Leaders of Cyprus's Greek and Turkish communities held 45 minutes of talks today as pressure grew from the United Nations to agree terms for ending the island's 29-year division within a tight deadline.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan presided over the meeting, which was held just 24hours before the expiry of the UN deadline for acceptance of its power-sharing peace plan.
Mr Annan has said he wants "real movement" on the carefully crafted blueprint which, if accepted, will see a reunited island join the European Union next year.
The talks between Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash andGreek Cypriot leaders Tassos Papadopoulos and Glafcos Clerides took place at Nicosia airport, now neutral territory under UN jurisdiction. A second meeting is scheduled for Friday morning.
Diplomats are seeking a deal that would see thetwo communities approving the peace plan in separate referendums on March 30th and a reunited Cyprus signing the EU accession treaty on April 16th.
The United Nations has said it would not object to thedeadline slipping by a few days, but has given the Cypriots a maximum of one week to accept or reject its draft.
Diplomats have warned the Cypriots that if they let thischance of agreement slip, Cyprus will enter the European Union divided, a key source of tension between NATO allies Greece and Turkey, and its partition may become permanent.