Cyprus peace talks at risk from possible 'crisis,' UN envoy says

Talks aimed at reunifying ethnically divided Cyprus are at risk of collapse because of a possible "international crisis," a United Nations envoy said Thursday, amid tensions over oil and gas exploration off the east Mediterranean island.

Espen Barth Eide said that "we may be looking forward to rather dramatic times" and urged everyone involved in peace talks to work to reduce tensions.

Eide said in two years of negotiations, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades - a Greek Cypriot - and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci have taken the peace process farther than any of their predecessors over decades of failed attempts.

"To see that go to waste because of an international crisis would be very sad for all of us," he told reporters after a meeting with Anastasiades.

Earlier this week, Cyprus government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said Turkey's "threats"...