Leaders of Cyprus face deadline

UNITED NATIONS - Agence France-Presse

United Nations leader Ban Ki-moon will start two days of talks with the leaders of Cyprus today, having warned them that time was running out to seal an accord.

Ban has in the past told Demetris Christofias, leader of Greek-Cyprus, and Turkish-Cypriot leader Derviş Eroğlu, that he could end U.N. efforts to broker a peace deal. Still far from an accord, they go into the fifth round of talks with Ban at the Greentree Estate in the New York suburbs with a deadline.

“The U.N. is providing all possible support to these Cypriot-led negotiations,” said U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky ahead of the talks. “The secretary general looks forward to a productive meeting and concrete progress. He has conveyed his expectations to the leaders for a resolution of this issue.”

Ban has also spoken of the need for progress in his fifth meeting with the two leaders. The U.S. also urged Cypriot leaders to take advantage of talks. “We urge the leaders to seize this opportunity to make real and substantial progress toward a settlement reunifying the island,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Jan. 21 in a statement.