UN mediator: Cyprus deal a winner for all parties

(Vatican Radio) The UN mediator on Cyprus has said that Greek and Turkish sides now had strong economic reasons to agree on a long-awaited peace deal. Alexander Downer, special advisor on Cyprus to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that there were strong economic reasons to agree a reunification that could help ease debt problems and speed exploitation of disputed gas fields. Negotiations between President Demetris Christofias, who heads the internationally recognized Greek-Cypriot government, and Turkish-Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu have recently effectively stalled, and are in jeopardy of collapse. Listen to this report from regional correspondent Nathan Morley:

Commentators originally believed that the U.N. chief Ban Ki Moon might succeed in Cyprus where others had faltered, but he has acknowledged major issues, such as property abandoned by displaced Greek Cypriots then occupied by settlers from mainland Turkey, remain unresolved. For close to four decades, Cyprus has been one of the most troublesome problems faced by the United Nations. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded the northern part of the island in response to a military coup that was backed by the Greek government. Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, and the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is only recognized by Turkey.