A senior United Nations official began three days of talks on Monday with Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, Reuters reported. A spokesman for the United Nations mission in Cyprus said Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe "is here to try to determine how the U.N. can best help the efforts of the parties to relaunch the process for negotiations". Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias, elected president a month ago, has vowed to press ahead with peace talks with Mehmet Ali Talat, the Turkish Cypriot leader. "I'm always optimistic," Pascoe told reporters after a meeting with Christofias on Monday. Both sides have agreed to resume peace talks by the end of June. Aides have launched consultations on negotiation topics including property and territory disputes as part of preparation for talks.
