UN envoy sees 'historic opportunity' for Cyprus reunification in 2017

A senior United Nations official says ethnically-split Cyprus has a "historic opportunity" to reunite in 2017 and a meeting in Geneva in early January will be crucial for a peace deal that has eluded the island for decades.

Eighteen months of intensive talks between the estranged Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities will culminate at meetings in Geneva starting on Jan. 8.

Espen Barth Eide, the UN Secretary General's Special Adviser on Cyprus, wrote in the Cyprus Weekly newspaper that Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci had demonstrated political will and leadership to end the conflict.

"They recognize that the status quo is unacceptable and unsustainable, and that the current talks offer the best opportunity for a solution," said Eide, a former Norwegian foreign minister.

"The island stands on the cusp of...