Britain says ‘stars beginning to align' for Cyprus

Momentum towards ending Cyprus's four-decade-old partition is building, and now is the right time for Greek and Turkish Cypriots to do a deal, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said on Thursday.

"The stars are beginning to align, but of course there are some very challenging issues," Hammond said after talks in Nicosia with the leaders of both communities. "There are lots of reasons why now is the right time to do this deal," Hammond said.