PRESIDENT TALAT MEETS PASCOE...

President Mehmet Ali Talat met with  United Nations Under-secretary for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe on yesterday.

Before his discussions with President Talat, Mr. Pascoe met with the Greek Cypriot Leader Dimitris Christofias.

At the end of the meeting with President Talat, Mr. Pascoe told reporters that he had had a positive meeting with the President and  would make a detailed statement on his contacts in Cyprus at a press conference later.

Following the meeting, Presidential Spokesman Hasan Ercakica told reporters that the Turkish Cypriot side expressed its position towards a settlement in Cyprus during the meeting between TRNC President Mehmet Ali Talat and the UN Undersecretary for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe.

Noting that the President found an opportunity to express Turkish Cypriot Side’s expectations from the new process, the Presidential Spokesman said that the President called on the United Nations to play more active role in this process.

Responding to a question on whether Mr. Pascoe put forward a new proposal or not, Mr. Ercakica said he did not propose anything during the meeting and preferred to listen.

Pascoe yesterday also  met Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot non governmental organizations and Greek Cypriot political party leaders.

In the afternoon Pascoe  met President’s Special Representative  for EU and UN  Ozdil Nami  and Greek Cypriot  Administration  Commissioner  George Iacovou.

 Today, he will meet with representatives of Turkish Cypriot political parties,  foreign diplomats and  mission chiefs   serving in Cyprus  and the members of the Autonomous Missing Persons  Committee.

Tomorrow (2 April) the last day of his visit to the island, Mr. Pascoe will have another meeting with President Talat and Greek Cypriot Leader  Dimitris Christofias.

The United Nations Undersecretary for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe arrived in Cyprus late Sunday to assess the situation on the island, following recent developments with regard to efforts aimed at resuming full-fledged negotiations to bring about a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem.