New UN chief opens crunch talks
UN chief Antonio Guterres yesterday opened a crunch conference aimed at ending decades of division in Cyprus, billed as the "very last chance" to solve one of the world's longest-running political crises.
Guterres was undertaking his first foreign trip as UN chief in a bid to achieve a breakthrough at the Geneva summit that also involves rival Cypriot sides as well as Greece, Turkey and former colonial power Britain.
The eastern Mediterranean island has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking union with Greece.
Yesterday's multi-party talks follows three days of negotiation between rival Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders aimed at forging a united, two-zone federation.
The intra-Cypriot talks have focused on thorny domestic issues such as territory and what a future, unified government might look like.
UN Cyprus envoy Espen Barth Eide has called this week "the moment of truth" and insisted that a deal to solve the long-standing division was within reach.
In a crucial step, Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci late Wednesday exchanged maps detailing their visions of how internal boundaries should be redrawn.
Turkish Cypriot leaders have agreed in principle to return some of the land they have controlled since the failed 1974 coup.
The conference marks Guterres's first foreign trip since taking over the UN's top job on January 1.
British foreign secretary Boris Johnson, Greek foreign minister Nikos Kotzias and Turkish Mevlut Cavusoglu were all on hand representing Cyprus's so-called "guarantor powers".
Under a 1959 treaty, those nations were allowed to intervene to defend the island's sovereign integrity, which Ankara used to justify its invasion.
Any peace deal will likely include significant changes to or even the elimination of the guarantor power arrangement. Greece has called it out of date and Britain has said it was happy to give it up if Cypriots asked.
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