NICOSIA, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- The leaders of Cyprus's Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities said on Wednesday that they are willing to restart the stalled negotiations for the reunification of the eastern Mediterranean island.
However, they disagreed on the terms of the resumption of the talks and on how to end a standoff over natural gas exploration by the Cypriot government. Turkish warships prevented a drillship operating on behalf of Italian ENI from proceeding to its destination.
"Once more, I wish to publicly call on Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot community, to immediately respond to my call to return to the negotiating table," newly re-elected Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said in a statement.
He said Turkey should end its violation of the sovereign rights of Cyprus in its exclusive economic zone, saying that Turkish claims were unjustified and not based on fact.
Anastasiades said an agreement had been reached several years ago on how to share the profits from natural gas exploration. Another agreement reached was that managing natural resources would come under the jurisdiction of a future federal government in which Greek and Turkish Cypriots shared power.
Anastasiades was replying to Turkish claims of Cyprus violating the rights of Turkish Cypriots to justify a renewal notice to seafarers which Turkey excluded all shipping around the target of a drilling.
Turkey is opposed to natural gas exploration by Cyprus, claiming either that it violates the rights of the Turkish Cypriots, or that part of the drilling is done in areas which are part of its continental shelf.
Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci said he'd meet with Anastasiades when the time came.
Akinci also announced he would meet next week with the special representative of United Nations Secretary General in Cyprus, Elizabeth Spehar, to discuss the prospects of reconvening the negotiations.
He also said UN officials would be sent from New York to explore the positions of the two sides.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres declared a conference on Cyprus an impasse last July and sent the sides to reflect on the situation and come back to him with a joint request for further negotiations.
Akinci said he was asking Greek Cypriots to discuss the exploration for hydrocarbons at a joint committee before resuming negotiations for a Cyprus solution.
President Anastasiades is taking the standoff with Turkey to the European Council which will meet on Friday in Brussels, expecting a strong backing from EU partners.
European Council President Donald Tusk, who has already deplored Turkey's action in violation of Cyprus's sovereignty, has announced he has added the issue on the Council's agenda.
"President Anastasiades will brief us on developments around Cyprus," he said in a note to EU leaders.
