UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced late Sunday that the rival leaders of ethnically divided Cyprus have agreed on new talks in Geneva this month, a significant step forward which could see the final round of negotiations on a peace agreement to reunify the Mediterranean island. Guterres invited Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci to a working dinner at U.N. headquarters to try and break an impasse. Two years of negotiations have made significant strides, but a dispute over how a final summit aiming for a reunification deal should proceed brought talks to a standstill late last month. Guterres announced that both leaders agreed the issue of security is "of vital importance" and "an essential element in reaching an overall agreement and in building trust between the two communities" — and would be given a high priority in Geneva. Guterres said the leaders agreed to continue parallel negotiations in Geneva on all other outstanding issues including the territory that their respective federal zones should control, the return of property or compensation, and governance and power sharing.
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