Cypriot leaders to resume intensive negotiations: reports

The leaders of the estranged Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities are preparing to resume intensive negotiations in the coming week to solve the 42-year Cyprus problem, local media reported Friday.

This comes as the United Nations warned of a historic failure if they miss reaching a solution to reunify the eastern Mediterranean island.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci met United Nations Secretary General Bank Ki-moon in New York on Sept. 25, who urged them to intensify their negotiations in the coming days.

Ban has since repeated his call on the two leaders to keep their promise to work hard for a solution agreement by the end of 2016.

UN Secretary General's special adviser on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide kept up the pressure by telling the leaders not to miss the current opportunity to solve the problem as an unstable situation will replace the current division of the island.

"Losing this opportunity is not good, neither for Cypriots nor for somebody trying to be helpful in the neighborhood. So the region needs this and it is so close that to miss this opportunity would be a historic failure," Eide told the UN News Service.

He also said he had the full backing of the UN Security Council who wanted to see the Cyprus issue off the table because they "have bigger fish to fry."

The Cyprus problem has been on the agenda of the United Nations since Turkey occupied its northern part in 1974, reacting to a coup by the military rulers of Greece at the time.

Eide conceded that there are still important outstanding issues to be settled but he stressed that a deal "was closer than ever before."

Cypriot government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said on Friday the agenda of the new stage of intensified negotiations will most probably be fixed on Saturday and that barring unexpected developments the leaders will have their first meeting on Oct. 4. Endit