(BRUSSELS) - The European Commission welcomed Friday a decision by rival Cypriot leaders to begin talks on ending the decades-long division of the island, and offered any support the two sides might require.

"The European Commission considers that this is an important step towards finding a mutually acceptable solution to allow the reunification of Cyprus," the EU executive arm's chief Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement.

"A unified and integrated Cyprus would benefit not only Cypriots themselves, but the whole of the European Union," he said, adding: "The commission stands ready to provide any support to the process that the two sides might request."

President Demetris Christofias, a Greek Cypriot, and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat on Friday set September 3 as the date when they will begin direct negotiations to end the Cyprus problem.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops occupied its northern third in response to an Athens-engineered Greek Cypriot coup seeking union with Greece.

Thousands of Greek Cypriots living in the north fled south -- the southern part of the island joined the European Union in 2004 -- and Turkish Cypriots fled north to a statelet only recognised by Ankara.

A vote on a peace plan drawn up by the United Nations former secretary general Kofi Annan in 2004 drew a resounding "yes" from the north but was strongly rejected by the south, paralysing peace efforts.

Text and Picture Copyright 2008 AFP. All other Copyright 2008 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable.