Greek, Turkish Cypriot Leaders Meet for Reunification Talks
Published:
20 February 2004 y., Friday
Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders met for two hours Thursday at the opening of talks seen as the best chance in 30 years to reunify their divided island, with both sides staking out tough positions a signal the discussions will likely be long and difficult.
Hours before the negotiations began, a small bomb exploded in front of the home of the prime minister of the self-declared Turkish Cypriot state, slightly wounding a neighbor.
There are fears in Cyprus that extremists could try to disrupt the U.N.-sponsored talks, which aim to reunite the Mediterranean island before it enters the European Union on May 1.
The discussions are being held under a tight deadline, and both sides have agreed to allow U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to fill in the blanks of an agreement if they are not able to resolve certain issues.
That has raised hopes of a settlement, which would be put to a referendum on each side of the island on April 21.
U.N. envoy Alvaro de Soto said the two hours of talks between Turkish Cypriot Rauf Denktash and his Greek Cypriot counterpart, President Tassos Papadopoulos, were "very constructive."
But neither leader was willing to make such positive comments.
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