President Nikos Christodoulides has told a senior United Nations official that appropriate conditions on the ground, particularly in the buffer zone, must be secured before negotiations on the Cyprus problem can resume.
Christodoulides made the remarks on Tuesday morning at the Presidential Palace during a meeting with UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
He set the assurance of appropriate field conditions as the basic prerequisite for restarting talks, with particular reference to the situation prevailing in the buffer zone.
The President thanked the United Nations for its interest in and focus on the Cyprus problem, telling Lacroix that the question of ground conditions is a matter of concern for Nicosia and one he wishes to discuss with the UN side.
Lacroix, for his part, thanked Cyprus for the support it provides to UN efforts on the Cyprus problem. He said the United Nations remains committed to helping as much as it can, and stressed that conditions should be as calm as possible.
The meeting was also attended, on the UN side, by UNFICYP Special Representative and Head Khassim Diagne. On the Cypriot side, attendees included Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis, Presidential Press Office Director Viktoras Papadopoulos, Greek Cypriot negotiator Menelaos Menelaou, and Cyprus Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Maria Michael.
(information from CNA)
