Constitutional features of the UN plan for Cyprus and its antecedents

Abstract:

This study first contrasts the constitutional features of the April 2004 UN Plan for a Cyprus settlement with earlier UN proposals. Analysis of the Plan shows how it bypasses the two existing states in the formation of a federation, and how the constitution is influenced by the adoption of some features from the Belgian and Swiss constitutions. The constitutional settlement is seen to favour the Greek Cypriots, despite their overwhelming rejection of the Plan as a whole. Though now difficult to revive, the Plan is still considered to be 'on the table' by the international community. The EU is meanwhile considering ways to relieve the isolation of the North.