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| Cyprus rivals begin peace talks | Cyprus rivals begin peace talks |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Rival leaders of the divided island of Cyprus are meeting to launch negotiations aimed at reunifying the island after 34 years of division. | |
| Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and rival Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met at a compound in Nicosia. | Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and rival Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met at a compound in Nicosia. |
| Analysts say the talks have a real chance of resolving the dispute, which threatens Turkey's EU membership hopes. | Analysts say the talks have a real chance of resolving the dispute, which threatens Turkey's EU membership hopes. |
| The island has been divided since a Turkish invasion in 1974, triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup in Nicosia. | The island has been divided since a Turkish invasion in 1974, triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup in Nicosia. |
| Turkey has 35,000 troops in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north. | |
| "We must, at long last, put an end to the suffering of our people and reunite our country," Mr Christofias told reporters as he headed for the meeting, held in an abandoned airport compound on the outskirts of the divided capital. | |
| A chief aide to Mr Talat, Ozdil Nami, said: "This is a historic day, a beautiful day. Both leaders will be sending a message of hope to their people, to the world, that they are willing to negotiate". | |
| The last attempt at a negotiated solution - in 2004 - collapsed when Turkish Cypriots voted in favour of a UN settlement plan which was rejected by Greek Cypriot voters. | |
| As a result, Cyprus joined the European Union that year as a divided island with Turkish Cypriots denied the bloc's membership benefits. |