Cyprus: Status of U.N. Negotiations

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In some cases hyperlinks allows you to access all versions of a report, including the latest. Note that many reports are periodically updated.Cyprus has been divided since 1974. Greek Cypriots, nearly 80% of the population, live in the southern two thirds of the island. Turkish Cypriots live in the ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ (recognized only by Turkey), with about 30,000 Turkish troops providing security. U.N. peacekeeping forces maintain a buffer zone between the two. Since the late 1970s, the U.N., with U.S. support, has promoted negotiations aimed at creating a federal, bicommunal, bizonal republic on Cyprus. The two sides would pledge not to move toward union with any other country. This reflects concerns that Greek Cypriots would like to unite with Greece and that Turkish Cypriots seek to partition the island, linking the north to Turkey.

The Secretary General’s April 5, 1992 ‘Set of Ideas’ is a framework for negotiations for an overall settlement. The Security Council implied Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denk tash’s responsibility for their failure and called for confidence-building measures (CBMs). Glafcos Clerides was elected president of the Republic of Cyprus in February 1993. Subsequent talks focused on CBMs. Denktash failed to return to talks on June 14, 1993. Both sides eventually accepted CBMs in principle, but did not agree on Secretary General’s proposed method for recording clarifications.

A January 4, 1997 confirmation that Greek Cypriots would acquire Russian S-300 missiles prompted the United States to deplore the purchase and Turkey to threaten military action to prevent deployment and to bond closer to Turkish Cyprus. The missiles were the focus of intense crisis prevention efforts. On December 29, 1998, Clerides decided not to deploy the missiles on Cyprus.

The prospect of Cyprus’s Europe and Union accession triggered heightened international attention to Cyprus and complicated settlement efforts. The U.N. hosted inconclusive talks between Clerides and Denktash in July and August 1997. Denktash demanded that the TRNC be recognized as a state equal to the Greek-Cypriot side in a confederation. He concluded a declaration of partial integration with Turkey to parallel Cyprus’s integration with the EU.

In June 1999, the G-8 group of industrialized countries and Russia suggested that the Secretary General invite the parties to negotiations in fall 1999. Clerides and Denktash participated in five rounds of U.N.-mediated proximity (indirect) talks beginning in December 1999. On November 8, 2000, the Secretary General gave the two leaders his ‘observations’ on substance and procedure. In reaction, Denktash withdrew from talks until two separate states were recognized. Denktash and Clerides met on Cyprus on December 4, 2001, and agreed to hold direct talks beginning January 16, 2002. They have met many times since January 21, with one break for a Muslim religious holiday.

Members of Congress have urged the Administration to be more active, although they have not proposed an alternative to the U.N.-sponsored talks. Some Members seek increased pressure on Turkey to withdraw its troops from Cyprus.

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