LEFKOSA - U.S. Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried said on Monday that the United States supported comprehensive negotiations to start in Cyprus soon.
Speaking at a news conference in Fullbright Center in the buffer zone in Lefkosa, Fried said the United States was eager to see bi-zonal bi-communal federation, one nation, one citizenship and an undivided country.
Fried said his trip was to demonstrate the support of the United States for the efforts of the two leaders to make progress under U.N. auspices to reach the point comprehensive negotiations to solve the Cyprus problem can begin.
"There is no American plan. We want to help but this is not an issue that can be imposed on which settlement can be imposed from the outside. We look to the leaders to show the way forward and we look forward to supporting them," he said.
Referring to the opening of Lokmaci Border Pass, Fried said, "There has been progress, not just good statements, but the opening of the Ledra street crossing, which I saw yesterday, is tangible expression of the leaders` verbal commitment and written commitment to progress. And it`s a sign a progress is possible. So we applaud the efforts of the leaders of Cyprus to reunite this island."
Asked when the comprehensive negotiations would start, Fried said leaders in Cyprus would decide for this.
Fried earlier met with Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talati Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias; Taye-Brook Zerihoun, special representative of the UN Secretary-General and chief of UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus.
(AY-CE)