UN special envoy warns 2009 last chance for peace in Cyprus

Alexander Downer had visited Ankara and Athens to inform the sides on the latest peace initiative in the Mediterranean island which has been divided since 1964.

Downer met with Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ertugrul Apakan in Ankara.

"Everybody should know that this is the last chance. Either this problem would be solved or the island would be divided forever," Sabah daily quoted Downer as telling to the Turkish officials.

Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat and his Greek Cypriot counterpart Demetris Christofias resumed talks in September after a four-year hiatus, marking the first major push for peace since the failure of the U.N. reunification plan in 2004.

Despite twelve face-to-face meetings, the two sides have made little tangible progress. Cyprus has been divided since 1964 when Turkish Cypriots were forced to withdraw into enclaves.

Downer confirmed progress made in the peace talks although it is limited, the report said. "But the talks are ongoing in a very slow pace. 2009 is the final period that we could cut a deal. I would work to strike a consensus until the fall with accelerating the process by March or April," the daily quoted him as saying.

UN TO STOP PEACE-SEEKING

The latest peace attempt had failed in 2004 when the Greek Cypriots rejected the UN-sponsored blueprint in a referendum despite the Turkish side's approval.

"The Annan plan was a big opportunity to resolve the Cyprus problem but it was missed. The European Union made a big strategic and tactical mistake. If they did not promise membership without a solution, then the Greeks wouldn't have rejected the plan. Some officials from the EU also admit this was a mistake in our talks," he was quoted as saying.

The report said the UN would not mediate if the leaders fail to reach an agreement by end-2009 and it would end its efforts to solve the problem.

The peace efforts would end in a deadlock if the two leaders fail to agree by fall of 2009, Downer added. "Because in 2010 presidential elections would be held in the Northern Cyprus and Talat could not be re-elected. The UN would be forced to start all over again however the UN is tired of the Cyprus problem," he said.

The Turkish Cypriots want equal rights in the administration after the unification and this is crucial for them, Downer added.

There would be no solution unless the Greeks accept to share the administration with the Turkish Cypriots, he warned.