Military

4 February 2004 – Following a series of consultations with a number of the parties to the Cyprus problem during his recent trip to Europe, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today he intends to ask them to talks soon.

Answering press questions upon arrival at UN Headquarters in New York, the Secretary-General said all those he spoke with - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos, Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis and Foreign Minister Yeoryios Papandreou - had indicated their willingness to resume talks.

"We don't have much time. If we are going to meet the 1st of May deadline, we should move fairly quickly," he said, referring to the date when 10 nations, including Cyprus, will formally be admitted to the European Union.

"I intend to invite the parties fairly shortly and I think in the next day or so a date will be set," he added.

Asked if he had heard directly from the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, Mr. Annan said he had not but added, "I intend to get in touch with him."

A settlement proposal by the Secretary-General remains on the table after several rounds of talks early last year - initiated by Mr. Annan in a last-ditch attempt to resolve the Cyprus problem before the signing of the EU accession treaty in April - finally broke down following a marathon session in The Hague.