London would welcome Papadopoulos-Talat meeting

 London has said that it would welcome a meeting between Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos and the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community Mehmet Ali Talat.

“We would welcome a meeting between President Papadopoulos and Mr. Talat,” a Foreign Office spokesman has told CNA, when invited to comment on the possibility of a meeting between the two.

President Papadopoulos had sent weeks ago a letter to Talat asking for a meeting with him, with a view to promote the implementation of a UN-brokered agreement, in July last year. At the time, the Turkish Cypriot leader declined the invitation, but on Tuesday he accepted.

Following Talat’s positive response, President Papadopoulos urged on Tuesday Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Cyprus, Michael Moller, to make immediately all necessary arrangements for a meeting between the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus.

An official press release said on Tuesday that “the President of the Republic today received a letter sent by the leader of the Turkish Cypriot Community, Mehmet Ali Talat, regarding the 8th July process.”

It adds that “the President of the Republic replied on the same day through a letter to the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Cyprus, asking him to make immediately the necessary arrangements for a meeting between the leaders of the two communities, aiming at the immediate implementation of the 8th July Agreement”.

President Papadopoulos and Talat agreed on 8 July 2006 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 of the Cyprus problem, that would reunite the country, divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory.