The leaders of Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities on Thursday began their first substantive reunification talks, which a senior U.N. official described as "productive" and "fruitful."
Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met for more than four hours at the abandoned Nicosia airport located inside the U.N.-monitored buffer zone dividing the Turkish Cypriot north and the Greek Cypriot south.
The newly appointed Special Adviser of the U.N. Secretary General on the Cyprus issue, former Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, told the press after the meeting that the negotiations on the subject of governance "have been productive and the talks have been fruitful."
The two leaders are scheduled to continue their talks on Sept. 18, Downer said.
They had met on Sept. 3 to ceremonially inaugurate the new round of reunification talks.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when the Turkish militarily intervened and occupied the north of the island following a coup by a group of Greek officers.
In 1983, the Turkish Cypriot authorities declared the establishment of the breakaway "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which is recognized only by Turkey.
For several decades, the U.N. has continuously worked to persuade the two communities to find a solution to the Cyprus issue, which is also a main obstacle to Turkey's ambition of joining the European Union.
Christofias and Talat, both seen as pro-settlement leaders, have to work out a viable solution based on the formula of a bizonal and bicommunal federal united Republic of Cyprus.
However, many analysts believe that the new process will also depend on the attitudes of Turkey and Greece, the traditional allies of the two communities.
Source:Xinhua
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