The UN has issued a new corrected version of the “Joint Statement by the Greek Cypriot leader Mr. Nicos Anastasiades
and the Turkish Cypriot leader Mr. Mustafa Akıncı”, with an additional sentence in the second paragraph.

The full text of the Joint Statement is as follows:

“Tonight, the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr. Mustafa Akıncı, and the Greek Cypriot leader, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, had an open and constructive exchange about the challenges experienced over the last months.

The two leaders reconfirmed their joint commitment to finding a solution in the best interest of all Cypriots, taking into account the concerns of both communities. Furthermore they exchanged ideas about the way ahead.

As the two leaders will be abroad in the coming days, the Special Adviser of the Secretary-General, Mr Espen Barth Eide, will be continuing his interaction with them in order to lay the groundwork for the resumption of the negotiations as soon as possible.”

The statement was issued after a four-hour long dinner, the UN hosted for the two leaders on Sunday night in an effort to resume the stalled peace talks.

President Anastasiades did not make any statement to the press after the dinner. He referred journalists to the Joint Statement.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. UN-backed efforts to reunify the island under a federal roof were suspended when Mustafa Akinci walked out of a meeting in mid February, claiming that a House decision to commemorate, briefly, in school a 1950 referendum advocating union with Greece was in fact a shift in the long standing position of the Greek Cypriot side for a bicommunal, bizonal federal solution in Cyprus.

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades has described the decision “wrong”, saying the timing was not right. Akinci said he would not return to the negotiations unless the decision is revoked. The House is set to vote on an amendment on the bill, which essentially annuls the earlier House decision, on Friday 7 April.