A senior Turkish Cypriot official has called for a process of “give and take” in order to break the continuing impasse over the divided island.

Osman Ertug, who is a special representative to Dervis Eroglu, leader of Northern Cyprus, also cautioned that the latest crisis in the Middle East risked pushing the Cyprus issue off the political agenda.

Ertug said that the process of “open-ended” negotiations has the “potential of causing obstacles to reaching a solution” in the Cyprus issue.

He pointed out that negotiations have been continuing since 1977 with the aim of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation.

“Now, everybody has started to say that we should discuss other things outside this format,” he said.

His comments come ahead of fresh talks later this week in New York between senior political figures involved in negotiations aimed at resolving the Cyprus problem.

Many observers hope that the Cypriot presidency of the EU, which runs until the end of the year, will inject new impetus into the stalled talks.

Meanwhile, Gülden Plümer Küçük, a Turkish Cypriot member of the “committee on missing persons” in Cyprus said this week that excavations have been carried out in 16 military areas in Northern Cyprus.

Elsewhere, Greek foreign minister Dimitris Avramopoulos says a solution to the Cyprus problem is a “high priority” for Greek foreign policy.

Speaking on Tuesday, Avramopoulos said that the current economic crisis and the problems Greece is faced with, “will not change our stance and policy towards the Cyprus problem”.

Avramopoulos stressed that it was a “huge mistake” on behalf of Ankara not to cooperate with the Cyprus presidency.

He also referred to the Turkish stance and threats regarding Cyprus’ sovereign right to explore for hydrocarbon reserves in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

He went on to say that Nicosia and Athens are in close cooperation and coordination as regards the Cyprus problem and other issues.

The Parliament