UN chief prods Cyprus leaders
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday called on Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias and Turkish-Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat to «make real progress» in ongoing peace talks aimed at reunifying the divided island by «demonstrating flexibility and agreeing on compromises.» «Now it is time for both leaders to be more seriously considering making the necessary compromises and showing flexibility so that they can move ahead,» Ban told a press conference in New York. The UN chief’s comments came a day after Christofias and Talat had their latest face-to-face talks in the presence of UN mediator Alexander Downer. The UN envoy did not comment on the progress of the talks, which focused on power sharing. Speaking yesterday, Christofias said the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the island was one of his key goals.
