Swiss resort hosts Cyprus talks

Diplomats hope for a deal before Cyprus joins the EU

The latest round of talks aimed at reuniting Cyprus is under way in the Swiss mountain resort of Buergenstock.

Negotiators from the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities were joined by Greek and Turkish foreign ministers in an effort to find a way forward.

EU membership will in effect apply only in the Greek part of Cyprus if no deal is reached by next month.

There are reports that talks got off to a jolty start with early opposition to new proposals from the Turkish side.

The talks are being organised by the United Nations and the four sides have been asked to hammer a deal which can be put to referendums in the Greek and Turkish parts of the Mediterranean island on 20 April.

UN envoy Alvaro de Soto said the chances of reaching an agreement were "better than even".

'Close to settlement'

The talks formally opened on Wednesday as Mr de Soto greeted Greek Foreign Minister Petros Moliviatis, his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul, Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos and Turkish Cypriot chief negotiator Mehmet Ali Talat.

Veteran Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash has refused to attend the talks.

"We are coming to the point, we hope, of convergence. The Cypriots have never in the past three years been so close to actually coming to a settlement and we hope they will take advantage of this opportunity," de Soto said in a statement.

But in what is seen as a minor setback, a planned meeting between Mr Papadopoulos and Mr Talat was called off amid reports that the Greek Cypriots were worried Mr Talat was not authorised to make any decisions.

On Sunday, the Greek and the Turkish prime ministers, as well as the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, will join the talks, in the hope of boosting the negotiation process.

If no deal is made, Mr Annan will put his own version of the peace agreement to the vote.

The BBC's Tabitha Morgan says there is little expectation of any breakthrough before Sunday.

Goodwill

The talks are being held under a news blackout but news agency AP says the Greek Cypriots have already rejected changes to the UN reunification plan presented by the Turkish side.

A Greek Cypriot official told AP: "We are approaching the procedure with goodwill... but unfortunately the other side is repeating its maximalist positions which are rejected by the plan itself."

There has already been a month of face-to-face negotiations in Cyprus and the two sides have a great deal of work to do if they are to reach a deal themselves.

Our correspondent says they still have serious differences on key issues to do with the constitution, territory and finance, and the rights of refugees to return to their former homes.