UN bid to ‘bridge gaps’ in Cyprus talks

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is to attempt, during talks over the weekend in New York, to ?bridge gaps? between Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu who are in locked in stalled negotiations aimed at finding a settlement for the divided island.

According to sources, the UN chief will attempt to make proposals that bridge the gulf between the two community leaders on particularly thorny issues such as the return of property and the Constitution. A list of points on which some convergence has been achieved will be drawn up and the next priorities highlighted, the sources said, adding that Ban is expected to make a statement on Monday night on conclusion of the talks with the two leaders.

It is expected that the UN chief will press again for an acceleration of the pace of peace talks with the aim of reaching a settlement before July 1 when Cyprus is due to assume the European Union?s rotating presidency ? a fact that has riled Ankara which insists Nicosia cannot undertake such a role with the island divided.