16/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - At the meeting of the joint EU/Cyprus Parliamentary Committee in Brussels on 9/10 October, Commissioner Verheugen signalled that the Commission would like the problem of the partition of the island to be settled before Cyprus joins the EU, although this is not a membership criterion. He regretted that the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, turned down the invitation from the United Nations Secretary General to reopen negotiations under the auspices of the UN....