WORLD
But in Athens on Monday, UN envoy Espen Barth Eide insisted reunification talks had not collapsed.
Attempts to re-unite Cyprus's estranged Greek and Turkish communities are continuing, a United Nations envoy said on Monday, after a failure last week to coax the parties to an international peace conference.
The UN announced on May 26 it was abandoning attempts to bring the sides together at a Geneva summit because they had failed to agree on the agenda of discussions. But in Athens on Monday, UN envoy Espen Barth Eide insisted reunification talks had not collapsed.
"It is important to underline ... we are in no way giving up on the Cyprus talks," Eide told Reuters.
Those were the first comments since Eide, a former Norwegian foreign minister, said his "shuttle diplomacy" bid had fallen through on a new summit, after an inconclusive one in January.
He had been trying to get estranged Greek and Turkish Cypriots to move talks to Switzerland, where the two sides - along with Britain, Turkey and Greece - would discuss withdrawing troops and relinquishing claims to the island stemming from a 1960 treaty. The two sides disagreed on the format of negotiations.
"We were almost there, but then we weren't there and at some point I said this particular effort is futile and I didn't find common ground," Eide said.
"We are still hoping something will work," he said. Asked what would happen if the sides continued to disagree, he said: "I don't know ... We are doing everything we can to help."
Eide has been overseeing two years of talks between Cypriot President and Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci. Cyprus was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974 after a brief Greek-inspired coup, but the seeds of division were sowed years earlier, prompting the dispatch of a United Nations peacekeeping force in 1964.
Diplomats have repeatedly said the two have come closer to a deal on power-sharing that would end the decades of conflict keeping Greece and Turkey at loggerheads and be a model of co-existence in an otherwise volatile part of the world.
But despite progress, trust was something the sides needed to work on, Eide said.
"I have increasingly become more worried about the sentiment part of it than the substance part of it," he said. "A marriage is not only about the technical arrangements of buying a house together. It needs to (address) the emotional part."
He was in Athens, and would later go to Ankara, for further discussions with the Greek and Turkish governments on security arrangements on the island, if the Geneva conference were to go ahead, he said.
Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom are guarantor powers of Cyprus under a treaty granting the former British colony independence in 1960. Greek Cypriots want the system dismantled, Turkish Cypriots want it retained.
(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
What is historic 'Blue Gold', costlier than real gold?
Salman Khan opens up about his daddy issues with Salim Khan: 'How can he be right all the time...'
Powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake jolts Caribbean, tsunami advisory issued
Salman Khan supports Sooaj Barjatya, pens note on his OTT debut, calls his show Bada Naam Karenge...
Little girl's energetic dance to 'London Thumakda' leaves netizens in awe, WATCH viral video
Meet man who left IIT, later earned Rs 286 crore in just 20 weeks by...
Viral Video: Sadhus playing cricket at Mahakumbh mela wins hearts online, watch
Happy Chocolate Day 2025: Wishes, WhatsApp messages, quotes to share with your partner on February 9
Meet woman, who plays key role in Rs 33661 crore company, daughter of billionaire
Vicky Kaushal and Akshaye Khanna didn't talk to each other on the Chhaava sets because...
Nita Ambani, Nick Jonas share candid moments at Siddharth Chopra's wedding, WATCH viral video
UPSC Civil Services Prelims Exam 2025 registration date extended by 7 days; apply at upsc.gov.in
'Fight for progress of Delhi will continue', says LoP Rahul Gandhi after Congress's Delhi debacle
Namma Metro Fare Update: Travel rides get costlier by 50 per cent from THIS date; check details
'AAP-Da Mukt Delhi': PM Modi hails BJP's resounding victory in assembly polls 2025
'He is fit to...': India batting coach shares BIG update on Virat Kohli ahead of IND vs ENG 2nd ODI
IND vs ENG: Rohit Sharma on cusp of breaking Sachin Tendulkar's record in elite openers list
NASA confirms Sunita Williams' return date, denies US President Trump’s ‘stranded’ claim
Meet man whose airline went bankrupt, still has Rs 43894 crore net worth, he is...
Ranji Trophy: Suryakumar Yadav's horror show with bat continues, India star clean bowled for just...
Chocolate Day 2025: 5 easy homemade chocolate recipes to impress your partner
Mass layoffs at Infosys as company terminates 700 freshers over...
Priyanka Chopra wears 62-emerald bead Bvlgari necklace at her brother's wedding
Chocolate Day 2025: Date, significance, history and celebration ideas
Meet Swati Singh, wife of BJP's Parvesh Verma, who defeated Arvind Kejriwal by 4089 votes
Meet man, son of world’s richest woman, he is set to take over Rs 1642000 crore empire as...
SHOCKING! Bride's family cancels wedding at last moment over groom's low...
Nita Ambani, Shloka Mehta stun in gorgeous sarees at Priyanka Chopra's brother's wedding
Meet Trisha and Sanidhi, daughters of BJP's Parvesh Verma, who defeated Arvind Kejriwal
New entrant in grocery quick-commerce, ready to compete with industry giants
Transforming the news and media industry with Generative AI: Expert insights by Sanjay Jain
Dr Tanvi Tijoriwala, ND shedsputs light on balancing skin barrier during rising temperatures
How PM Modi's magic shattered Arvind Kejriwal and his third-term hope in Delhi?
Ahmedabad: Fire breaks out at Sabarmati bullet train station, check details
Meet Sunita Kejriwal, Arvind Kejriwals's wife, who was former IRS officer, met him during...
BIG blow for Meta employees, Mark Zuckerberg's company to layoff employees from..., reason is...
Amitabh Bachchan sparks major concern among fans with cryptic post, writes 'time to go'
Taylor Swift 'feels used' by Blake Lively, wishes she didn't drag her into Justin Baldoni case
Meet IAS officer who failed five times before cracking UPSC exam, cleared in 6th attempt with AIR...
Delhi Election Result 2025 Live Updates: Check full list of winners and losers in Delhi elections
Who is Kabir Bahia, Kriti Sanon's rumoured boyfriend who hid his face from paps
Delhi Election Result 2025: AAP's Arvind Kejriwal vs BJP's Parvesh Verma; key contests to watch out