A/HRC/16/21 Eroğlu wrote to the Secretary-General, affirming their commitment to continuing with the negotiations7. 7. Talks between the two leaders resumed on 26 May 2010, focusing on the chapter on property. In early September, both sides presented their respective comprehensive proposals on property, which were discussed at length in subsequent meetings. On 18 November 2010, the two leaders met with the Secretary-General and reviewed progress made in all the chapters of the negotiations. They agreed to continue the discussions on a number of core issues identified by the Secretary-General and to report back to him on progress made at the end of January8. II. Human rights concerns 8. The persisting division of Cyprus continues to have consequences in relation to a number of human rights issues on the whole island, including freedom of movement, human rights pertaining to the question of missing persons, discrimination, the right to life, freedom of religion and economic, social and cultural rights. A. Freedom of movement 9. Crossings between the north and the south of the island are still possible only through official crossing points, which limits freedom of movement. In addition, Turkish Cypriot authorities impose restrictions on the length of stay by Greek Cypriots in the north. For a stay that exceeds three months, they need to apply for a “visa”9. 10. As agreed between the leaders at the beginning of the negotiations, a seventh crossing point through the buffer zone in the north-west of the island, linking the villages of Limnitis/Yeşilirmak in the north and Kato Pyrgos in the south, was opened on 14 October 2010. This significantly reduces travel time across the region and allows for a more direct route for travellers to Nicosia. The opening of this crossing point also serves as an important confidence building measure to foster an environment conducive to the overall negotiations10. 11. UNFICYP recorded more than 1.5 million official crossings through the buffer zone in the year between 21 November 2009 and 20 November 2010. Between 21 May and 20 November 2010, more than 10,000 crossings occurred at the newly opened Limnitis/Yeşilirmak crossing point11. 12. The requests made by 11 Greek Cypriot and 44 Maronite internally displaced and refugee families wanting to return to, and permanently reside in the north are still pending, due to differences between the two sides over the eligibility criteria for permanent return12. B. Human rights pertaining to the question of missing persons 13. The Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) continued the exhumation, identification and return of the remains of missing persons. By the end of November 2010, the remains of 745 individuals had been exhumed on both sides of the buffer zone by the 7 8 9 10 11 12 4 S/2010/238, para. 19. S/2010/603, paras. 21, 22 and 25. Information received from UNFICYP. “Limnitis/Yesilirmak Crossing Point Opens”, 14 October 2010, http://www.unficyp.org/ S/2010/264, para. 11, and S/2010/605, para. 13. S/2010/605, para. 14, and S/2009/609, para. 17.