Cyprus' 'missing men' discussed

NICOSIA, Cyprus -- Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders are discussing the fate of more than 2,000 people who have disappeared since fighting began on the island in 1964.

It is the first time the leaders have dedicated a whole meeting to the issue.

President Glafcos Clerides, the Greek Cypriot leader, and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash agreed to tackle the long-festering issue in an effort to smooth the way for a new round of peace talks sponsored by the United Nations due to start next Wednesday.

The two met for 40 minutes on Friday in the U.N. buffer zone on the island.

A protest involving women dressed in black and holding photographs of their missing husbands and sons stood outside the conference building.

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Denktash said before the meeting: "We agreed to discuss the issue of the missing with good intentions, because there's pressure on Clerides, and we wanted to help out."

The failure to account for the missing persons is a cause of enduring bitterness on the island.

Denktash said there were 803 missing Turkish Cypriots -- many of whom disappeared in the intercommunal clashes of 1964.

"We take this initiative today to solve this issue from a humanitarian perspective, and God willing we will succeed," Denktash added.

Greek Cypriots say about 1,600 members of their community are missing.

Rumours continue to circulate that Greek Cypriots are being kept in prisons on the Turkish mainland, something that Turkey has always denied.

An intercommunal committee created to investigate the missing people has never found evidence that any of the missing men are alive.

Greek Cypriots complain that the Turkish side has failed to do enough to determine the fate of its missing.

Denktash maintains that both sides should regard their missing people as dead and the issue should be closed.