UN talks resume to reunite Cyprus 07.07.11
0UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has met with the leaders of the Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities in Geneva today to map out a schedule for efforts to reunite the divided island. From July 1st 2012, the Greek Cypriots take over the EU presidency. In effect this date has become a deadline for a deal to be struck. Having clocked up 37 years, the UN's peacekeeping mission in Cyprus is now one of the longest in its history. The military presence in the buffer zone is spread over three sectors. The British control Sector 2, in and around Nicosia. The buffer zone covers about three per cent of the island. While the most crucial part of the UN mandate is to prevent a recurrence of fighting between the Cyprus National Guard and Turkish Cypriot forces, another major function is to encourage the resumption of normal civilian activity in the buffer zone - for example, construction and farming.