ANKARA - The United Nations special envoy for Cyprus met Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul here Monday as part of a regional tour to explore the chances of reviving talks to reunify the divided Mediterranean island.
Kieran Prendergast is seeking to establish "where we stand on the Cyprus problem, what the parties think and what can be done" to end the island's 30 years of division, Gul told reporters after the meeting.
"This was the framework of our lengthy meeting today," he said, without elaborating.
The division of Cyprus is a major stumbling block to Ankara's efforts to join the European Union.
Last week Prendergast held talks with the leaders of Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities in Nicosia, but gave little away about the prospects of a new peace initiative.
The most recent effort to resolve the conflict failed in April 2004 when the Greek Cypriots, whose government is the island's internationally-recognized administration, voted down a UN settlement plan, even though the breakaway Turkish Cypriots gave it overwhelming support.
The outcome ensured that only the Greek Cypriots joined the EU shortly afterwards, complicating Ankara's own membership bid.
Cyprus has been divided along community lines since 1974 when Turkey invaded the northern third pf the island in response to an Athens-engineered Greek Cypriot coup in Nicosia aimed at union with Greece.
06/06/2005 11:52 GMT