CYPRUS: Leaders of Cyprus's divided Greek and Turkish communities say they are willing to meet again after their first face-to-face talks in more than two years.
Diplomats hoped yesterday's meeting between Cypriot president Tassos Papadopoulos and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat would ease a dispute threatening Turkey's European Union entry talks. Their discussion focused on the fate of people who went missing in past conflicts between ethnic Greeks and Turks on Cyprus but, Mr Talat said, they also had "a sincere discussion" on the Cyprus problem.
Mr Talat told reporters after the meeting at a UN compound overlooking the divided capital of Nicosia that they could meet again. "I hope so. We did not decide on it. I hope it will happen," he said.
Cyprus's Greek and Turkish communities have been separated since a Turkish invasion in 1974 in response to a short-lived Greek Cypriot coup.
Mr Papadopoulos and Mr Talat had not met since April 2004, when Greek Cypriots voted in a referendum to reject a UN plan to reunify Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots voted to accept.
The Greek Cypriot rejection meant Cyprus entered the EU as a militarily divided island, with Brussels recognising the Greek Cypriot government in the south.
Mr Papadopoulos also indicated readiness to meet again. "There is no dogmatic reason for not seeing Mr Talat," he said.
Reunification talks have been at a standstill since the referendum and diplomats are keen to revive the negotiations to head off a potential crisis in Turkey's EU accession talks. The 25- member EU has warned Turkey to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriots.
Ankara, which has 30,000 troops deployed in the north, would need ultimately to establish diplomatic relations with the Greek Cypriots. Such a move would be politically impossible for Ankara in the absence of a peace deal and ahead of Turkish elections next year.
EU enlargement chief Olli Rehn called on new EU president Finland to try to end the isolation of Turkish Cypriots.
"Perhaps Finland's foreign minister, Erkki Tuomioja, could invite leaders of both communities to the Finnish sauna and use some 'sauna diplomacy' to move this issue forward," Mr Rehn told Finnish television. - (Reuters)