(GEN) TURKISH AND GREEK CYPRIOT LEADERS MEET.LEFKOSA, Oct 22, 2009 (TUR tur: see ibex. ) -- President Mehmet Ali Talat Mehmet Ali Talat (born July 6, 1952) is the current President of the de facto Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (or KKTC in Turkish), which controls the northern third of the island of Cyprus, but is unrecognized by any nation except Turkey. of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC TRNC Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus ) and Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias met on Wednesday in the buffer zone in Lefkosa for the 46th time under the ongoing Cyprus talks. The two leaders discussed "foreign relations" topic and took up several proposals in their meeting. Talat and Christofias will meet on Thursday again, and discuss "property" issue. Gaining independence from the UK in 1960, Cyprus became a bi-communal Republic where Greek and Turkish Cypriot constituent communities would share power guaranteed by the UK, Turkey and Greece. However, reluctant to share power and pursuing a policy of Enosis Noun 1. enosis - the union of Greece and Cyprus (which is the goal of a group of Greek Cypriots) union - a political unit formed from previously independent people or organizations; "the Soviet Union" (Union) with Greece, Greek Cypriots soon expelled Turkish Cypriots from power and terrorised and ghettoised them. Decades long armed attacks on the defenseless Turkish Cypriots culminated in 1974 when an Athens-backed Greek Cypriot military coup on the island led to Turkey's intervention based on its rights stemming from guarantor agreement. Although the Republic of Cyprus as described in the 1959 agreements is no longer there, Greek Cypriots continue to enjoy this title and international recognition while the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a fully democratic government representing Turkish Cypriots, still suffers under an unfair political and economic blockade. Cyprus joined the EU as a divided island when Greek Cypriots in the south rejected the UN reunification re·u·ni·fy tr.v. re·u·ni·fied, re·u·ni·fy·ing, re·u·ni·fies To cause (a group, party, state, or sect) to become unified again after being divided. plan in twin referendums in 2004 even though the Turkish Cypriots in the north overwhelmingly supported it. The promise made by EU foreign ministers before the referendums to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots and establish direct trade with north Cyprus remains unfulfilled. (GC-A) (THROUGH ASIA Asia (ā`zhə), the world's largest continent, 17,139,000 sq mi (44,390,000 sq km), with about 3.3 billion people, nearly three fifths of the world's total population. PULSE) |
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