UN OPTIMISM OVER CYPRUS TALKS

Famagusta Gazette
24.SEP.09

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed optimism over talks
held between Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and Turkish
Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat with a view to solving the Cyprus
problem. stating that it was "very important for the two sides to
seize the momentum now."

Referring to a meeting held between Ban and Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a UNSG spokesperson said that "on Cyprus, the SG
said he appreciated Turkey’s support to Alexander Downer’s efforts and
expressed optimism at the talks (42 discussions in the first round).

The spokesperson added that the SG had thanked Turkey for its
leadership on climate change and expressed his sympathies for the
deadly impact of recent floods in Turkey.

The SG welcomed recent steps toward the normalisation of relations
between Armenia and Turkey, the spokesperson said.