Cyprus’ rival leaders agree to meet UN chief about steps to resume reunification talks

The two leaders of the ethnically divided east Mediterranean island of Cyprus are ready to meet with the UN secretary-general next month to map out the possible next steps toward a resumption of formal reunification talks, AP reports.

The two will engage in discussions with UN envoy Jane Holl Lute to prepare the ground for “structured and results-oriented” negotiations leading to a peace deal “with a sense of urgency,” UN spokesman Aleem Siddique said on Friday.

The statement came after Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci held private talks for nearly four hours. They met inside a UN-protected area that separates the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south and the breakaway, Turkish Cypriot north.

The meeting with António Guterres would take place after next month’s UN General Assembly session in New York and would size up prospects for a resumption of peace talks, two years after they collapsed at a Swiss Alpine resort.