Cyprus-Forum.com

[halil]

The latest Cyprus report of the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has been published.
The report, which covers the developments regarding the Cyprus issue between the 25th of November 2009 and 30th April 2010, urges for the maintenance of peace negotiations on the basis of the UN Security Council Resolutions. It makes reference to the solution of the Cyprus problem on the basis of the political equality of the two sides within a bi-zonal and bi-communal formation.
In his report, Ban referred to the significant level of progress reached between the two sides on the negotiations table so far and said now is the time to take a determined initiative for achieving further progress.

Ban said there is a unique opportunity for this now and added that he looks forward to seeing negotiations resume in a constructive way with the newly elected TRNC President Dervis Eroglu.
Pointing to the international community’s high expectation towards a settlement, the UN Secretary-General strongly appreciated Turkey and Greece’s supporting statements on a lasting and comprehensive political agreement in Cyprus.
Ban said he will be closely watching the developments at negotiations.


Solution on Cyprus well within reach, Secretary-General says

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?N ... yprus&Cr1=
21 May 2010 – Considerable progress has been made over the past six months in United Nations-sponsored talks on the unification of Cyprus and a solution is well within reach even as the leadership of the Turkish Cypriot community has changed, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in a new report.
“Following the elections, Greek Cypriot leader Mr. [Demetris] Christofias and new Turkish Cypriot leader Mr. [Dervis] Eroglu wrote to me, affirming their commitment to continuing with the talks,” he tells the Security Council, referring to the two-year-old negotiations aimed at establishing agreement on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with a Federal Government and Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot Constituent States with equal status.

Mr. Ban says the talks must build on agreements already reached by Mr. Christofias and former Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat, who in December expressed their strong hope that they would conclude negotiations by the end of 2010. “I share this objective,” he stresses.

Mr. Eroglu defeated Mr. Talat in elections last month in the northern part of the Mediterranean island where a UN peacekeeping mission, known as UNFICYP, has been stationed since 1964 after an outbreak of inter-communal violence.

“There is now a unique opportunity to make a decisive push forward on the talks,” Mr. Ban writes, highlighting the “steady progress” made in intensive rounds earlier this year on the issues of governance and power-sharing, European Union-related matters, and economic issues.

“Mr. Talat made an important contribution to advancing a solution between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, and I look forward to Mr. Eroglu continuing on that constructive path… A solution is well within reach,” he says but warns that, as Mr. Christofias and Mr. Talat themselves said in a joint statement in February, “time is not on the side of a settlement.”

The broad outlines of a solution are well known and will facilitate the task of reaching a comprehensive settlement, he adds.

“The international community expects the peace process to succeed,” he concludes. “Following the change of leadership in the Turkish Cypriot community, the international community has encouraged the continuation of the negotiations in a positive spirit and the pursuit of a settlement based on United Nations parameters set out in the relevant Security Council resolutions.”

Within days of Mr. Eroglu’s election victory, Mr. Ban’s Special Adviser on Cyprus Alexander Downer, who has been spearheading efforts to forge a solution, called for the talks to continue where they left off.

[Gasman]

Does anyone really care much what BAN says? Or think it will make a difference?

I was thinking that one of the best things about a 'solution' being reached might be that we don't have to see his face on the telly any more - and charismatic he is NOT.