Rival Cyprus leaders agreed in UN-brokered talks on Friday to open a new crossing point across the long-divided eastern Mediterranean island.

The new passage will be the seventh enabling travel between areas held by the interationally recognised Greek Cypriot government and the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north, and will serve one of the remoter parts of the island.

Linking the government-held village of Kato Pyrgos in the northwestern Tillyria region with Limnitis (Yesilyirmak in Turkish) in the north, the new crossing will create much better transport links with the capital Nicosia for Kato Pyrgos residents.

The Greek Cypriots had demanded its opening as a confidence-building measure to help advance reunification talks relaunched last September.

But the talks between Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat stumbled in May over Turkish Cypriot demands for the crossing to be used to provide fuel to the Turkish military-controlled enclave of Kokkina (Erenkoy in Turkish) further along the coast.

As a compromise on Friday, the Greek Cypriots agreed that they will provide power to the enclave in return for the opening of the crossing.

"Arrangements will be made to open the Limnitis crossing," Christofias said after his latest meeting with Talat.

"Checkpoints will need to be placed on both sides so the crossing could take a little time to open," he added.

The deal comes just one day after European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso visited the island and held talks with the two leaders, both together and individually.

AFP

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