May 29, 2009, 18:19 GMT
New York - The UN Security Council praised Greek and Turkish Cypriots on Friday for making progress in their negotiations and urged them to move forward to end the division on the Mediterranean island.
The council extended the mandate of its peacekeeping mission until December 15, which is manning a ceasefire line separating Turkish Cypriots in the north and Greek Cypriots in the south.
UN-led negotiations, conducted by former Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, have made advances in closing decades of differences between the two communities. The talks in Nicosia have become full-fledged and the UN said prospects for further progress are expected for a comprehensive solution for a sharing of power by the two sides.
The council urged the two sides 'to fully exploit the opportunity, including intensifying the momentum of negotiations, improving the current atmosphere or trust and goodwill, and engaging in the process of a comprehensive and open manner.'
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said there is now an 'excellent personal chemistry' between leaders of the two communities, who have taken full responsibility over the negotiating process.
Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmed Ali Talat have held face-to-face talks in the past six months to try to overcome major obstacles for a power-sharing government.
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