Al-Rajhi: Number of Saudi freelancers jump to 2.2 million this year Second Global Labor Market Conference kicks off in Riyadh    Crown Prince receives former US President Bill Clinton in Riyadh    HP is redefining the Future of Work with AI    NEOM's THE LINE set to begin vertical construction by end of year    Mona Lisa to be moved as part of major Louvre overhaul    Trump offers millions of federal workers eight months pay to resign    Inside the ordeal of deported migrants as US and Colombia squared off    Doomsday Clock moved closest ever to destruction    China's DeepSeek AI under 'large-scale malicious attacks'    Neymar bids heartfelt goodbye to Al-Hilal: I will always support you    Al-Nassr announces transfer of Brazilian forward Talisca to Fenerbahçe    SFDA chief rules out plan to ban sale of cigarettes or vapes    Saudi Arabia launches 'In the Prophet's Steps' project in Madinah    Saudi and Turkish foreign ministers discuss regional developments    Saudi Minister of Communications meets Amazon CEO to strengthen strategic partnership    Arcapita and DSV partner to build state-of-the-art sustainable warehouse in Dubai's Jebel Ali Free Zone    Al Hilal and Neymar mutually agree to part ways    Aubameyang leads Al-Qadsiah to a stunning victory over defending champions Al-Hilal    Saudi Film Commission Joins Asian Film Commissions Network (AFCNet)    Hans Zimmer delivers a spectacular musical night at Riyadh Season    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Cypriot leaders agree on relaunch of peace talks
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 21 - 03 - 2008


In a move intended to relaunch reunification
talks, leaders on both sides of the divided Mediterranean island of
Cyprus agreed to meet again in three months and to open up a
barricaded street in the heart of the capital Nicosia, according to dpa.
Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader
Mehmet Ali Talat made the announcement after emerging from their
talks in their first face-to-face meeting inside the UN-controlled
buffer zone near the long-abandoned Nicosia airport.
UN special representative to Cyprus, Michale Moller, who moderated
the talks, said the two leaders would set up working groups and
technical committees by next week.
"In the full responsibilty for the conduct of future negotiations,
the leaders have also agreed to meet three months from now to review
the work of the working groups and technical committess, and using
their results, to start full-fledged negotations under the auspices
of the Secretary-General of the United Nations," Moller told
journalists outside his residence located inside the buffer zone.
The leaders have also agreed to meet as and when needed prior to
the commencement of their formal negotiations.
Christofias and Talat said the first step would be to open up
Ledras Street as soon as technically possible and for it to function
in accordance with the established practices at other crossings.
The issue of the openings of the Limnistis crossing and other
crossings is also on the agenda for the coming meetings of their
advisors.
Ledra Street, which has come to symbolize the island's division,
is a busy pedestrian thoroughfare marking the dividing line between
the ethnic Greek and Turkish parts of the city.
The street has been split for decades between the Greek Cypriot
south and Turkish Cypriot north and its opening has become almost a
litmus test for measures to bring the two communities closer and ease
the way to reunification talks.
Although the wall was torn down in recent years the street
remained blocked due to controversy over military patrols in the
area.
UN officials said it will take 10-15 days for the UN to finish
sweeping the area for mines before it can open the street up, which
is filled with decaying buildings, to the public.
"This is a new era we are starting for the solution of the Cyprus
problem. Our target is to find a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus
problem as soon as possible," Talat said.
"Our coffee was Cypriot coffee ... Mr Talat and I are friends and
we cannot become enemies," Christofias said, adding that "we have
been trying for the last 14 years to find a solution and it is in the
best interests of both our communities to find a solution as soon as
possible."
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded the
northern third of the island in response to a brief Greek-inspired
coup.
With a new Cypriot president in office, expectations are running
high for reunification talks to resume, stalled since a UN-brokered
peace plan came to nothing almost four years ago after Greek Cypriots
voted no.
It is hoped that the long overdue agreement to open Ledra Street
will provide the momentum for further confidence building measures.
The UN-patrolled buffer zone prevented Cypriots from moving
between the two sides until five crossing points opened in 2003.
Christofias has said he was ready to discuss a bi-zonal federation
on the basis of existing agreements and European Union law.
He said he wants talks to focus around a 2006 UN-brokered deal,
which called for an incremental approach to peace-building while
Talat wants to use the 2004 UN blueprint.


Clic here to read the story from its source.