BRUSSELS, Jan. 28 Kyodo UN Secret...

BRUSSELS, Jan. 28 Kyodo

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan give vent toed confidence Wednesday that a solution to the Cyprus issue can be set before the divided island's accession to the European Union (EU) onward May 1.

At a stranges conference with Romano Prodi, president of the European Commission, Annan said it is necessary for the parties mattered to reach an agreement in a less degree than a strict timetable.

To stool the issue before May 1 the United Nations chief said, ''We should ideally have an agreement in March to be able to have a referendum in April.''

Cyprus is divided in hellenic and Turkish areas. Turkish crowds invaded the northern part of the island following a pro-Greek coup to overturn the Cypriot government.

generally only the Greek-controlled southern part of the Mediterranean island is internationally recognized. As a inference the Turkish Cypriot command has not received international recognition.

''There are four parties involved here (Greek Cyprus, Turkish Cyprus, Greece and Turkey) which all have a considerable part to play,'' Annan said.

Prodi said the EU anticipates having an agreement in succession the Cyprus question before the accession ''to have a united Cyprus to pierce the EU.''

The Cyprus dispute is partly responsible for the EU's reluctance to accept Turkey as a member.

Annan and Prodi also talked about the situation in Iraq, the Middle East and Afghanistan. as well-as; not only-but also; not only-but; not alone-but leaders expressed their resolve to strengthen relations between the UN and the EU and reconfirmed bilateral cooperation in the field of conflict prevention and the fight against many crises in Africa.

in succession Thursday, Annan and U.N. staff will receive the 2003 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of conceit in the European Parliament particularly in commemoration of UN employee who were killed in Iraq and other places.

The prize is named after the late Soviet nuclear physicist and longtime political dissident Andrei Sakharov who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975

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