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Greek, Turkish Cypriot leaders to continue negotiation on reunifying ethnically split Cyprus

Xinhua, January 30, 2016 Adjust font size:

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci have agreed on details for UN-sponsored reunification talks in the coming months, the two said after a meeting on Friday.

Sources said on condition of anonymity that this means that the negotiations will go on beyond May, an unofficial target date for a solution of the Cyprus problem.

However, the two leaders feel confident that a solution can be reached this year. "We agreed to review the course of the negotiations so far and hold further discussions on minimizing differences," Anastasiades said.

They decided to start a new round of negotiations on Feb. 8, according to the state-run Cyprus News Agency. While ongoing points of difference will be raised, issues that have not been previously touched upon will also be discussed, according to the agency.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when the Turkish military intervened and took control of the island's north following a coup by a group of Greek officers. For several decades, the United Nations has continuously worked to with both communities to unify the island.

The leaders of the divided Greek and Turkish communities in Cyprus resumed peace talks in May last year. Negotiators are still trying work out a solution to decide whether Greek cypriot owners can recover their property, now occupied by Turkish Cypriots or Turkey settlers, be compensated or receive other property.

The possibility of a solution by this summer received a boost after quick progress was made on some core issues.

Espen Barth Eide, the UN Secretary General's personal emissary on Cyprus, said on Friday that backstage work is underway on securing financing to help reunification efforts.

He said technical committees are pondering raising funds for infrastructure work to reunify Cyprus and to pay compensation to thousands of people, mostly displaced Greek Cypriots, who will not be able to recover their properties.

Eide, a former foreign minister of Norway, said the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union are also taking steps towards raising needed funds, tentatively estimated at 24 billion U.S. dollars. Endi