Split Cyprus'' president hails UN bid to resume peace talks

The Greek Cypriot president of ethnically divided Cyprus said on Thursday hell attend a United Nations-hosted meeting in April with the leader of the breakaway Turkish Cypriots with full political will to get dormant peace talks up and running again.Nicos Anastasiades expressed in a statement his strong determination to try and find common ground with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar when they meet in Geneva, Switzerland on April 27-29.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will host the informal meeting that will also be attended by the foreign ministers of Cyprus guarantors Greece, Turkey and Britain.

The Greek Cypriot president of ethnically divided Cyprus said on Thursday he'll attend a United Nations-hosted meeting in April with the leader of the breakaway Turkish Cypriots with “full political will” to get dormant peace talks up and running again.

Nicos Anastasiades expressed in a statement his “strong determination” to try and find common ground with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar when they meet in Geneva, Switzerland on April 27-29.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will host the informal meeting that will also be attended by the foreign ministers of Cyprus' “guarantors” — Greece, Turkey and Britain. This will be the latest push to get the two sides focused on reaching a peace deal that has remained elusive since Cyprus' division in 1974, when Turkey invaded following a coup aiming at union with Greece.

Only Turkey recognizes a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence in the east Mediterranean island's northern third.

The last attempt at cobbling together an accord over several days at a Swiss resort in the summer of 2017 collapsed amid acrimony. April's meeting is overshadowed by Turkey's apparent shift from the long-established aim of forging a federation made up of Greek- and Turkish-speaking zones to an agreement between two equal, sovereign states.

Earlier this month Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ruled out discussing a federal system to reunify Cyprus, insisting that a two-state accord is the only solution. Tatar has echoed Erdogan.

Greek Cypriots strongly reject any deal that would formalize the nation's ethnic partition. Anastasiades instead is proposing a “decentralized federation'' under which the Greek- and Turkish-speaking zones would be granted more authority to run their own affairs.