Ankara seeks UN role in Cyprus talks

Published January 25, 2004

DAVOS, Jan 24: Turkey is willing to entrust UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan with completing a peace plan for Cyprus provided the Greek Cypriots also agree, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.

In what could be a major breakthrough in the decades-old dispute, Mr Erdogan said at a news conference after talks with Mr Annan at the World Economic Forum that Ankara was prepared to allow the U.N. chief to "fill in the blanks" on unresolved issues in a blueprint for reuniting the divided island.

"If the Greek Cypriot administration in the south accepts the secretary-general to fill in the blanks, then we as a guarantee country, as far as Turkey is concerned, would accept him to do that," Mr Erdogan said.

The issues include the exact apportionment of territory between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, the settlement of refugees-Reuters

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