Atlantic Council

There has been a good deal of  talk about the Kosovo precedent in discussions about what to do next with regard to Georgia, Russia and the status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and rival Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat are meeting to discuss a resolution to the 34-year-old division of the island territory.  BBC reports that, "Analysts say the talks have a real chance of resolving the dispute, which threatens Turkey's EU membership hopes."  These are the first formal talks between the rival factions since a 2004 agreement collapsed after it was rjected by Greek Cypriots.

Christofias told reporters, "We must, at long last, put an end to the suffering of our people and reunite our country" and Talat added that the goal was to make "a divided island a common place where two nations are living."