Annan welcomes US help as Cyprus peace push builds
International pressure built Friday for a Cyprus peace deal before the island joins the European Union in May with UN chief Kofi Annan welcoming a US offer of help to end its three-decade division.
Following a flurry of meetings in Brussels with EU officials and Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos, Annan said he had also held telephone talks with US Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Papadopoulos, the head of the internationally recognised Greek-Cypriot government, warned that there was only a small "window of opportunity" before Cyprus joins the EU along with nine other nations on May 1.
"I did speak to Secretary of State Powell last night, and he did indicate that he will be supportive," Annan told reporters.
He noted that senior envoys from the United States, Cyprus' former colonial power Britain and the EU had all been involved in past talks between the Greek- and Turkish-Cypriots on a UN reunification plan.
He said "I do expect that kind of support to continue. We will need all the support we can".
Annan, who held talks in Brussels with Papadopoulos on Thursday evening, said he was still waiting to hear from the Turkish Cypriots.
"I hope that the parties will come to the table ... determined to talk. But I will be in touch with everybody fairly shortly," he said.
Papadopoulos reiterated that there were "no conditions on our part" to resume the talks.
"I agree there is a window of opportunity. Enough time has been wasted," he said after meeting European Commission chief Romano Prodi.
Powell Thursday offered his personal help in pushing the parties to accept Annan's reunification plan, which envisages a Swiss-style confederation with a central government representing Cyprus in the EU and internationally.
"I think it's time for all of us to put pressure on all sides to get a resolution to this difficult situation," Powell said after meeting at the State Department with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.
Turkey, conscious that its own aspirations to join the EU hinge in part on resolving the Cyprus conflict, has been stepping up pressure for a deal.
But time is short. Annan says a peace deal must be secured by the end of March, to allow time for referendums in both communities, if a reunified Cyprus is to take its place in the soon-to-be 25 nation bloc.
Without a settlement, the EU will welcome the Greek-Cypriot government alone, leaving the Turkish community in the cold.
Cyprus, which lies south of Turkey's Mediterranean coast, has been divided since 1974 when Ankara sent troops into the north in response to an Athens-engineered military coup aimed at uniting the island with Greece.
Annan's plan had been gathering dust since Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash rejected it last March.
But hopes for a settlement picked up on Saturday when Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked Annan to revive negotiations.
Denktash said he was ready to return to talks but expressed doubts that a settlement could emerge by May.
Papadopoulos noted that time was running out but added that "if (despite our) determination to reach a decison by May 1 we do not achieve the desired result, we are not going to abandon the effort".
Prodi reiterated an offer of financial assistance to help get Turkish Cyprus in shape for EU membership.
"Time is short. I am convinced that there is a good window of opportunity now," he said.