Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat and his Greek Cypriot counterpart Demetris Christofias have reached consensus about cooperation between founder states and the federal state, referred to as the hierarchy of norms, a United Nations envoy said on Monday. (UPDATED)
Talat and Christofias were in a full consensus about harmony and cooperation between founder states and the federal state, Taye Brook Zerihoun, the U.N. secretary general's special representative in Cyprus, told reporters after the leaders' meeting.
The leaders met Monday to hold 2009's first and their fourteenth meeting as part of the comprehensive peace talks which began in September, and discussed how laws could be balanced between the founder states and the federal state, and the cooperation of the founder states between themselves and with the federal government.
Talat also confirmed that great progress has been made regarding the issues.
"One of them was the hierarchy of norms, in other words, how laws and rules would be balanced between the founder states and the federal state. Besides, we discussed the cooperation of the founder states between themselves and with the federal government. We can say that a remarkable consensus was achieved on both issues today," Talat was quoted by Anatolian Agency as saying.
Zerihoun said that the leaders would meet again on Jan. 12, and debate international agreements.
Alexander Downer, the U.N. secretary general's special adviser on Cyprus, is due to arrive on the island on Jan. 9 and participate in the upcoming meeting.
The U.N. sees 2009 as the last chance to cut a deal on the island. Officials have warned both sides that the U.N. would not mediate if the leaders fail to reach an agreement by the end of 2009 and that it would end its efforts to solve the problem.
Cyprus has been divided since 1964 when Turkish Cypriots were forced to withdraw into enclaves. Talat and Christofias began peace talks in September after a four-year hiatus, marking the first major push for peace since the failure of a U.N. reunification plan in 2004, which was approved by Turkish Cypriots but overwhelmingly rejected by Greek Cypriots.
ISRAELI OFFENSIVE CONDEMNED
The Cypriot leaders condemned Israel's deadly assault on Gaza in a joint statement released later on Monday.
"The two leaders condemn the offensive on Gaza and Israel's disproportionate use of power that caused the deaths of many innocent civilians, including women and children," the statement said.
The statement also called on the international community to press for immediate action to end violence in the region.
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