Repeated meetings ahead of key Eurogroup session

A high-level meeting on Cyprus is about to start in Brussels, chaired by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, with the participation of the Cypriot government and of the European Commission president, Jose Manuel Barroso, Nicosia confirmed on Sunday afternoon.

A spokesman for the Cypriot government said the meeting would examine the possibility of a deal ahead of the Eurogroup meeting of eurozone finance ministers in the evening, Associated Press reported. Van Rompuy’s chairing of the meeting was also confirmed by a European Council spokesman.

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Finance Minister Michalis Sarris lead a Cypriot delegation that left Larnaca in the morning on a special flight that also went through Athens.

Following that session, Anastasiades will meet with Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, and Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank, Nicosia announced.

Throughout the day’s negotiations in Brussels the council of Cypriot party leaders will be in constant session at the President’s office in Nicosia and in communication with the President.