The latest developments in the Cyprus problem were discussed during a meeting on Monday at UN headquarters in New York between UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and leader of the Turkish Cypriot community in Cyprus Dervis Eroglu, whom the UN chief urged to maintain the current momentum in the talks for a settlement.

According to a UN spokesperson, `they exchanged views on the negotiations and had a productive discussion about the way forward in light of the resumption of the talks on 11 February`.

`The Secretary General urged Mr. Eroglu to maintain the current momentum in the talks, together with the Greek Cypriot leader, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades. The Secretary General reaffirmed his continued personal attention and the United Nations’ commitment to assisting the sides in reaching a comprehensive settlement on the Cyprus issue`, the spokesperson added.

Eroglu, speaking through an interpreter, said he had `a very fruitful meeting with the Secretary General`, who is `very much focused on the Cyprus negotiations and he is encouraging both sides for an early settlement in Cyprus, and that is also the desire of the Turkish Cypriot side`.

`The Secretary General has been involved in this process for a very long time and his desire is, as is the desire of the Turkish Cypriot side, to find an early settlement to the Cyprus problem. Of course in order to find a settlement it is important that the sides make proposals which are also acceptable to the other party sitting at the negotiating table. We are acting in accordance with this understanding. Finally after the agreement on the joint communiqué it was possible to resume the negotiations and we have had the first meeting with my Greek Cypriot counterpart afterwards`, he said.

He added that `we are engaged in the negotiations in good faith, we are making constructive proposals, making bridging proposals, and our target remains to find the settlement to the Cyprus problem in the shortest possible time`.

`We have the support of the Secretary General in this regard, he has been encouraging both sides. From the meeting, I have seen that he is fully focused, he is closely following the negotiations and he is supporting an early settlement as I have mentioned before`, he said.

Asked about remarks he made before arriving in New York that an abyss separates the position of the two sides, Eroglu said `the whole point of negotiations is to bridge the gaps that I have mentioned before my departure here, so of course we have recently resumed the negotiations as I have just mentioned and during the course of the negotiations we try to bridge our differences and find a comprehensive settlement in the shortest possible time`.

`Our view is that a settlement is possible within this year and we can finalize a settlement and take it to separate simultaneous referenda in 2014`, he added.

Regarding the natural gas in Cyprus` exclusive economic zone, Eroglu said `we haven`t taken up the issue of natural gas with the Secretary General but certainly it is an issue that relates to both peoples on the island of Cyprus and we will continue to take up the matter with our Greek Cypriot counterparts`.

Asked what the ratio of Turkish settlers to native Turkish Cypriots is currently and whether the issue of continued settlement by Turkish natives has come up so far in talks for a settlement, Eroglu said `we don`t accept any discrimination between our citizens` and `we don`t discuss this matter`.
`As is the case in everywhere in the world, for example in the United States, there are people coming from any part of the world but they are all citizens of the United States, and it is not possible, not in Cyprus or anywhere in the world to make any discrimination among its citizens. And all our citizens back in Cyprus, in northern Cyprus, their citizenships are guaranteed under our constitution and as I said before there can be no discrimination`, he said.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. The leaders of the two communities in Cyprus and their negotiators are currently engaged in talks with an aim to reunify the island under a federal roof.