UN delegation to meet with KKTC leaders

The delegation will meet the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat and Foreign Minister Serdar Denktas, the Anatolia news agency said.

Talat said the delegation’s visit was related to the reconstruction process of the U.N. peacekeeping force on the island in light of recent developments regarding the Cypriot dispute and the Greek Cypriot administration’s European Union accession.

The Turkish Cypriot premier said they will meet with U.N. officials on Sept. 1, adding he would postpone his Brussels trip for a few days due to his meeting with the U.N. delegation, said the agency.

The U.N. Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) was created to help end violence between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. Since the division of the island in 1974, UNFICYP has served as a buffer between Turkish and Turkish Cypriot forces on one side, and the Greek Cypriot National Guard and Greek troops on the other.

A U.N.-endorsed reunification plan was defeated in a twin referenda in April due a strong Greek Cypriot rejection, although Turkish Cypriots voted overwhelmingly in favor of the plan.

After rejecting reunification with the Turkish Cypriots, the internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot administration joined the EU alone, during the EU’s historic enlargement on May 1.