Lefkosa aims for united Cyprus to take EU helm one year from now

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) hopes to conclude unification talks with Greek Cyprus by July 2012 at the latest so it can assume the European Union presidency at that time as part of a united Cyprus, said Lefkosa yesterday. Tomorrow TRNC President Dervis Eroglu is set to attend a tripartite meeting in Geneva with Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. "We expect the UN chief to propose an action plan for more a comprehensive and intensified schedule of talks that will lead to an agreement and referendum on both sides (of the island) in 2012, so that we can then take the EU term presidency as a unified Cyprus," said a Turkish Cypriot official yesterday.