UN-backed Cyprus talks set to move to Switzerland

United Nations-backed talks on a plan to reunify Cyprus before its entry into the European Union on 1 May are set to move to Switzerland after concluding on the island today.

The negotiations, which have been underway for a little over a month, will begin a new phase on Wednesday in the village of Bürgenstock, near Lucerne, Switzerland. Tassos Papadopoulos is set to represent the Greek Cypriot side while the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, has informed UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in writing that Mehmet Ali Talat and Serdar Denktash will be fully authorized to negotiate on behalf of the Turkish Cypriot side.

The Foreign Ministers of Greece and Turkey will also be present to lend a hand during this period. They will be joined on Sunday by the two countries' Prime Ministers and the Secretary-General in a final push to reach agreement on Mr. Annan's proposals, which would ultimately create a federation of two constituent states - a Greek Cypriot state and a Turkish Cypriot state - and contain some suggestions for security arrangements between Greece and Turkey.

Assessing the developments so far, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser, Alvaro de Soto, told the press in Cyprus today that on the positive side, the technical committees accomplished an enormous amount of work to ensure that the federal government is in place from the first day, properly staffed and properly accommodated.

However, Mr. de Soto noted that this progress had not been matched in the meeting of the two leaders. "There have been glimmers here and there, and the differences have been narrowed on some points," he said. "A lot more is happening than meets the eye."

But there has not been the kind of give-and-take on the core issues, Mr. de Soto added. "That means that the process at Bürgenstock will have to be very intensive in order to try to reach final agreement, and all involved will have to show the necessary political will to reach a final settlement," he said.

"While I wish that more progress had already been made here in Cyprus, I am quietly hopeful about the phase ahead," he concluded.