All set for Akinci-Anastasiades meeting as President calls for leaders council

President Anastasiades will meet with party leaders on Monday August 5 ahead of an informal meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci on August 9, Government Spokesman Prodromos Prodromou said on Thursday.

In statements in Limassol after President Anastasiades had a meeting with UN Secretary General’s Special Representative in Cyprus and head of UNFICYP Elizabeth Spehar, Prodromou announced that “Anastasiades has convened a meeting with political party leaders on Monday, August 5, at 1030 hrs to hold discussions in view of his meeting with Akinci.”

At the same time, the Spokesman reiterated that President Anastasiades will go to the meeting with Akinci “with a positive spirit and the expectation that during a free and informal discussion they will be able to clarify what is necessary to pave the way for what for a long time now, since his re- election, the President has been continuously seeking, that is to say the resumption of talks for the resolution of the Cyprus problem.”

Asked where the meeting between President Anastasiades and the Turkish Cypriot leader will take place and whether Spehar will also be present, Prodromou replied that “Spehar will be there, but as was the case in previous meetings, the two leaders will have the opportunity to discuss privately in order to talk freely.” This, he added, is something they will agree between themselves when they meet.

Referring to the meeting with Spehar, Prodromou said that that she briefed President Anastasiades on the Security Council’s meeting and the renewals of UNFICYP and matters to do with the meeting of August 9.

On her part, Spehar who was asked on her departure from the meeting if everything is going well for the August 9, meeting, said that everything is going well.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Christodoulides, Government Spokesman and the head of the President’s diplomatic office Kyriacos Kouros were present during the meeting which lasted for an hour.