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President : Basic conditions for terms of reference have been set

04/11/2019 10:16

President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades said on Sunday that the basic conditions to formulate the terms of reference, have been set. He was asked about his expectations ahead of a tripartite meeting, later this month, with the UN Secretary-General and the Turkish Cypriot leader, in Berlin.
 
Asked about preparations for the tripartite meeting, that will take place on November 25, President Anastasiades said that it is possible that the UN special envoy, Jane Holl Lute, will visit Cyprus prior to the meeting.
 
Speaking about the terms of reference, which could pave the way for the resumption of settlement talks, the President said that “any attempt to impose in advance or address in advance issues that need to be discussed at the negotiating table” would be an “unthinkable attempt or political act, either from our side, or from the Turkish Cypriot side.”

The President was speaking after the 6th memorial service of former President of Cyprus Glafcos Clerides, in Nicosia. He praised Clerides as his mentor and political father, as well as a man with political ethos. We honor today a leader who left his mark on patriotic assertive realism, a characteristic of a visionary politician, he concluded.
 
The Republic of Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.