Greece, Turkey join crucial Cyprus peace talks

Old rivals Greece and Turkey locked horns yesterday over a UN peace plan which aims to reunite the island of Cyprus before it joins the European Union on May 1.

Both countries are keen to secure a deal, but they also share some of the concerns aired by their respective proteges - the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots - during the past four weeks of fruitless negotiations on the divided island.

The UN-brokered talks have now moved to the Swiss Alpine resort of Buergenstock, where mediators hope Athens and Ankara can exert greater pressure on the feuding Cypriot sides. They end next week.

"I would say the chances (for agreement) are better than even," UN envoy Alvaro de Soto said in comments to UN television.

In their first discussion, Greek Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis and his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul "noted the common aim is to find an agreed settlement to the Cyprus problem and expressed their decisiveness to work to this end", Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos told reporters.

But before leaving Athens, Molyviatis had chided the Turkish side for demanding permanent restrictions on the right of Greek Cypriots to move back to homes in the Turkish Cypriot north of the island - curbs which contravene EU rules on free movement.

"For us, any permanent divergence from the principles and values on which the EU was built is unacceptable," he said.

The Turkish Cypriots in the north fear being swamped by the more numerous, richer Greek Cypriots if the island is reunited.

Under a UN roadmap, four-way talks between Greece, Turkey and the two Cypriot sides had been due to start yesterday, but Koumoutsakos said the Greek side felt this format was still "premature", signalling Athens wanted more time to prepare.

In a further complication, key players in the Swiss talks will travel to Brussels today to attend an EU summit.

Turkish officials complained about a lack of clarity in the programme in Buergenstock, saying the Greek Cypriot side appeared to want the real bargaining to be delayed until the arrival of the Greek and Turkish prime ministers on Sunday.

Diplomats said a planned meeting between Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos and Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat yesterday evening had been cancelled because the Greek Cypriots were worried that Talat was not authorised to make any decisions.

Talat's boss, veteran Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, has refused to attend the Swiss talks, predicting failure, but he insists he has given full authority to his prime minister.

Denktash, 80, has threatened to campaign for a 'no' vote in the referendum if the plan does not safeguard the identity and autonomy of his statelet, which is recognised only by Ankara.

Time is very short for a deal. If Greece and Turkey also fail to reach agreement, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has been mandated to fill in the gaps of his peace plan which will then go to a referendum on both sides of Cyprus on April 20.

If either side votes 'no', only the internationally recognised Greek Cypriots will join the EU in May, deepening the Turkish Cypriots' isolation and damaging Turkey's own drive to join the EU. Greece is already a member of the wealthy bloc.

Asked whether there was enough time to resolve differences a Greek Cypriot official said: "Miracles can happen."