Leaders to hold second meeting of second round of Cyprus talks

President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat are holding on Thursday their second meeting of the second round of UN-led direct negotiations, aiming to reach a solution of the Cyprus problem and reunite the country, divided since the Turkish invasion of 1974.

The meeting is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. at the UN protected area of the now defunct Nicosia airport.

During Thursday's meeting, the leaders of the two communities will discuss the bridging proposals on the chapter of governance and particularly the election of the President and Vice-President of the United Republic, which they submitted at their last meeting on 10 September, as Special Adviser of UN Secretary-General Alexander Downer has said.

President Christofias and Talat began direct talks in September last year with an aim to reach a negotiated settlement that would reunite the country under a federal roof.