Direct talks on ending 27 years of division will begin in Cyprus next month, UN special envoy Mr Alvaro de Soto said today after a brief meeting between Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders.
"The [UN] secretary-general . . . will invite the two leaders to direct talks. These talks will be held in Cyprus in mid-January 2002 on UN premises," Mr de Soto said.
"There will be no preconditions and all issues will be on the table," he said.
The announcement followed the first face-to-face meeting in four years between Greek Cypriot President Mr Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Mr Rauf Denktash.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded the northern part in response to a short-lived coup engineered by the military junta then ruling Greece.