UN envoy Downer discusses Cyprus talks in Athens

09/09/2008

ATHENS, Greece -- UN special envoy for Cyprus Alexander Downer met with Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis in Athens on Monday (September 8th). Both again pledged to support direct talks that began last week, aimed at reunifying the divided island of Cyprus. "I did not come here to say a lot but to hear the views of the Greek side," Downer said after the meeting. Asked whether he is worried about the different interpretations of the term "bi-zonal, bi-communal federation" by the two Cypriot communities, he said that it is important to understand that negotiations have just begun. "Differences are to be expected. That's why negotiations take place," Downer noted. He flies to Turkey on Tuesday for meetings with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ali Babacan.

Also Tuesday, Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat will visit Brussels to assess recent developments in Cyprus. Talat is scheduled to meet with EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn and the permanent representatives of several EU countries. (ANA-MPA, Kathimerini, In.news, Dogan news agency, Anadolu news agency, CNA, Famagusta Gazette - 08/09/08)