UN chief convenes Cyprus talks in New York

UN chief Ban Ki-moon, seeking to secure an accord on reunifying Cyprus, brought together rival Cypriot leaders for talks in New York on Sunday.The meeting between Demetris Christofias, the head of the internationally recognized Greek-Cypriot government, and Turkish-Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu will last until late Monday, UN sources said.A brief press conference is scheduled later Sunday to discuss the progress, officials said.European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso on Friday called for the two leaders to seize the opportunity to reach agreement, adding that he expected tangible results from the New York meeting.The United Nations secretary general had said after a meeting in July with Christofias and Eroglu that he expects to see major progress by October, with Christofias saying a ideal target date for a solution would be before Cyprus takes up the EU presidency in mid-2012.The talks that began in September 2008 have however so far failed to live up to international hopes, with key sticking points including territorial adjustments, security arrangements and property rights.Regional tensions have also been rising after the Cyprus government, recognized internationally but not by Turkey, made a deal with US energy firm Noble for exploratory drilling for gas off the southern coast of the divided Mediterranean island.Turkey, which says the Greek side has no right to conduct an offshore energy search while the island remains split, responded by signing an accord with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), a statelet only recognized by Ankara, to explore gas and oil supplies off the island.The island has been divided along ethnic lines since 1974 when Turkish troops occupied its northern third in response to an Athens-inspired coup in Nicosia aimed at union with Greece.