Eide made a statement on behalf of the two leaders

Special Adviser of the UN Secretary-General on Cyprus Mr. Espen Barth Eide made a statement on behalf of the Turkish Cypriot leader Mr. Mustafa Akıncı and the Greek Cypriot leader Mr. Nicos Anastasiades after the meeting of the two leaders yesterday. In his statement Eide said:

“Today, the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr. Mustafa Akıncı, and the Greek Cypriot leader, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, continued to make progress towards their shared vision of a united, federal Cyprus.

The positive and results oriented climate of the talks continue to foster the progress required towards conclusion of a settlement as soon as possible. Today’s meeting focused on issues of property and criteria on territory. Regarding property, the leaders agreed that the individual’s right to property is respected. There shall be different alternatives for the regulation of the exercise of this right. Dispossessed owners and current users shall have various choices regarding their claims to affected properties. These different choices shall include compensation, exchange and reinstatement. The exercise of any such choice shall be subject to agreed criteria. There shall be a list of categories of affected properties. There shall be an independent Property Commission mandated to resolve property claims based on mutually agreed criteria. The Property Commission shall comprise of equal number of Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot members.

The leaders also underlined their commitment to maintain the momentum of the process and decided that their next meetings will be held on 1 and 14 September. The negotiators will continue to meet intensively between leaders’ meetings in support of this endeavor. Over the coming days the negotiators will have joint sessions with the Working Groups on European Union Matters, Property and the Economy to more effectively guide their work. 

The leaders welcomed the reappointment of Mr. Pieter Van Nuffel as the Personal Representative of the President of the European Commission to the UN Good Offices Mission in Cyprus.

The leaders were briefed on the informal consultations held with the United Nations Security Council last week. They welcomed the strong expressions of support of the members of the Council for a settlement in Cyprus.

In the prevailing positive climate, the two leaders will tomorrow participate in a musical event at the Othello tower as agreed by the technical committee on culture.”