Greek Cypriot negotiator Andreas Mavroyiannis and Turkish Cypriot negotiator Kudret Ozersay met yesterday at the Good Offices Mission in Nicosia to conclude the screening phase of the talks.
During three hour meeting they agreed to meet again on 6th May which will be the start of substantive negotiations.
In the meantime, both sides will meet with the UN to prepare the agenda and organisation of the next meeting.
After the meeting Ozersay noted that during the substantive negotiations the outline of a comprehensive solution will be negotiated and written proposals, counter proposals and suggestions for bridging the gap between the two will be evaluated. He also stated that going into details was not feasible therefore they were going to outline an agreement for a comprehensive solution.
“The new phase that we are entering will be more challenging than the previous process” said Ozersay. He stressed that the period ahead requires that both sides be more flexible.
“This is a period where tangible written proposals, their counter ones and bridge building proposals will be exchanged and negotiated. This is not a period of exchanging position papers. Each side knows each other’s general position, and negotiating details is out of question. We are entering a phase where comprehensive solution will be outlined” added Ozersay.
At the end of the month, both negotiators will be travelling to South Africa to meet Roelof Petrus Meyer who was a member of the white negotiating team in South Africa and who will share some of his experiences with them.
