European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has called on the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus to conclude their talks successfully in the coming months.

Barroso chaired a meeting of the Cyprus Steering Group in Strasbourg on Tuesday. The Group discussed developments related to the ongoing settlement talks following the recent meeting of the UN Secretary-General with the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus on 30 and 31 October in New York.

The Group also looked into the remaining issues in the EU negotiation chapter, which the parties still need to agree upon. It reiterated its full support for UNSG Ban Ki-moon`s efforts to work with the two sides to finalise the process and reach a comprehensive settlement.

“The settlement negotiations are now at a decisive stage. The Commission encourages both leaders to conclude their talks successfully in the coming months. The January meeting of the two leaders with the UN Secretary-General should become a landmark on the way to a solution to the Cyprus issue. There is no time to lose after 37 years of de facto division. The EU would like to see soon a united Cyprus,“ he said.