Bartamaha (Nairobi):-UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday that he appreciated the leadership of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan concerning talks over the divided island of Cyprus.

Speaking to a correspondent from the semi-official Anatolia news agency at his office in the United Nations, Ban said he was looking forward to meeting again with Turkish President Abdullah Gül.
Ban responded to Anatolia’s questions on Cyprus talks, the blockade on Turkish Cypriots, the uranium swap deal signed in Tehran earlier this week, sanctions on Iran, Somalia conference in Ä°stanbul, Turkey’s role of mediator in the Middle East, Turkey’s European Union membership process, the Alliance of Civilizations initiative and rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia.
Cyprus talks
Asked about a possible timetable for the negotiations in Cyprus, which are set to resume soon, or whether determining such a timetable would facilitate achieving a solution, Ban said that although they had not determined any such target date, this did not mean the talks would continue forever. He said they should definitely have some expectations that the parties could accept a bi-communal, bi-zonal unification based on political equality at a definite time.
The UN secretary-general said he was encouraged by the statements of newly elected leader of the Turkish Cypriot party DerviÅŸ EroÄŸlu that the negotiations, which were recessed because of elections, would resume.
Ban said he sincerely hoped that Cypriot leaders would meet soon to continue the talks, commenting that “as far as I understand, they will meet at the end of this month.” Ban said he and his Special Envoy to Cyprus Alexander Downer would endeavor to facilitate the negotiation process on the island.
Eulogizing ErdoÄŸan’s leadership in this regard, Ban said ErdoÄŸan’s February statement that he strongly supported the Cyprus talks had added momentum to the negotiations.
Blockade on Turkish Cypriots
Ban said negotiations should be sped up to find a solution to the isolation of Turkish Cypriots. The leader said he knew Turkish Cypriots were suffering from the blockade and added that this problem also included many humanitarian issues. “I have extended strong support to negotiations, and I continue to do so. More than 70 talks have taken place between the two leaders in the past 18 months. This is an extremely positive development,” Ban noted.
Somalia conference scheduled in Ä°stanbul
Ban said he would travel to Ä°stanbul to attend an international conference May 21-23 pertaining to the restructuring and improvement of Somalia. The Turkish government’s willingness and will to host the Somali conference is appreciated, he said, noting also that the situation in Somali had worsened despite the support of the international community. Ban said the conference would be jointly organized by himself, ErdoÄŸan and Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmad, and aimed to improve the situation in Somalia.
Uranium deal
Ban also welcomed ErdoÄŸan’s diplomatic efforts and those of Brazilian Presdent Luis Inacio Lula da Silva toward solving the problem pertaining to Iran’s nuclear program.
He indicated that transparency was extremely important and added that the uranium swap deal could be a positive step toward solving the problem if the International Atomic Energy Agency and international community join in on tackling the issue in a more expansive manner.
Reiterating the call to Iran to fully abide by all UN Security Council resolutions regarding its nuclear program, he said, “I am calling on all the related parties to solve the problem through negotiations, and peacefully.”
Turkey’s role in the Middle East
Asked to comment on Turkey’s initiatives in its region, Ban said Turkey traditionally assumed a very important role in the region, both with respect to peace and to stability in the Middle East.
Ban said he also hoped the indirect talks carried out by Turkey between Syria and Israel in 2008 would resume, and expressed pleasure over the resumption of indirect talks between Palestine and Israel. He said all the related parties and neighboring countries in the region should contribute to the creation of a positive environment for the start of direct talks between the two parties.
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Source:- todayszaman
HE ANATOLIA NEWS AGENCY THE UNITED NATIONS

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