UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has asked his outgoing Special Adviser on Cyprus Alexander Downer to submit a report in April with his recommendations, at a meeting they had, on Wednesday, in New York.

UN sources say that due to Ban’s scheduled departure for Moscow, his meeting with Downer lasted only a few minutes and took place as a matter of formality.

The same sources add that the Secretary General asked Downer to submit a report in the beginning of April and before his appointment in London is announced.

The report should contain his recommendations on developments in the Cyprus issue, including whether he considers it would be useful to appoint someone new in his place or whether he feels that his duties can be fully undertaken by Lisa Buttenheim.

Downer is expected to continue on Thursday his farewell meetings with UN Security Council Permanent Members, Greece and Turkey.

A meeting in the presence of UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman will also take place.

Downer departs from New York late on Thursday evening. He is expected to arrive in Cyprus on Tuesday, March 25 to say goodbye to the leaders of the island’s two communities and his associates here.

Direct talks between the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities resumed in mid February, following an agreement on a Joint Declaration by the leaders of the two communities.

The objective is to reunite Cyprus, divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion, under a federal roof.