Nicosia blames Turkish Cypriot negotiators for collapse of talks

Cyprus's government spokesman says talks at a Swiss resort to reunify the ethnically split island broke down because the Turkish Cypriot side didn't stick to agreed-upon rules on how negotiations would proceed.

Nicos Christodoulides told state-run radio Wednesday that Turkish Cypriot negotiators evaded coming to agreement on how much territory each side would administratively control in an aimed-for federation.

He said Turkish Cypriot negotiators instead aimed to get the issue bundled into a final summit bringing together Greece, Turkey and Britain that's intended to sort out security arrangements after reunification.

Christodoulides said President Nicos Anastasiades would hold a televised address later Wednesday to explain the situation.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that a "precious opportunity" was lost, but reaffirmed Turkey's commitment to a deal. [AP]