NICOSIA - UN Secretary-General Special Adviser on Cyprus will hold a press conference Friday where he is expected to outline his thoughts on the future steps of the UN-backed talks for a solution to the Cyprus problem.

''Alexander Downer will brief the media on Friday 27 April at the Ledra Palace Hotel at 16:30. The news conference follows his meeting with the Secretary-General at United Nations Headquarters in New York last week,'' a press release issued by UNFICYP.

On Friday Downer will also hold separate meetings with President Christofias and Dervis Eroglu.

Downer was in New York where on Saturday he met with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and discussed the way forward to the talks after a meeting between Ban and President of the Republic Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, met with the UN Secretary-General in New York last January.

In a statement after the conclusion of the talks in Greentree, Ban urged the two leaders to make decisive steps towards a final agreement on the Cyprus problem. He said that he would be hearing about the process of the talks from his Special Adviser Alexander Downer and would decide on the next steps.

Last Saturday Ban conveyed his assessment to President Christofias and Eroglu that there is no sufficient progress on core issues of the Cyprus problem that would provide a basis for calling an international conference at this time.

According to a statement by the Spokesperson of the UNSG, Ban talked on Saturday over the phone with the two Cyprus leaders, following his meeting in New York with the Special Advisor on Cyprus Alexander Downer.