Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders took up the thorny issues concerning foreign relations and powers of future federal government during their latest reunification talks on Tuesday, said UN special envoy Alexander Downer.
"Today's meeting discussed external relations, powers of a federal government," said Downer, adding that the discussion would continue at their next meeting scheduled on Dec. 22.
"I have said it on many, many occasions these are very big issues for any community to work through and they will always take a bit of time," the former Australian foreign minister told reporters after Tuesday's meeting in the UN-controlled buffer zone in Nicosia.
Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat said that there was no reason to be pessimistic at the moment.
"We continue to talk and there has been progress," he told local reporters when he came back to the northern part of the Mediterranean island.
This was the 12th meeting between Talalt and Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias since they relaunched direct negotiations under UN auspices in September.
Cyprus has remained divided since 1974 when the Turkish military intervened and occupied 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.
After years of deadlock, Christofias and Talat, both considered pro-settlement leaders, have agreed in principle to reunify the island in a bi-zonal, bi-communal, federal structure.
However, the two sides have to work hard to find mutually acceptable solutions for many tough issues including power-sharing, property rearrangement and security guarantees.
Source:Xinhua
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