Cyprus groep onzeker over een snelle oplossing voor het conflict (en)

On 9 December the President of the European Commission i José Manuel Barroso i chaired a . The Group assessed the situation in the ongoing settlement talks following the recent meeting of the UN i Secretary General with the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus and his report on the Good Offices Mission presented to the UN Security Council on 30 November, and shared the concern expressed by the Secretary General that the window of opportunity to reach a settlement is rapidly closing. The Group expressed full support for UNSG Ban Ki-moon i's efforts to accelerate the Cyprus settlement process and bring it to a successful end.

President Barroso said when concluding the meeting: "The European Commission stands firmly behind the UN Secretary General's efforts. I encourage the leaders of the two communities to respond positively to the UNSG's call and to reach a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus issue soon. The Commission is ready to provide full support for efforts to reach agreement on EU i related issues, and to strengthen confidence among the two communities. The time is ripe to end the division in Cyprus."

The Cyprus Steering Group was established by President Barroso in January 2009 as a means of the European Commission to support the settlement talks and co-ordinate positions on EU related aspects of a settlement. In this context, President Barroso appointed in October 2009 Leopold Maurer his personal representative to the Good Offices mission of the UN in Cyprus led by Alexander Downer, the Special Advisor to the UN SG Ban Ki-moon.