UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Greek Cypriot President
Tassos Papadopoulos have agreed to meet in late February to explore
the possibility of resuming the talks on the reunification of
Cyprus, a UN spokesman said Thursday.
The meeting, planned for Feb. 28 in Paris, will concern "ways of
moving forward the process of reuniting the island," Stephanie
Dujarric told reporters.
Last month, in Davos, Switzerland, Annan met with Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to review the latter's proposal on
restarting the reunification negotiations.
Cyprus, a Mediterranean island, has been divided into the Greek
Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot sectors for 40 years. The Greek Cypriot
government is recognized internationally, but the Turkish Cypriot
authority only gains the recognition of Turkey.
Official contacts between the two parties have not resumed since
the April 2004 referendum on a comprehensive settlement plan
failed. About 65 percent of Turkish Cypriots voted in favor of the
UN-drafted plan, while 76 percent of Greek Cypriots voted
against.
A UN peacekeeping force has been deployed in Cyprus since 1964
to prevent further fighting between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish
Cypriot communities. It monitors ceasefire lines that extend some
180 kilometers across the island.
(Xinhua News Agency February 17, 2006)
