Reunified Cyprus back on agenda

By Andrew Beatty

Date: 21/04/05

HOPES are rising that talks to re-unite the island of Cyprus will soon be re-launched following the election of Mehmet Ali Talat as president of the self-styled Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on Sunday (17 April).

Talat, a former prime minister, won 55% of the vote, replacing long-time leader Rauf Denktash who was largely seen as an obstacle to a deal. In contrast, Talat has said his priority is to re-unite Cyprus and for the whole island to be part of the European Union.

His election was followed by announcements from Greek Cypriots that point to renewed interest in resolving the 30-year old conflict.

Early this week diplomats said that Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos would travel to London soon after the UK takes over the EU presidency in July.

This is a first signal of London's willingness to tackle the Cyprus problem during its stint at the helm of the EU, following Luxembourg's hesitance to engage.

One Greek Cypriot diplomat said that Papadopoulos' government had also recently asked UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan either to send a high-level envoy to the region or to invite the two sides to meet in New York to discuss steps forward.

Nicosia has rejected UN demands to list the changes it wants made to the Annan Plan which was rejected by Greek Cypriots in a referendum last year, saying such a move would prejudice the negotiations.

"Our objections are well known," said the diplomat.

Withdrawal of Turkish troops, the status of properties and the timetable for return of refugees are the main issues of concern. So too the mechanisms on how a unified Cyprus would function inside the EU institutions, including how to solve differences of opinion within the government of a united island when it is asked to vote in the Council of Ministers.

In a tactical shift, the Greek Cypriot side also appears to want the EU to play a bigger role in the resolution of the conflict.

"Up until now the role of the European Commission and the EU was marginal in the sense that it was on the sidelines advising in a rather non-binding manner on the compatibility of certain provisions with the acquis [the body of EU laws]," said the Greek Cypriot diplomat.

"Now things have changed in the sense that since last year Cyprus is a member state and any solution will have to function inside this context of membership of the Union."

The Commission looks ready to answer these calls. Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn is expected to travel to Cyprus in May and has recently appointed Jaakko Blomberg, a former Finnish envoy to Cyprus, to advise him on the issue.

But some remain sceptical as to Nicosia's intentions.

"They believe that they are more powerful in the EU," said Yalchin Vehit, the representative of Turkish Cyprus to the EU.

"They think that they can involve the EU and involve it on their side, which I think is a mistake," he added.

Article reports that hopes were rising that talks to re-unite the island of Cyprus would soon be re-launched following the election of Mehmet Ali Talat as President of the self-styled Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on 17 April 2005.

Talat, a former Prime Minister, won 55% of the vote, replacing long-time leader Rauf Denktash who was largely seen as an obstacle to a deal. In contrast, Talat said his priority was to re-unite Cyprus and for the whole island to be part of the European Union.