Cyprus

Leaders relaunch peace talks

Article published on the 2008-09-04 Latest update 2008-09-04 13:04 TU

Christofias (l) and Talat (ctr) after their meeting
(Credit: Reuters)

Leaders from the Greek and Turkish sides of Cyprus overcame three decades of failed diplomacy as they launched intensive talks geared towards reunifying the divided territory. Greek Cypriot President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met for over an hour on Wednesday.

There was "significant progress" at the talks, according to Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who was present as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's special envoy.

The talks, the fifth meeting between the two leaders this year, have paved the way for substantive negotiations, which will focus on power-sharing, on 11 September. The two have also agreed to set up a telephone hotline to keep in constant contact throughout negotiations.

Christofias and Talat will then meet once a week after the negotiations.

Even with all the positive exchanges, major issues remain.

"The biggest obstacle is the security concern, under which Turkey has 40,000 troops in the north of the island," correspondent Jasper Mortimer in Ankara said.

Turkey "also has the right to intervene if the status quo has changed, a right which it exercised when it invaded the island in 1974," he added.

Many Turkish Cypriots see the military presence as protecting their security, while Greek Cypriots think otherwise, Mortimer says, while Greek Cypriots regard the military presence as a threat.  

Hundreds of Turkish- and Greek-Cypriot peace activists rallied on Monday night in the buffer zone in the capital, Nicosia, and chanted slogans in favour of unifying the island.

Christofias, the leader of the Greek-Cypriot Communist Party, Akel, was elected in February, having promised to unite the island, while Talat is also a left-winger committed to unity.