Cyprus Says Syria Dispute Smoothed Over

NEW YORK - The Cypriot president said Thursday he was confident Syria had no intention of recognizing a breakaway state in his Mediterranean island despite a spat over a ferry that sailed to a Syrian port from the separatist region.

Cyprus has been divided into an internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish Cypriot north since 1974, when Turkey invaded after a failed Athens-backed coup by supporters of union with Greece. Following the invasion, the Cyprus government declared all northern ports and airports closed.

But on Saturday, a ferry sailed from the port of Famagusta in the Turkish north to the Syrian port of Latakia, prompting Cyprus to demand an explanation from Syria. Turkey is the only country that recognizes the breakaway state.

Syria's foreign minister assured his Cypriot counterpart during a meeting at the United Nations this week that no government agreement was behind the ferry sailing, President Tassos Papadopoulos told The Associated Press in an interview. He said the ferry sailed under a deal between a private company and a Syrian chamber of commerce.

Although Cyprus has not received an explicit promise that the ferry link would stop, the Syrians promised to look into the incident, said Papadopoulos, who was in New York for the U.N. General Assembly meeting.

Turkish Cypriot officials have said officials are negotiating with tour agencies for regular trips to start in October. Papadopoulos did not say what Cyprus would do if Syria ends up allowing regular ferry service, saying he was confident the incident would be resolved.

"I don't believe we will need to take any action," Papadopoulos said. "I'm sure the Syrian government will make it absolutely clear that there is no question of recognizing" a Turkish Cypriot state.

Syrian officials did not immediately return requests for comment.

Little progress has been made since Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders reached an agreement in July 2006 to start negotiations on reuniting their island, which is divided by a buffer zone patrolled by U.N. peacekeepers.

On Wednesday, Papadopoulos met with U.S. Undersecretary of States Nicolas Burns, who told reporters later that he had urged the United Nations to appoint a new envoy to get negotiations restarted.

The U.S. expressed dissappointed in 2004 when Greek Cypriot voters rejected a U.N. plan for reunification that was approved by Turkish Cypriots. But Burns said he told Papadopoulos the U.S. "wants to have a new beginning with the government of Cyprus."

"We believe it's very important that our two governments ... have a good, close relationship. And I told the President on behalf of our government we would create that climate for a new relationship," Burns said.

Papadapoulos blamed Turkish Cypriot leaders for the stalled talks, saying they were determined to revive the U.N. plan, which Greek Cypriots argued would solidify the island's division through its constitutional provisions.

Turkey has 40,000 troops in the Turkish Cypriot north and has refused to implement a 2005 agreement to open its ports to trade with Cyprus, complicating its bid to join the European Union. Turkey says it will not implement the agreement until the EU lives up to its commitment to lift a trade embargo on the Turkish Cypriot community.

Another dispute arose between the two countries this month when Cyprus started auctioning off oil exploration rights in a 27,000-square mile area off the coast of Cyprus. Turkey claims it also has legal rights in the area.