Rival Cypriot leaders were to start grappling yesterday with the thorny issues that have kept the Mediterranean island divided for 34 years, in what is seen as the best chance of peace in years.
Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met last week for what the UN described as the “historic” launch of official negotiations after several years of stalemate.
Reunification of the island, which has been divided since Turkish forces invaded its northern third in 1974, is vital to Turkey’s bid to join the EU.
Christofias, a Greek Cypriot who heads the internationally recognized government of Cyprus, and Talat are expected to meet at least once a week in a bid to find a settlement.
COMPLEX PROCESS
“The complex and challenging process of finding a negotiated settlement of the Cyprus problem has started in earnest,” UN chief of mission Taye-Brook Zerihoun said on Wednesday. “The road ahead will be pot-holed and sometimes perilous, but it does not look blocked.”
“Pursuit of the greater good of the people of Cyprus is key to overcoming past rancour and division, and in ushering in a new era of cooperation, prosperity and peace based on respect for diversity and shared principles,” he said.
Yesterday’s talks were to initially focus on power-sharing and administrative issues but a war of words has clouded the feel-good climate — highlighting sharp differences on the issues of security, territory and Turkish settlers.
Turkey has always insisted on retaining the right to intervene under the treaties signed with Britain and Greece that gave the island independence in 1960, and it retains at least 30,000 troops on the island.
Greek Cypriots want to scrap the intervention rights, saying Cyprus should be free of all foreign troops, although Christofias says he is willing to compromise on the settler question by allowing 50,000 Turks to remain.
The negotiations launched on Sept. 3 mark the first major push for peace since the failure of a UN plan in 2004, and the UN has warned that the process cannot go on indefinitely without tangible progress.
Christofias said last week that reaching an agreement “would not be an easy job,” while Talat has expressed hope for a solution as soon as possible.
“My vision was to finish the negotiations by the end of this year and I believe it is possible,” he said in Brussels on Wednesday.
PUBLIC POLL
However, a poll of 600 people in the Greek Cypriot Simerini newspaper on Sunday found that 60 percent believed the leaders would not reach an agreement, and 41 percent thought the conflict would never be resolved.
UN special envoy Alexander Downer has visited both Athens and Ankara to ensure all parties are engaged in the process.
Preparatory talks at committee level since March have been accompanied by confidence-building measures, notably the opening of a crossing in Ledra Street linking south and north in the symbolic heart of old Nicosia.
The UN’s 2004 reunification blueprint was approved by Turkish Cypriots but overwhelmingly rejected by Greek Cypriots just a week before the island joined the EU, leaving only Greek Cypriots enjoying the full benefits of EU membership.
Any deal will have to be sold again to the two communities in simultaneous referendums.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when tens of thousands of Turkish troops occupied its northern third in response to an Athens-engineered Greek Cypriot coup seeking union with Greece. The breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was declared in 1983, but is recognized only by Ankara.
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