Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Mr Mehmet Ali Talat said today he accepted conditions set by UN Secretary-General Mr Kofi Annan for reviving Cyprus peace talks and said he would attend the negotiations in New York.
Mr Talat is a staunch advocate of a deal to end the decades-old division of Cyprus, but veteran Turkish Cypriot leader Mr Rauf Denktash remains the chief negotiator for the enclave and it remains unclear whether he would also attend the talks.
"The prime minister will definitely accept the conditions laid out in the Annan invitation and has plans to go to New York on Sunday," Mr Talat's spokesman told report.
Mr Annan has written a letter to Mr Denktash and to Cypriot President Mr Tassos Papadopoulos inviting them to New York on February 10th for the talks, but diplomats say he has also set conditions for reviving the stalled peace process.
The main condition is that both sides must agree to hold a referendum on the final peace plan on April 21st. Cyprus is set to join the European Union on May 1st, though without a deal only the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot part would accede.