Turkey Pushes for Resumption of Cyprus Talks

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said talks on the reunification of Cyprus will resume once a new government in the Turkish Cypriot side has been formed. Erdogan said a road map for Cyprus will soon be announced although he did not go into the detail of its content. "It will be useful to start initiatives for the revival of peace talks" (between the Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities) once a new government is formed in the north, a statement from Erdogan’s office said. The leader of the pro-EU Republican Turkish Party Mehmet Ali Talat has until Monday to form a new government in the Turkish Cypriot part, or else new elections could be called. The elections on Dec. 14 ended in a deadlock as the parliament was evenly split between parties favoring and opposing a UN proposed plan to reunify the divided island. (EUobserver.com)