Mehmet Ali Talat has said that a proposal has been made to the Greek Cypriot Side suggesting that the issues – on which the two sides failed to agree in the first round – should be taken up at the leaders’ level in the second round.
Talat was speaking on his return to the TRNC Presidential Palace at the end of his discussions with Dimitris Christofias.
Mr Talat said that the contents of the talks would be determined depending on the Greek Cypriot Side’s response to this proposal.
Talat told reporters that opening statements were made on the issues of aliens, immigration, citizenship and asylum at today’s meeting, and that the objective was to complete discussions on these issues on Thursday, the 30th of July when the two leaders will meet.
“Once we have completed the first round, we can start the second round with the chapter on governance and power sharing or any other chapter” he added.
`We want the issues, on which no agreement was reached and needed to be taken up seriously, to be discussed at the leaders’ level and to achieve progress. If successful, we will be able to achieve further progress on other issues as well`, the President said.
He stated that contents of the talks for which a program has been drawn up until October, would be determined after the Greek Cypriot Side’s response to the proposal.
[b]The TRNC President also noted that senior aides of the two leaders would meet to discuss the use the Yesilirmak Gate for the ceremony to be held in Erenkoy to mark the anniversary of the Erenkoy Resistance and the religious ceremony to be held at the Saint Mamas Church in Guzelyurt.[/b]
Responding to a question on his tete-a-tete meeting with Dimitris Christofias, President Talat said they have made an evaluation of the mutual statements made on the 15th and 20th of July and discussed the issues of security and guarantees and the issues of citizenship, immigration and asylum.
Reading out a statement at the end of today’s meeting, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Cyprus Taye Brook Zerihoun said that special representatives of the two leaders will meet on Monday to conitnue talks on the opening of the Yeşilırmak crossing point.
The two leaders will hold two more meetings until the 6th of August when a break will be given to the talks.