Cyprus Settlement 'In Reach', Says Foreign Secretary

Boris Johnson has said a settlement is "in reach" to end the partition of Cyprus, as he prepared to join international talks aimed at reunifying the island after more than four decades of division.

The Foreign Secretary is due to join the United Nations-led conference in Geneva along with representatives of Greece and Turkey - the island's other two "guarantor" powers.

Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci have been in discussions in Switzerland since Monday in an attempt to clear the ground for an agreement.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mr Johnson praised their efforts and said there was now an opportunity to achieve a "lasting peace" for both communities.

"I welcome the continued courage and commitment that has been shown by both sides. The UK fully supports the settlement process and is ready and willing to help in any way it can. I hope that all those involved will approach the talks with a sense of openness and flexibility. I believe that if approached in this light, a solution is in reach to bring lasting peace to Cyprus".

UN envoy Espen Barth Eide said on Wednesday that while a final deal was unlikely to be agreed this week the framework for a settlement could be put in place.

"So don't expect that we will be walking home from Geneva - or rather flying - to Cyprus with a comprehensive settlement in our hands. But we will go home with a sense that it is coming. We have dealt with some of the most difficult issues. We have touched upon almost all of them, we have solved many of them, and we are close to solving some other issues."

British troops have patrolled streets in Nicosia as peacekeepers since 1964 when intercommunal violence erupted in the capital.

After the Turkish invasion in 1974 the demilitarised strip of land was extended across the island. 42 years on British soldiers, both regular and reservist, still patrol sector 2 of a 100-mile long buffer zone.

A previous reunification agreement in 2004 was rejected by Greek Cypriot voters.

Ahead of that vote, the UK Government said it would hand over 46 square miles of SBA territory to the Cypriots as part of any settlement, including land around Dhekelia and north of RAF Akrotiri.

That so-called Hannay Plan is still believed to be on the table. 

The issue of the island's security and who would intervene if peace broke down is now a key part of the negotiation.

Turkey is still believed to have more than 30,000 troops in the north. 

Whether there as peacekeepers, meanwhile, or on posting, Cyprus has long been part of the fabric of the British military.

It's an island that remains as strategically vital to the UK as ever.

MORE: 'Peace Deal Is Difficult, But Not Impossible' For Cyprus