Ambassador José Filipe Moraes Cabral
Good morning to all of you,
As you know we’ve had consultations in the Security Council concerning Cyprus. Mr. Downer made a very comprehensive briefing especially concerning the recent meeting between the two leaders and the Secretary-General. The process is going on and new meetings are scheduled for the beginning of next year. I would just wish to underline two things: it was for me very clear that there is a very strong support from the Security Council concerning the efforts of the Special Representative and the Secretary-General himself, and that second comment is, it was very clear that the Council agreed on the need for the parties to make the extra effort to show the necessary political will in order for the negotiations to go ahead and conclude in a positive way.
Thank you.
Question: Would it be fair to say that there is, at least publicly, there sort of frustration that none of the four big topics have really not achieved any progress?
Moraes Cabral: No I think that, of course, this is a negotiating process and it takes time, it takes, as I mentioned, political will but things have been going perhaps not as quickly as we all wish for, but nevertheless, the parties are talking and they are advancing some matters. Advancing more in some and less in others but that’s normal in any negotiating process