Annan calls for flexibility from all concerned in Cyprus

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan underlined the need for flexibility from all concerned in the Cyprus problem, his spokesman said Tuesday.

He said that Annan and President Tassos Papadopoulos, who is visiting New York, “discussed Lebanon, and the Secretary-General thanked the President for his country’s role during the Lebanon crisis.”

“They also discussed recent developments surrounding the Cyprus issue”, he said, adding that “in that context, the Secretary-General underlined the need for flexibility from all concerned.”

President Papadopoulos and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat agreed in July, during a meeting in the presence of UN Undersecretary-General for political Affairs, Ibrahim Gambari, to begin a process of bicommunal discussions on issues that affect the day-to-day life of the people and concurrently those that concern substantive issues, both contributing to a comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus problem.

Following the agreement, senior aides of the two leaders, Tasos Tzionis and Rasit Pertev, began to work out the modalities for the implementation of the July agreement.