Top US Republican calls on Turkey to Pull Out Troops

US Republican Ros-Lehtinen has appealed to Turkey to remove its troops from Cyprus after meeting with the US ambassador to Cyprus, Frank Urbancic, according to an AFP report from Washington.

"It is my hope that Turkish officials in Ankara, as well as leaders of the Turkish community in Cyprus, will fully embrace efforts for reunification, including by removing all Turkish troops to allow the leaders in Cyprus to negotiate freely and without undue foreign influence," she said.

Any solution to the division of Cyprus must be developed by the Cypriot leaders and supported by the Cypriot people themselves, she added.

Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and Turkish-Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat are meeting today for the 39th meeting in the latest series of negotiations aimed at reunifying the island's main communities. Their current discussions are centred around the issue of governance, including topics on aliens, immigration, asylum and citizenship.

They are due to meet again on August 6th and will then break for summer holidays.