Afghan govt, Taliban announce breakthrough deal to press on with peace talks
Afghan government and Taliban representatives said on Wednesday they had reached a preliminary deal to press on with peace talks – their first written agreement...
Peace talks
No new peace talks as things stand, says new foreign minister
Peace talks aimed at reunifying the island cannot start under the current circumstances, new foreign minister Nicos Christodoulides said on Thursday. During the course of...
Philippines frees communist leaders before peace talks in Norway
The Philippines has freed 12 communist guerrilla leaders, police said on Thursday, days before a new round of peace talks with the Maoist-led rebels resumes...
Leaders continue UN-led peace talks for a Cyprus solution
The leaders of the two communities in Cyprus, President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Moustafa Akinci, meet here today in the context of the...
Syrian peace talks in quagmire as rebels prepare for more war
Syria’s fragile peace talks might not resume for at least a year if they are abandoned now, a senior Western diplomat warned on Wednesday, as...
Putin orders start of Russian forces’ withdrawal from Syria
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday he would start pulling his armed forces out of Syria, five months after he ordered a military intervention...
Former UN chief among many who failed to solve Cyprus problem
By Jean Christou Former Cypriot President George Vassilou on Tuesday described Boutros Boutros-Ghali, UN Secretary General from 1992 to 1996, as a “great man” who...
Major powers agree to plan for ‘cessation of hostilities’ in Syria
MUNICH, Feb 12 (Reuters) – Major powers agreed on Friday to a cessation of hostilities in Syria set to begin in a week and to...
Syria peace talks hit trouble after Damascus blast kills 60
By Tom Miles and John Irish Syria’s main opposition group met U.N. mediator Staffan de Mistura for the first time on Sunday, but the talks...
Kerry and Lavrov meet amid questions over January 25 Syria talks
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met on Wednesday to discuss Syria’s civil war amid questions as to whether...
No timetable for deal, says Eide
THERE is no timetable for the conclusion of the ongoing peace talks, Espen Barth Eide, the UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, said on...
US official’s visit to focus on energy and talks
US ASSISTANT Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland is due to visit the island sometime next week, according to reports. Nuland,...
Afghan Taliban name a new leader, but peace talks delayed (Updated)
By Jibran Ahmad The Taliban have chosen late supreme leader Mullah Omar’s longtime deputy to replace him, two militant commanders said on Thursday, as Pakistan...
Foreign minister welcomes EU report on Turkish accession
By Constantinos Psillides Foreign minister Ioannis Kasoulides on Tuesday welcomed the conclusions in a report on enlargement approved by the EU General Affairs Council, saying...
‘Situation can either get better or it can get significantly worse’
By Jean Christou UN Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide appeared pragmatic on Tuesday night that his proposal for a twin-track process to resolve the hydrocarbons...
Anastasiades: measures according to developments
By Elias Hazou PRESIDENT Nicos Anastasiades will next month attend a three-way summit in Cairo with his Greek and Egyptian counterparts to discuss ways of...
Parties denounce Turkish actions, but vary on how to proceed
By Elias Hazou POLITICAL parties yesterday roundly denounced Turkey’s provocations inside the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone, but offered varying assessments on how the Greek Cypriot...
President says: I had no other choice
By Jean Christou PRESIDENT Nicos Anastasiades said last night Turkey’s actions in the island’s Exclusive Economic Zone had left him with no choice but to...
Placing bombs and hiding behind trivialities
By Loucas Charalambous THE VIEW that President Anastasiades is no longer interested in a Cyprus settlement is reinforced with every passing day. Some could even...
‘A year for historic progress’
By Jean Christou WASHINGTON is working on mechanisms to facilitate confidence building measures, according to Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Eric Rubin, but he remained...