Roundup: Greek, Turkish Cypriots rally to demand Cyprus reunification

Several hundreds of Greek and Turkish Cypriots joint forces on Monday night at rally demanding from their leaders negotiating in Switzerland an end to the division of the country.

They responded to a call by about 120 non-governmental organizations of both communities to gather at a soccer field in the buffer zone below the ramparts of the medieval walls ringing the old city of Nicosia in a perfect circle.

The people carried placards which read "Solution now," "End the division," and "Peace now."

A resolution addressed to the leaders of their communities urged them to negotiate to reach a solution addressing the expectations of the Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

As people started to gather in the field, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci met for their last scheduled negotiating session at Mont Pelerin, Switzerland to try to overcome the last remaining obstacles to a reunification agreement.

They were expected to have what was expected to be their last effort in Switzerland to agree on the criteria for allocating territory under the control of each community.

Their goal is to move to the last stage of the negotiations, a multi-party international conference to discuss security arrangements of the reunification of the eastern Mediterranean island.

A state television correspondent at the site of the negotiations said the goal of fixing the date for a conference was difficult but realistic.

As guarantors of the 1960 treaty, Greece and Turkey have started a dialogue on security. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced that he talked on telephone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last Friday and they agreed to talk again.

The negotiations of the two leaders were expected to drag late into the night.

The negotiations aim at an accord for an equitable allocation of territory which will reflect the population composition.

The ratio of the close to 1 million population is 78 percent Greek Cypriots and 22 percent indigenous Turkish Cypriots and mainland Turks who settled in Cyprus after Turkish troops occupied the northern part of the island in 1974, in reaction to a coup by the military rulers of Greece at the time.

The United Nations, which has been brokering the negotiations for 42 years, has said it is working on the practicalities of the implementation of a solution, in the firm belief that it will soon be able to strike the Cyprus problem off its list of outstanding international issues.

In Cyprus, too, there is a general sense that a settlement is now within reach. But in view of past disappointments, even the most ardent supporters of a solution, are reserved. Endit