NICOSIA, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities negotiating in Geneva on an agreement to reunify the eastern Mediterranean island exchanged maps on territorial adjustments, a Cypriot government spokesman said on Wednesday.
Nicos Christodoulides told Cypriot journalists in a statement beamed live by state television that the maps were within the agreed parameters.
"Though there are elements in the maps on which we disagree, the exchange of maps is an important development because this is the first time in 42 years that the Turkish side accepted the principle of reducing the territory now occupied by Turkish troops," he said.
Christodoulides said the Turkish Cypriots proposed reducing the area under their control from 37 percent of the island's territory to 29.2 percent.
The Greek Cypriot map provided that the territory under Turkish Cypriot control be reduced to 28.2 percent so that about 90,000 out of 170,000 Greek Cypriots displaced could return to their homes and properties.
But Christodoulides said the Turkish Cypriot map was not in line with other criteria.
The maps will form the basis for further negotiations in Cyprus on territorial adjustments.
The significance of the exchange of maps is that the move opened the way for an international conference to take place on Thursday bringing together guarantor countries, Greece, Turkey, and Britain, to discuss security arrangements and modifications of the guarantees system.
Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci will be present at the conference scheduled to start at noon in Geneva, along with a high-level delegation of the European Union (EU).
Christodoulides said this was the first time that Turkey would discuss changes in the security and guarantees arrangements since Turkish troops occupied the northern part of the island in 1974, in reaction to a coup by the military rulers of Greece at the time.
The three guarantor countries will be represented by their foreign ministers, but an official of the Turkish government said there was a possibility of a conference at a head of government level, if this would be warranted by progress at Thursday's conference.
The conference will be opened by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who also invited UN Security Council members to be at hand though they would not be directly involved at this stage.
UN Secretary-General's special adviser on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide, said earlier on Wednesday that despite initial misgivings, the Cyprus negotiations were on track after major progress was made during the last 48 hours.
