Annan Close to Setting Dates for Cyprus Talks

Annan Close to Setting Dates for Cyprus Talks

Peter Heinlein

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says he is close to announcing a date for a new round of talks on the reunification of Cyprus. Mr. Annan is pushing for a settlement of the Cyprus dispute by the end of March.

With Cyprus set to join the European Union May 1, Secretary-General Annan says talks on the island's reunification could be announced within days. "We don't have much time. If we are going to meet the first of May deadline, we should move fairly quickly. I intend to invite the parties fairly shortly and I think in the next day or so a date will be set."

Mr. Annan has said he wants the issue settled by the end of March. He has spoken in the past few days with Turkish, Greek and Greek Cypriot leaders, and discussed Cyprus during his meeting Tuesday with President Bush at the White House.

He has not, however, spoken to Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, who is widely blamed for the failure of earlier talks on reunifying the island. "I have not heard directly from him yet. I have heard from the Turkish prime minister. I haven't heard directly from Mr. Denktash but I intend to get in touch with him."

The previous round of Cyprus talks collapsed¹ last March when Mr. Denktash rejected a U.N.-brokered settlement proposal. But with the island set for admission to the EU, settling the 30-year dispute has taken on a new urgency.

EU officials say a failure to reunify would essentially³ restrict membership benefits to the southern part of the island controlled by Greek Cypriots. They also warned that the Cyprus dispute could damage Turkey's chances of joining the EU.

Cyprus has been split along ethnic⁴ lines in 1974, when Turkish troops invaded the north of the island. Turkey is the only country that recognizes the Turkish Cypriot state led by Mr. Denktash, and maintains a military force there.

The U.N. settlement plan calls for reuniting the island, with Greek and Turkish Cypriot federal regions linked through a weak central government.

 

注释：

reunification [9ri:jU:nIfI5keIFEn] n. 再统一

Cyprus [5saiprEs] n. 塞浦路斯，地中海东部的一个岛国，位于土耳其以南。

White House 白宫

broker² [5brEukE] v. 作为中间人来安排、设法

split [split] v. 分离，分裂

ethnic [5eWnik] adj. 种族的

invade [in5veid] vt. 侵略

 

1 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

2 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

3 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

4 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。