CYPRUS: There were indications last night that negotiations aimed at ending the division of Cyprus in time for its accession to the EU on May 1st may be taken out of the hands of politicians there and a solution imposed, in effect, by a combination of Athens, Ankara and the UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan.
Any such solution would, however, have to be ratified by a referendum on the island held on either April 18th or 21st.
In Brussels yesterday, the EU's Enlargement Commissioner, Mr Günther Verheugen, and the Turkish Prime Minister, Mr Recep Tayyip Erdogan, held a private meeting.
Turkish sources said that the two agreed, apparently with the acquiescence of Mr Annan, that the governments of Greece and Turkey, who are respectively "mother countries" for Greek and Turkish Cypriots, would agree their minimum outline settlement - without reference to politicians on the island representing the two ethnic groups.
Any so-called "blanks" not filled in by Athens or Ankara would be filled in by Mr Annan. This "deal" would then be put to both Greek and Turkish Cypriot voters in a referendum.
According to the Turkish source in Brussels, Turkey is seeking a permanent derogation from one of the EU's principal tenets - the free movement of people and goods - apparently in order to preserve the now dominant Turkish Cypriot ethnic mix in the northern part of the island.
Turkey is also, it is alleged, seeking a limit, in percentage terms, to the number of Greeks who can buy land in the north.
Negotiations on a settlement moved this week to Switzerland. But representatives of the island communities have not been making progress. In the light of this, it seems that the EU and Mr Annan are willing, with help from Athens and Ankara, to adopt a more risky strategy.