Hopes for Cyprus

New talks have begun in Nikosia on the reunification of Cyprus, at which Dimitris Christofias, President of the Republic of Cyprus, and the North Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met in a UN controlled zone. In view of the potential for conflict speed is of the essence, writes the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: "Both sides want to negotiate a federal settlement of the conflict under the aegis of the United Nations. Unfortunately, although the two leaders have good contacts and agree in principle, they have been increasingly overshadowed by their respective predecessors. Former president Papadopoulos hints at a 'sell out' of everything he understands by the term 'Hellenism' (the predominance of Greeks on the island), while Rauf Denktash, the long-time leader of the Turkish Cypriots, persists in an outmoded way of thinking and relies strongly on nationalistic circles close to the Turkish military in Ankara. Time is pressing, and it must be put to good use."

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