Turkish, Greek Cypriot leaders to meet on April 16

By Murat Demirci

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (AA) – Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leaders will meet on April 16 for the first time since peace talks to reunite the island failed last July, the UN announced on Friday.

Elizabeth Spehar, the UN chief of mission to Cyprus, will host Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mustafa Akinci and Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades, the UN said in a statement.

The “informal meeting” will be held at Spehar’s residence in the buffer zone at 19:00 local time (1600GMT), the statement added.

On Thursday, Akinci said Turkish Cypriots do not want to be part of any new peace talks that go on for years with no result.

“We will not be part of a new fruitless negotiation process that will last for years, that will drag us out, that lacks a timetable, that is open-ended,” he said.

Hinting at a possible meeting, Akinci said that would not necessarily mean the start of a new negotiation process: “The new negotiation process will not be the same as the previous one.”

The UN has sought a peace deal to unite Cyprus under a federal umbrella that could also define the future of Europe's relations with Turkey, a key player in the conflict.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup was followed by violence against the island's Turks, and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power.