Turkish president dampens hopes for restarting talks on Cyprus’ 50-year ethnic split

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Turkey’s president has reaffirmed his commitment to a two-state peace deal for ethnically split Cyprus that Greek Cypriots have dismissed out-of-hand, again putting a damper on prospects for a quick resumption of talks to resolve the half-century-old conflict. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was speaking Saturday ahead of a military parade marking the 50th anniversary of Turkey’s invasion that divided the island along ethnic lines. He ruled out a peace deal based on a United Nations-endorsed plan for a federation composed of Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot zones that the two sides have been negotiating for decades.  The island’s Greek Cypriot president urged Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots to re-engage in reunification talks.