Turkish Cypriot Chief Visits State Department
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WASHINGTON —
Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash met Friday with Deputy Secretary of State Lawrence S. Eagleburger, but both the State Department and the Greek Cypriot government denied any shift toward recognition of the self-declared state.
The officials stressed the informal nature of the meeting, held over lunch in a State Department dining room.
The sensitivity over the meeting is a reflection of the bitter conflict between the Mediterranean island’s Greek majority and the Turkish minority, which has defied resolution for 26 years.
It is the first time Denktash has visited the State Department since he declared a breakaway state in the northern part of Cyprus six years ago. Only Turkey, which has provided 30,000 troops to the Turkish Cypriots, has recognized the state.
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