Cypriot leaders relaunch peace talks[fr][de] 

"We want to underline what we agree on, not what we disagree on," Cypriot President Demetris Christofias said after Friday's meeting, while Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat hailed the dawning of "a new era" in relations between the two communities. 

The talks were held at the official residence of the UN representative to Cyprus, Michael Moller, who described the atmosphere during the talks as "very positive and cordial". 

The meeting was the first between the leaders of the two communities since Christofias was elected president on 24 February (EurActiv 25/02/08). The last attempt to relaunch peace talks between Talat and Christofias' predecessor, Tassos Papapopoulos, ended in failure in September 2007. 

Papadopolous had rejected a UN plan to reunify the island, which has been split since the Turkish invasion in 1974, which was launched to prevent Greece from annexing the island. 

Part of the agreement between Christofias and Talat was to reopen Ledra Street, one of five crossing points in the heart of the Cypriot capital, in a move designed to improve the climate of the upcoming talks. 

Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn warmly welcomed the agreement, saying he was "looking forward to walking across the Green Line at Ledra Street [himself] in the near future". The Commission has allocated €100,000 to reopen the crossing point. 

Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitri Rupel, whose country currently holds the EU Presidency, described the opening as an "important symbolic step of political significance, encouraging both sides to continue down the road of dialogue".