UN Secretary-General Mr Kofi Annan said today he expected to set a date within the next few days for a resumption of UN-backed talks on reunifying Cyprus.
He said he had spoken in recent days with top Turkish, Greek and Greek Cypriot leaders about a new round of talks aimed at reuniting Cyprus ahead of its accession to the European Union on May 1st, and "they all indicated their willingness to resume talks and maintain the effort until we come to conclusion."
While he had not yet consulted with Turkish Cypriot leader Mr Rauf Denktash, widely blamed for sinking an earlier round of negotiations on the divided Mediterranean island, he planned to do so soon.
"I intend to invite the parties fairly shortly and I think in the next day or so a date will be set," Mr Annan told reporters.
"We don't have much time if we are going to meet the May 1st deadline. We should move fairly quickly," he added.
Turkish Prime Minister Mr Tayyip Erdogan said he had worked out a common approach to Cyprus talks with Mr Denktash and the head of the Turk Cypriot government Mr Mehmet Ali Talat in Ankara.
"We have identified a common goal," state-run Anatolian news agency quoted him as saying.
"But I want this to be known," he warned. "Within the framework of our national policy we cannot tolerate the destruction of the Turkish identity in northern Cyprus... This will be protected and strengthened."
The Greek Foreign Ministry said yesterday Annan was not convinced Turkish Cypriots backed his peace plan for Cyprus.