British Offer Territory In Cyprus To Heal Divisions

Britain has offered to give up as much as half of its Sovereign Territory on Cyprus if it will help end the 43-year long division of the island.

The offer may come to nothing though, as the talks in Switzerland seem to have stalled with both sides claiming there are no concessions coming from the other.

After decades of stalemate, there were hopes for a breakthrough in the latest round of talks.

The two presidents from the Turkish north of the island and the Greek south are both regarded as moderates compared to their predecessors. 

Now the Greek negotiators are saying there is no change from previous years in the Turkish position. 

The UK government has said it is willing to concede 46 square miles of the 99 it holds as Sovereign Territory, but not any of the five military bases it maintains on the island, if it can help reunite the two sides.

The United Nations has maintained a multi-national peacekeeping force on the island since the Turkish invasion in 1974.

There are hopes the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres may help nudge the sides towards a reconciliation when he arrives on Friday.