UN plan to host Cyprus talks uncertain as one side says it wasn't invited
Adds UN spokesperson, sources in paragraphs 7-8
NICOSIA, Aug 5 (Reuters) -Tentative U.N. plans to convene the leaders of Cyprus's divided communities for talks as early as next week fell into doubton Monday as the Turkish Cypriot side said it had not received an invitation and would not go anyway.
The United Nations has been trying to find common ground for the resumption of long-stalled negotiations between rival Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities in a conflict spanning decades, a major source of tension between Greece and Turkey.
Confusion was sown at the weekend when Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides said he was "sounded out" for meeting Turkish Cypriot counterpart Ersin Tatar in the presence of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Aug. 13, and Tatar said he received no such invitation and would not go anyway.
"My response was positive and I hope - we haven't been informed yet - for the same response from the Turkish side and the meeting to lead to positive results," Christodoulides said.
Tatar said he had not received an invitation and accused Christodoulides of trying to muddy the waters with his comment.
"There is no invitation from the U.N. Secretary-General ... for a tripartite meeting. In any case, under the current conditions, we would not approve a tripartite meeting. There is no basis for such a meeting," he said in a statement.
On Monday, a U.N. spokesperson in New York said in response to a Reuters query: "I am not aware of any invitations going out. If that changes, I will let you know."
Two diplomatic sources had earlier told Reuters Guterres had intended to bring the sides together in New York, but it was unclear when. "We hope Mr Tatar changes his mind," a spokesperson for Christodoulides' government said.
Cyprus was partitioned in a Turkish invasion in 1974 after a brief Greek-inspired coup. The seeds of division were sown earlier when a power-sharing administration crumbled and violence prompted the dispatch of a U.N.peacekeeping force that has monitored ceasefire lines ever since.
Peace negotiations have been on hold since 2017. The Turkish Cypriot side, which administers a breakaway state in the north of Cyprus recognised only by Ankara, now says a resumption of negotiations can only occur if its equal sovereignty with the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government is accepted.
Writing by Michele Kambas; editing by Mark Heinrich
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