Cyprus: Turkish, Greek Cypriot leaders agree to new talks
Rauf Denkas Undergoes Heart Surgery in NYC
Irwin Arieff, UNITED NATIONS, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides and [Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus President] Rauf Denktas agreed on Friday to a new round of talks in early November and to begin conferring on treaties and laws for a united Cypriot state.

Capping two days of talks in pursuit of a quick deal to reunite the divided Mediterranean island, the rival leaders told reporters as they left U.N. headquarters that they had agreed to appoint two committees to keep up momentum while Denktas recovers from heart surgery scheduled for Monday.

U.N. special envoy Alvaro de Soto said he was going to Cyprus next week to help set up the committees, one of which would focus on treaties for a new "common state" while the second would look at its laws.

Turkish Cypriot official Resat Caglar said the treaties panel would look at "agreements made by both sides separately with other third parties." Representatives from both sides would "prepare a list and decide which ones would be incorporated in a future state," he said.

Cyprus, with a population of about 750,000 people and a land area smaller than the U.S. state of Connecticut, has been divided since a Turkish [intervention] in 1974 after a Greek Cypriot coup engineered by the military then ruling Greece.

DENKTAS Undergoes Heart Surgery
Denktas disclosed on Friday that he was having heart surgery at a New York hospital and said this would keep him away from work for 10 to 15 days. He had diagnostic tests at a New York hospital on Wednesday in connection with a longtime problem with a heart valve, aides said.

[TT’s Note: President Denktas (78) did have a heart surgery on October 8 at Columbia University’s Presbyterian Medical Center. The 3-hour operation was performed by the renown Turkish heart surgeon Mehmet Oz. Dr. Oz, who replaced Denktas’ heart valve, said TRNC President "now has a new lease on life." Denktas is reported to be in good condition and recuperating nicely. ATAA has sent Denktas a message of support, expressing the best wishes of the Turkish-American community for a full and speedy recovery.]

Clerides and Denktas had last met a month ago in Paris as part of the latest round of talks, which began in January and have so far made virtually no progress toward a settlement.

The goal of the talks is to strike an agreement before Dec. 12, when European Union leaders gather in Copenhagen and are expected to invite Cyprus to join the bloc in 2004.

If there is no agreement before the Copenhagen meeting and a divided Cyprus is asked to join, Turkey has warned it may "annex" the northern part of the island, effectively wrecking its own hopes of EU membership.

"ENCOURAGING EFFORT"

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who hosted the talks, made no mention of progress at the talks but said in a statement that the two men had made an "encouraging effort."

"I am happy to report that since I met the two leaders in Paris, they have focused on the issues I highlighted, and there has been an encouraging effort to explore ways of bridging differences pragmatically," his statement said.

There had been little hope for progress at the New York talks because of the looming Nov. 3 Turkish general elections.

While Annan has been widely expected to soon put forward a draft peace plan, diplomats said he had shelved the idea for now for fear of getting embroiled in Turkish politics.

"The opportunity that is at hand must be seized," Annan said in his statement. "In this regard, Greece and Turkey have an important role to play, and I look forward to their continued support."

Acknowledging there was "no simple solution to the Cyprus problem," Annan said the two new committees were intended to help arrive at a deal.

"A comprehensive settlement has to be a complex, integrated, legally binding and self-executing agreement, where the rights and obligations of all concerned are clear, unambiguous and not subject to further negotiation," he said.

Dividing the two sides are sharply different visions of a unified island.

Greek Cypriots want one state comprising two ethnic regions, while Turkish Cypriots want a union of two largely independent states in a new confederation that would replace the existing internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus.

De Soto said a precise date had not been set for the next round of talks but Annan had asked the leaders to "clear their calendars" for November.