NEWS

Cyprus leaders agree to boost talks

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday that community leaders on Cyprus had agreed to intensify talks aimed at reunifying the divided island, adding that he hoped for an agreement by October.

?The leaders have agreed to enter into an intensive period of negotiations on the core issues when they return to their island,? Ban told reporters following talks in Geneva with Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias and Turkish-Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu.

Describing the four-hour meeting with the rival leaders as ?useful and productive,? the UN chief said, ?I have every expectation that by October the leaders will be able to report that they have reached convergence on all core issues, and we will meet that month in New York.?

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.