Cypriot President and newly-elected Turkish Cypriot leader hold first reunification talks

Cypriot President Demetris Christofias and newly-elected Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu held their first meeting in Nicosia on Wednesday (May 26th). During the meeting, UN Special Envoy Alexander Downer read them a message from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who warned that time is running out to reach a deal reunifying the divided island. “A settlement is within your grasp and this opportunity must be seized, as time is not on your side,” he wrote. “Achieving an agreement will require vision, statesmanship and courage. Your communities want and expect a settlement,” Ban added. The topic of this round was the property issue. The two plan to meet again in a week.