EU and UN confident of reunited Cyprus deal

THE UN and EU were optimistic yesterday that talks this week on Cyprus could bring about an end to the island’s 30-year division in time for the reunited nation to enter the European Union on May 1.

“We are closer than ever to finding a solution,” said Guenter Verheugen, the EU official overseeing the bloc’s expansion plans.

Alvaro de Soto, the head UN negotiator between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots said talks due to start on the island tomorrow could be “the endgame of this process at long last”.