UN to host meeting of divided Cyprus’ rival leaders

NICOSIA, Cyprus – The United Nations says it is hosting a meeting between the rival leaders of Cyprus in the U.N.-controlled buffer zone on the ethnically divided island nation.

President Nicos Anastasiades, who leads the country’s internationally recognized government, and the leader of the breakaway Turkish Cypriots, Mustafa Akinci, are being hosted by Elizabeth Spehar, the head of the U.N.’s peacekeeping force in Cyprus, on Oct. 26.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a recent report to the Security Council that a peace deal to reunify Cyprus remains feasible despite the collapse of talks between Akinci and Anastasiades at a Swiss resort last year.

The meeting next week could help build momentum toward a fresh round of reunification negotiations.