Military

10 February 2004 – The Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders have arrived in New York for talks with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in a bid to resolve the Cyprus problem before the country's entry into the European Union later this year.

Last week, the Secretary-General wrote to the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders inviting them to New York to resume negotiations on the basis of his settlement plan with an eye towards submitting a completed text to separate referenda in April, in time for a reunited Cyprus to accede to the European Union on 1 May along with nine other countries

According to a UN spokesman, the talks will begin with brief separate calls - first by the Greek Cypriot side, then the Turkish Cypriot side - on the Secretary-General to be followed by a joint meeting with Mr. Annan. Delegations of the three guarantor parties - Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom - are also on hand, as Mr. Annan requested.

"What we hope to establish is the commitment by the two parties to reach an agreement," spokesman Fred Eckhard said at a press briefing. "If that commitment is forthcoming, the assumption is that detailed technical talks would resume as soon as possible involving both sides."

Asked if today's talks were "a one-day thing," the spokesman said it was hard to predict. "It's our assumption that following a single session with the Secretary-General here in New York that the detailed nuts-and-bolts negotiations" could proceed with Alvaro de Soto, Mr. Annan's former Special Adviser for Cyprus, representing the Secretary-General in a good offices function, Mr. Eckhard said.