Cypriot Peace Talks Back on

Britain last night welcomed efforts to end the division of Cyprus after the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, invited the island's Greek and Turkish leaders to peace talks in New York.

The renewed diplomatic drive, following the collapse of UN-brokered negotiations last March, has become increasingly important ahead of Cyprus's entry to the EU in May.

The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, said yesterday he believed a settlement to the long-running row was possible.

"The prize of accession to the EU by a reunited island this May is still within reach," he said in a statement.

"I am encouraged by the signals [Mr Annan] has received that the necessary commitment exists among the parties to this process, and I applaud the way he is trying to ensure that this commitment translates into focused, genuine negotiations."

The UN chief has said in the past he would only agree to resume talks if both sides showed "genuine willingness" to resolve a dispute which has dragged on for nearly 30 years.

The last round of talks ended ignominiously after the hawkish Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, declared Mr Annan's peace plan "dead".

But in December Turkish Cypriots narrowly elected a pro-solution party to government, improving the chances of a settlement.

Last week the prime minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced Ankara's desire for a swift solution based on the UN plan, which envisages the two communities reuniting in a loose federation of two component states.

The sides agreed to revive talks after apparently accepting Mr Annan's demand for simultaneous referendums on April 21. If no solution is found by then only the Greek-controlled south of the island will join the EU, leaving the internationally unrecognised Turkish Cypriots in the cold.