Turkey Calls For Direct Negotiations On Cyprus

ANKARA - Turkey urged on Friday Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders to start direct talks in the shortest time possible to establish a new partner state.
"Turkey expects that two leaders of Cyprus start direct talks under UN secretary-general`s good will mission to find comprehensive and fair settlement based on a bi-zonal structure, equal political status and equal status of two founding states," Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat and the Greek Cypriot administration leader Demetris Christofias met earlier Friday in the buffer zone in Lefkosa.
The two leaders agreed late in March to resume negotiations aiming at a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, and their envoys later agreed to set up a number working groups and committees in an initial attempt to lead the way for substantial talks.
Talat and Christofias are expected to meet again in June.
(YMB-BRC)