The government has confirmed reports that the UN Secretary General has sent letters to the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus.

“I can confirm that UNSG Ban Ki-moon has sent letters to President Demetris Christofias and the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu,” Government Spokesman Stephanos Stephanou said, replying to press questions.

The letters were sent ahead of a meeting later this month with the two leaders in Greentree, New York, in an effort to make headway towards a negotiated settlement in Cyprus to reunite the country, divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion.

“There is a letter from the SG. We have not received it yet but as soon as we do, I will comment on its contents and the President will reply accordingly to the SG,” Stephanou said.

Asked why the President had not received it by late Saturday, he said the UN had explained that there was a difference of a few hours in the delivery of the letters.

“What is important is that we shall receive the letter,” he added.

President Christofias and Eroglu are set to have talks with the SG on 23-24 January in New York. This will be their third meeting with Ban, who has warned that the Cyprus talks cannot go the way they are being conducted at present.

After more than three years of talks with the Turkish Cypriot community, President Christofias has expressed disappointment with the course of the negotiations, saying that little progress has been achieved and explaining that this is due to backtracking by Eroglu who has deviated from the agreed basis of a bizonal bicommunal federation.