Leaders of Cyprus's divided communities today focused on the economy in UN-led talks aimed at reunifying the eastern Mediterranean island, dpa reported. "There are a significant number of aspects to the economy chapter and they (leaders) need to go through them. It is obviously time consuming," said Special Advisor of the UN Secretary General Alexander Downer. Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat have been holding peace talks for the past 16 months and have expressed their commitment to finding a solution, despite the complex issues involved. Downer said the representatives and their officials will hold talks again on Friday and March 4. Cyprus has been been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded the northern third of the island in response to a Greek-inspired coup. Turkey still maintains approximately 45,000 troops on the island and a 850-strong UN force patrols the Green Line or Buffer Zone which divides the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot south and Turkish Cypriot north, which is recognised only by Turkey. Despite progress on governance and power sharing, months of negotiations between the two leaders have failed to bridge the gap on other more difficult issues, ranging from property and security to territorial adjustments. Greek Cypriot leaders have also criticized recent proposals by the Turkish Cypriots for separate rights to sign international agreements and control the island's airspace. Earlier this month UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon paid his first visit to the island, seen as an effort to shore up the faltering negotiations which began in September 2008 with the task of finding an agreement on power-sharing in a federal state. Any agreement between the two leaders will have to pass a referendum on both sides of the island. In 2004, Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly voted against a UN reunification blueprint despite a Turkish referendum approving the plan. Experts have expressed fears that the two leaders have little time left, with April elections in the occupied northern part of the island expected to bring a hardliner to power. Talat is trailing in the polls to hardliner Dervis Eroglu. If he fails to secure re-election, the talks could be jeopardized. European Union officials have said that progress at the Cyprus reunification talks is essential to helping Turkey's slow-moving EU accession process move forward. Although the peace talks and Turkey's EU membership negotiations are separate processes, a breakthrough on one is likely to have a positive impact on the other.
