Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders met at a cocktail party on Wednesday held to mark new efforts to find a solution to the conflict which has divided the island for 34 years.

Talat and Christofias meet - 08 / 05 / 2008 13:49

Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat and Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias met at a social event organized at the Ledra Palace Hotel in the U.N.-controlled buffer zone in Nicosia. 

The event was organized by officials from the embassy of Slovakia and was the pair's first meeting since the two met for the first time on March 21 and held breakthrough talks which resulted in the opening of Ledra Street located in the heart of the commercial section in old Nicosia last month.

Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer, representatives of some Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot political parties also attended the event.

Both men had a short private conversation before entering the venue together to shake hands for the cameras but made no comment to waiting reporters.

Talat and Christofias told the party officials and visitors that the leaders will continue negotiations, Turkish TV channel CNN Turk reported.

Six working groups and seven technical committees, set up in the context of the March 21 agreement between the leaders, are meeting to prepare the grounds for substantive negotiations between the two leaders.

The leaders also decided to meet again in three months to review the work of the committees dealing with various aspects of the Cyprus problem, the results of which will be used to start negotiations under U.N. auspices leading to a settlement that will reunite Cyprus, divided since 1974.

AA