CYPRUS: Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash said yesterday that Greek Cypriot leaders had rejected all the proposals he had made since UN-brokered peace talks on reuniting the island resumed late last month.
Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos said Mr Denktash's proposals were a step backwards from earlier positions.
The two sides are trying to reach a deal that would allow a reunited Cyprus to join the European Union on May 1st. Without an agreement only the Greek Cypriots will join, widening the 30-year-old division of the east Mediterranean island.
"The answer which they (the Greek Cypriots) have given us is that our proposals are all unacceptable, saying they are outside the Annan plan," Mr Denktash told reporters in Nicosia, referring to the UN blueprint that forms a framework for the talks.
But he added: "I think we will progress, albeit slowly."
There has been scant sign of progress since talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriots resumed on February 19th at a disused airport in the island's UN buffer zone.
Mr Denktash had called for the effective renegotiation of Cyprus's EU membership and its re-ratification by EU members. His proposals drew an angry response from Mr Papadopoulos, who accused him of intransigence.
European Parliament President Mr Pat Cox urged both leaders to seize "a unique and unparalleled moment" to achieve peace. - (Reuters)