Tuesday, 14 July 2009Since joining the European Union in 2004, Cyprus has enjoyed the benefits that come with such a partnership. Unfortunately, this cannot be said for the whole of the island. The Turkish Cypriots still face economic and political isolation and despite promises, there is no direct trade with Northern Cyprus where the Turkish Cypriot community resides.
This past September, after a four-year respite, Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat and Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias have re-opened the U.N. sponsored unification talks that aim to end the division of the island.
However, due to the intricate nature of the issues being discussed, including territorial adjustments and power sharing, little progress has occurred.
On Monday, President Talat expressed his desire to reach an agreement by the end of this year but his counterpart, President Christofias maintains that the process remains open-ended. Nonetheless, Talat said that progress in certain areas, such as peace negotiations, were successful while other areas posed difficulty.
At a joint conference with the Turkish Cypriot leader, Turkish President Abdullah Gül was quoted by the state-run Anatolian Agency as saying, "Our sincere wish is that the leaders would reach a lasting settlement in their talks, and as part of this settlement, a referendum would be held by the end of this year."
Turkish Cypriots are also asking that Turkey be able to guarantee the island's security under any new peace deal; however, on Monday, Christofias rejected that proposal arguing that Greek Cypriots do not want the island to fall under the guardianship of a third party.
Fatma Yilmaz Elmas, a European Union studies researcher at the International Strategic Research Organization, believes that reunification is possible and that President Talat will proceed with negotiations no matter what setbacks he might face. Elmas argues that, "The Turks want to see sincerity from the Greek side, but at the moment, Christofias seems to say one thing to the international community and another to Cypriots."
However, she remains positive on the issue stating that both seem to support a solution. She adds that, "The sincerity and confidence building intentions along with the steps being taken are equally in need of positive reactions. Since both Northern Cyprus and Turkey are fatigued, the process must be supported by a feasible future. Otherwise, the Cyprus issue could possibly be directed into other channels in order to be solved. Such negativities, like another non-solution after the fiasco of the Annan Plan could lead to increased integration between Turkey and the TRNC or an acceleration of the independence process in pursuance of recognition. Unfortunately, each of these options could leave the TRNC out of the process."
The division has delayed Turkey's EU membership bid since they will not open seaports and airports to Greek Cypriot traffic. This act of retaliation has been justified by some supporters of reunification.
The island has been divided since 1974, when Turkey, in response to the Greek military junta-backed coup, staged a military intervention on the island.
By Stacy Maruskin (JTW) |
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
By Stacy Maruskin, JTW
|
|
