Cyprus

Cyprus leaders set peace talks date

Article published on the 2008-07-25 Latest update 2008-07-25 13:49 TU

Cypriot President Demetris Christofias
(Photo : Reuters)

Cyprus leaders have set 3 September as a date to start peace negotiations to end the island's 34-year-old division, with a solution to be put to simultaneous referendums. The announcement was made after more than two hours of talks between Cyprus' president Demetris Christofias, and Mehmet Ali Talat, the Turkish Cypriot leader.

"The aim of fully fledged negotiations is to find a mutually acceptable solution to the Cyprus problem, which will safeguard the fundamental and legitimate rights and interests of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots," UN chief of mission Taye-Brook Zerihoun said on Friday.

The referendums will be held in the Turkish Cypriot northern sector and the Greek Cypriot south.

The island was divided after Turkish troops invaded the northern part of the island in 1974 after an Athens-engineered coup aimed at uniting the island with Greece.

A similar vote on a peace plan drawn up by Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary General in 2004, resulted in a "yes" from the north but was strongly rejected by the south.

Representatives from both sides have been holding discussions in recent months to prepare for formal reunification talks.

The island's partition has long stood as an obstacle to Turkey's bid to join the EU. The Republic of Cyprus, which joined the EU in 2004, can still veto Turkey's accession.

Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General, wants to see direct negotiations start soon, and has named Alexander Downer, Australia's former foreign minister, as his special envoy for Cyprus.