NICOSIA - UN special envoy Kieran Prendergast Tuesday began an intense round of talks on Cyprus to try and gauge whether a resumption of stalled peace talks would succeed in reunifying the divided island.
Prendergast kicked-off his regional tour -- to include Athens and Ankara -- with a "productive" two hour meeting with Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos. He will hold several more meetings with Papadopoulos and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat before leaving the island on Thursday.
"We have had productive discussions and we have agreed that the course of the discussions will remain confidential," Prendergast told reporters after the meeting.
Papadopoulos said the envoy was trying to create a "climate conducive to launching a new effort" and weigh the positions of both sides.
"It's not only about areas of concern," the Greek Cypriot leader said.
"We have submitted detailed and specific suggestions. Sorry I can't say more than that," he added.
The diplomatic initiative comes more than a year after a UN plan to end partition failed when Greek Cypriots voted it down in a referendum while it was overwhelmingly supported by Turkish Cypriots.
The UN undersecretary general for political affairs held talks earlier this month with Tasos Tzionis, Papadopoulos's envoy, to discuss the Greek Cypriot view on ways to end the deadlock.
A week after the April 24 referendum, a divided Cyprus joined the European Union, with the internationally-recognised Greek Cypriot south enjoying the benefits while the Turkish Cypriot north was effectively left outside the bloc.
The United Nations is seeking clarification on demands made by the Greek Cypriots for changes to the UN plan before deciding whether a new peace initiative is feasible.
Prendergast will meet Papadopoulos again on Wednesday when he is to hold talks with Talat, he is expected to meet both leaders again separately on Thursday.
He is scheduled to leave for Athens and Ankara on June 2 and report back to Annan in New York on June 7.
05/31/2005 13:25 GMT