US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called on rival leaders in Cyprus to seize momentum and reach a solution soon to reunify the divided island, her spokesman says.Clinton met on Wednesday with Mehmet Ali Talat, leader of breakaway Turkish Cyprus. She met earlier this month in Prague with Markos Kyprianou, foreign minister of the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus, who will come next week to Washington for further talks.
"She expressed her support for the efforts of both sides to build on the momentum and achieve a solution as soon as possible, which will require courage on all sides," State Department spokesman Robert Wood said on Thursday.
Clinton voiced "her confidence they can meet this challenge," he said.
Talat, who succeeded hardliner Rauf Denktash in 2005, headed to Washington for the talks just days before Turkish Cyprus holds elections. His left-wing Turkish Republican Party has been down in opinion polls.
The State Department said Clinton had a "positive, constructive meeting" with Talat.
"She reaffirmed the support of the United States for a just and lasting settlement that reunifies Cyprus into a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation," Wood said.
Clinton also welcomed the work of the special envoy on Cyprus, former Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer.
Cyprus has been divided along ethnic lines since 1974 when Turkey invaded the island's northern third in response to an Athens-engineered Greek Cypriot coup to unite the island with Greece.
The State Department said Clinton's meeting with Talat did not imply any recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, with which only Ankara maintains diplomatic relations.
ninemsn 17 Apr 2009
So the solution is simple, REMOVE the terrorising occupants.
Just like in the Occupation of Palestine.
Not in anyone's interest ?
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