The UN-sponsored talks on the future of the divided island of Cyprus ended in Geneva yesterday with an agreement to return to the table in September but no sign of progress on key sticking points.
Speaking at a news conference in Geneva, the UN mediator, Mr Alvaro de Soto said he had "no momentous announcement to make" and predicted a long haul for the talks aimed at ending almost four decades of division on the island.
The latest round of UN shuttle diplomacy, in which Mr de Soto separately met President Glafcos Clerides of Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr Rauf Denktash, began on July 5th, took a 12-day break for consultations on July 12th and resumed on July 24th.
Mr de Soto, who chaired the talks under a media blackout, said the next round would start in New York on September 12th and last into October, but was non-committal on a timetable after that.
Meanwhile, two cross-community goodwill visits this month have been cancelled due to a row over Turkish troop movements on the island.
About 2,400 people - 1,600 Greek Cypriots and 800 Turkish Cypriots - were to have taken part in pilgrimages to areas the opposing community controls. The Turkish Cypriot trip next Tuesday and the Greek Cypriot trip on August 15th were billed as important gestures to thaw chilly relations between the two sides, which have been estranged for decades.