Turkish Cypriot president meets with UN envoy

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Dervis Eroglu met yesterday with Special UN Envoy Lisa Buttenheim to discuss the island's stalled reunification process. The meeting was closed to the press. Eroglu and Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias are scheduled to meet for the first time this year on next Wednesday, ahead of a three-way Jan. 26 meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Geneva. Eroglu and Christofias have held 18 meetings since last May to discuss Cyprus' reunification. In November, the leaders met with Ban, who called on them to accelerate the talks. Ban said they decided to meet again in Geneva this month and to intensify talks to prepare a "practical plan" to eliminate disagreements.