Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders last accepted a UN plan for reaching a deal on reunifying Cyprus before May 1 in a crucial breakthrough after three decades of failed diplomacy over the Mediterranean island.
The agreement crowned three grueling days of negotiations in New York in which UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan pressed the leaders to demonstrate their will to resolve the impasse on the island, split into ethnic Greek and Turkish enclaves since a 1974 invasion of the north by Turkey.
"Following three days of meetings and consultations, I am pleased to announce that the parties have committed to negotiations in good faith on the basis of my plan," a beaming Annan said at a news conference.
But all sides warned of the potential pitfalls ahead. "We are at the start of a process. If we can reach a nice agreement that both sides can accept, we will do it. If we can't, we will continue on our path," Turkish Cypriot leader Mr Rauf Denktash told Turkish Cypriot television BRT.
"We will not lose our state or our people," said Denktash, a longtime foe of UN reunification efforts who enjoys strong support from Turkish nationalists.
The stakes could not be higher for both Cyprus and Turkey. Without a settlement, Cyprus would enter the European Union on May 1 as a divided island and be represented only by the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government, deepening the Turkish Cypriots' isolation and undermining Turkey's own bid to open entry talks with the EU in early 2005.
World governments were unanimous in praising the step. "We're pleased that the parties are seizing this historic opportunity to achieve a just and durable settlement to the long-standing division of Cyprus," US State Department spokesman Mr Richard Boucher said.