NICOSIA - Northern Cyprus President Mehmet Ali Talat warned Thursday that time was running out to resolve the protracted row over Cyprus' ethnic division as his breakaway state marked its 24th anniversary.
"Time is working against a solution on Cyprus," which has been divided for 33 years between Turkish and Greek sides, Talat told a ceremony in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
"There has been no progress in bilateral talks" since July 2006 to pave the way for peace negotiations, Talat said.
Accusing Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos of trying to indefinitely stall talks, Talat said Greek Cypriots had no incentive for real peace since they became an EU member.
"Papadopoulos is using the advantages of being an EU member to wipe out the Turkish Cypriots and to impose his demands on us," the Turkish Cypriot leader said.
The internationally recognized Greek south of Cyprus joined the pan-European bloc alone in May 2004 soon after Greek Cypriots killed off a last-ditch UN plan to reunify the island with a resounding "no".
The Turkish Cypriots, who voted "yes" to the plan in a simultaneous referendum were left out in the cold. The EU pledged to ease the isolation of the TRNC, recognized only by Ankara. But aid has since been blocked by Cyprus.
"It is unacceptable that Turkish Cypriots are being punished even though they said 'yes' to peace," Talat said.
Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek also urged the European Union to make good on its pledges.
"This is not just a political, but a moral responsibility," said. "Let me underline that the hand we extend for reconciliation will not stay there forever."
Cyprus has been divided along ethnic lines since 1974 when Turkey invaded the island's northern third in reponse to an Athens-engineered coup in Nicosia aimed at union with Greece.
International efforts to reunify the island have been stalled since the failure of the UN peace plan.
A rare face-to-face encounter between Papadopoulos and Talat on the island on September 6 left the two sides miles apart on how to proceed on rekindling reunification talks.

11/15/2007 13:14 GMT