HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ---------------------------Denktash says Montenegro deal a model for Cyprus
NICOSIA, March 26 (Reuters) - Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash said on Tuesday a recent European Union-backed deal for a new union between Montenegro and Serbia offered a model for the divided island of Cyprus.
Earlier this month Montenegrin and Serbian leaders agreed to revamp the state into a loose union and name it Serbia and Montenegro. Either side can opt out after three years.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana had pushed hard to get the two sides to agree, fearing Montenegrin leaders' plans for independence could trigger fresh turmoil elsewhere in the volatile Balkans.
"The Montenegro model, this is an example that is close to our desires -- recognising each other and creating a unity," Denktash told reporters after meeting Greek Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides on Tuesday.
Cyprus has been effectively partitioned since Turkey invaded in 1974 in response to an Athens-backed Greek Cypriot coup. Only Ankara recognises the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Denktash and Clerides started a fresh round of U.N.-backed face-to-face talks in January. The talks have been given added urgency as the internationally recognised government of Cyprus in the south edges closer to finalising its EU membership, expected to happen in 2004 or 2005.
Greek Cypriots want a single federated state made up of two regions, while Turkish Cypriots want a union of two states only loosely linked by a central administration.
06:22 03-26-02
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