Greek, Turkish Cypriot leaders to meet ahead of direct peace negotiations

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Greek, Turkish Cypriot leaders to meet ahead of direct peace negotiations NICOSIA, Cyprus Cyprus' rival Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders will try Tuesday to iron out disagreements that have delayed historic talks on reunifying the ethnically divided island. Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias, who heads the internationally recognized Greek government in the south, and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat will meet in the U.N.-patrolled buffer zone that has separated the island's two communities for more than three decades. Cypriot government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said Monday the two would "review and appraise" the progress made by expert groups who have been meeting since April to prepare for the direct talks between Christofias and Talat. Initially set for the end of June, these talks have been delayed by at least a month due to snags in some of the more contentious issues. Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded in response to a coup by Athens-backed supporters of union with Greece. Reunification talks have been deadlocked since 2004, when Greek Cypriots rejected a UN reunification blueprint in a referendum. Turkish Cypriots accepted it.