Cyprus leaders Christofias and Talat continue direct talks

The leaders of the two communities in Cyprus, President of the Republic Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, are meeting on Monday, in the UN protected area, in the framework of direct negotiations to solve the Cyprus problem.

During their last meeting on October 22, the leaders continued their discussions on power-sharing and governance, and began a preliminary discussion on legislation.

In remarks on Saturday, President Christofias assured he had no intention of walking out of the talks, noting that the Greek Cypriot side will insist on a solution because ''this land belongs to both communities,'' as he pointed out.

President Christofias and Talat began talks in early September with a view to find a negotiated settlement that will reunite Cyprus, which has been divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion.