The Greek Cypriot side considers that Cyprus talks must continue at three parallel levels, after the negative outcome of the talks between Cyprus President, Nicos Anastasiades, and Turkish Cypriot leader, Mustafa Akinci, in Mont Pelerin, Switzerland, CNA has learned.

According to a well-informed source, the first level concerns the continuation of the discussion on the territorial adjustment criteria, with a view to reach an agreement on them, use them to draft a map and determine a date for a multilateral conference on security and guarantees. In this framework the Greek Cypriot side considers the intention of Greece and Turkey, and more specifically of the Greek Premier Alexis Tsipras and Turkey`s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to hold discussions with a view to prepare the ground for the multilateral conference as a positive step.

The second level concerns discussions on pending issues in all other chapters related to the internal aspects of the Cyprus issue, and the third other related issues which do not however concern the six chapters discussed at the negotiations, as the financial aspects of the solution and the assessment of the banking sector in the Turkish occupied areas, as well as the first day of the solution.

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci held in November two rounds of UN-led talks in Mont-Pelerin on the territory aspect of the Cyprus problem. The UN announced after the end of their talks that despite their best efforts, they were not able to achieve the necessary further convergences on criteria for territorial adjustment that would have paved the way for the last phase of the talks.

Efforts to continue the UN-led peace talks on Cyprus continue this week, with the focal point being the return to the island of the UN Secretary General`s Special Advisor on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide, who had on Monday separate meeting with the leaders. British and US officials will also be visiting the island this week.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Anastasiades and Akinci have been engaged in UN-led talks since May last year, with a view to reunite the island under a federal roof.