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Monday, July 3, 2017

Cyprus peace talks intensify as rivals pore over plans

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Peace talks to reunify the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus intensified Monday as rival negotiators pored over documents outlining each side's stances on a raft of issues, including the thorny issue of security. Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Mustafa Akinci, the leader of the breakaway Turkish Cypriots, are joined at Crans-Montana by top diplomats from Cyprus' 'guarantors' — Greece, Turkey and Britain — whose input is pivotal to any agreement. [...] Greek Cypriots, along with Greece, want all Turkish troops they see as a threat removed and military intervention rights accorded to the guarantors under the island's 1960 constitution abolished. Greek Cypriot officials are concerned granting such rights to citizens of a non-EU member country would render the small island of 1.1 million people vulnerable to being overwhelmed by its much larger neighbor economically, demographically or otherwise.


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