to meet in early December and Akıncı said that the meeting would contribute to the negotiation process.
"We are not going to flee from the negotiation," he said, adding that the Turkish Cypriot side would not be the reason for failing to reach a solution.
Reunification discussions resumed in May 2015, and both sides have repeatedly expressed optimism that a solution can be found by the end of the year.