Prudent on talks, Turkish Cypriots say gas find could be obstacle

By Marine Pennetier PARIS (Reuters) - Turkish Cyprus's chief negotiator played down on Wednesday the prospect of a quick solution in peace talks with his Greek rivals, warning that the discovery of natural gas in the region was possibly more of an obstacle than of help. Greek and Turkish Cypriots re-launched peace talks in February, the latest of many attempts to heal the wounds of a conflict that saw Turkey invade in 1974 after a Greece-inspired coup, followed by the eastern Mediterranean island's division between its two communities. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said in a landmark visit to Cyprus on May 22 that the rival leaders had agreed to speed up the slow-moving talks, restarted after a two-year hiatus, to patch up one of Europe's most intractable rifts. But speaking to reporters in Paris, Turkish Cyprus' chief negotiator Kudret Ozersay said the next phase of talks was uncertain, the first time either side has warned of possible trouble ahead since talks were restarted in February. Read More http://ift.tt/1nUGVcQ