Cypriot leaders confident about solution following intensive work in November

The leaders of the estranged Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities of Cyprus said on Wednesday they feel confident a solution to the intractable Cyprus problem will soon be reached.

"They now feel more hopeful and confident that the outstanding issues could be resolved in the near future," said a joint statement read to journalists by Espen Barth Eide, the United Nations emissary brokering negotiations between the two sides.

The statement was issued at the end of a sixth meeting between President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci in November, as part of an intensified round of negotiations aimed at reunifying the eastern Mediterranean island.

"In the course of these six sessions, the two leaders have discussed a number of issues in most of the chapters interdependently and in great depth and have made further progress," the statement said.

Cyprus was split into Greek and Turkish ethnic regions when Turkey occupied the northern one third of the island in 1974 in reaction to a coup by Greek army offices.

The problem has persisted despite four decades of negotiations, but prospects for a solution increased after moderate Akinci was elected to the leadership of Turkish Cypriots in April.

Eide said Anastasiades and Akinci reiterated their commitment and determination to finding a comprehensive settlement as soon as possible.

They will meet three more times in December to continue their effort as their negotiators will be meeting on an almost daily basis to lay the ground for further discussions.

Sources: XINHUA