A plan to transfer authority over northern Cypriot ports to the UN has emerged from frantic diplomatic efforts to resolve a stand-off between the EU and Turkey.
The move, being canvassed by EU officials, is designed to help avoid a breakdown in talks over Ankara's bid to join the EU. But it could also help to heal the 30-year rift over the divided Mediterranean island.
The crisis stems from the EU's insistence that Turkey lift a ban on Greek Cypriot-registered ships and planes entering its ports and airports. Ankara has refused to do so unless there is an easing of the economic blockade on northern Cyprus, which is not internationally recognised.
Under the proposals being discussed, the UN could control key northern Cypriot ports, such as Famagusta. Goods would be shipped with UN paperwork and customs declarations, rather than those of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus - which are anaethema to the official Cypriot government in Nicosia. The new arrangements could give Turkey enough of a concession to lift a ban on Greek Cypriot ships and planes.
Detailed proposals concerning control of ports have yet to be put forward and the Cypriot government is likely to be suspicious. It could come under pressure from other EU member states not to obstruct the plan.
One EU diplomat confirmed that UN control of Turkish Cypriot ports is seen as a potential solution to the looming crisis with Ankara. The issue is coming to a head because Turkey is being threatened with suspension of its EU membership talks in the autumn unless ports are opened to all EU vessels.
Earlier this year the EU's commissioner for enlargement, Olli Rehn, warned of an imminent "train crash" in Europe's relations with Turkey, demanding that it implement its promise to extend a customs union to all EU member states, including Cyprus, which joined the bloc in 2004.
But Turkey points to the EU's failure to honour a political pledge to ease the plight of the northern Cypriots. That was given after the north of the island voted in a referendum to accept a UN plan to reunite the island, which was divided in 1974 when Turkey invaded after an attempted coup in favour of union with Athens.
In Ankara the mood is increasingly hardline and the Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has little room for manoeuvre in the run-up to Turkish elections.
With many politicians in Germany, France and Austria hostile to Turkish membership of the EU, many Turks believe that they will never be allowed to join the bloc. EU officials are concerned that the pace of internal reform in Turkey is slowing. Formal membership talks with Ankara began in October last year after the UK, which then held the presidency of the EU, managed to overcome objections from several countries led by Austria.
But earlier this year the negotiations were almost derailed when the Cyprus issue reared its head.
THE INDEPENDENT 16/08/06
Why is Cyprus back in the news?
The status of the Mediterranean island has been a running sore since 1974 when it was divided between the Greek Cypriot-controlled south and the Turkish Cypriot-dominated north. But now the row has embroiled the EU, threatening to scupper talks on Turkey's bid to join the EU. The Greek-controlled, and officially-recognised, Republic of Cyprus joined the EU in 2004. That means Turkey must open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot boats and planes. Ankara says it will only do so if the EU agrees to honour a pledge to end the economic isolation of Northern Cyprus.
So what is Northern Cyprus?
The self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus occupies just 37 per cent of the island. But that includes some of its most beautiful and unspoiled scenery. Many foreigners have fallen in love with the north, including Lawrence Durrell. Northern Cyprus is recognised only by one country - Turkey - and has been economically-isolated since the 1970s. There are no direct flights from the UK. But while the southern part of the island has seen mass tourism take off, the north retains an undeveloped charm. Its population is around 200,000 although many Turkish Cypriots who emigrated have been replaced by settlers from Anatolia. One well-known resident is Asil Nadir, the fugitive tycoon who fled there from fraud charges in Britain in 1993.
What caused the island's division?
On 15 July 1974 the military government in Athens supported a coup by Greek Cypriot army officers seeking to achieve 'enosis' or union with Greece. Five days later Turkey sent in troops with the aim of protecting the Turkish Cypriot community and heading off the possibility of a unified Greece and Cyprus. The soldiers have never returned. In all, about 160,000 Greek Cypriots fled to the south while around 50,000 Turkish Cypriots moved north. The result was that the island was divided along a line stretching from Morphou in the west through Nicosia to Farmagusta with a mined buffer zone patrolled by UN peacekeepers. Cypriots can now cross the green line but it remains both a practical barrier and a symbol of division. On either side there are several miles of derelict buildings, untouched since their occupants fled in 1974.
Why has Northern Cyprus become a magnet for Brits?
Many Brits cannot resist a bargain home in the sun and, with the economy in the doldrums, prices are low in Northern Cyprus. As many as 6,000 Britons may have piled in. For the homesick, Northern Cyprus offers a British pub, several UK-run restaurants and no need to speak anything other than English. For those gambling that reunification will never happen, property on an idyllic Mediterranean island comes cheap. The hitch is that, if a deal is done to reunify Cyprus, property deeds may become worthless as those who owned the land before 1974 reclaim it.
Is there a plan to resolve the dispute?
None other than the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has put together a proposal for the re-unification of the island. This would see a united Cyprus run as two Swiss-style cantons. There would be a right of return for Greek Cypriots, a symbolic, alternating presidency, and cash to compensate some of those who agreed to waive property rights. Though it was rejected by the Greek Cypriots in 2003 it remains the basis for any potential settlement.
The UN might also be able to help lift the economic blockade on Northern Cyprus by taking over administration of its ports and airports. This would mean goods could be exported without a Turkish Cypriot customs stamp - something the Greek Cypriots cannot accept. This could persuade Ankara to accept Greek Cypriot ships and planes. Such a solution would avoid a crisis in Turkish EU membership talks and help the political climate in Cyprus.
Which side is the real obstacle?
Under its intransigent and bombastic former leader Rauf Denktash, Northern Cyprus came to be seen as an international pariah. Mr Denktash scuppered hopes of a UN peace deal in 2003. Then things changed. A year ago his people voted "yes" in a referendum on the UN plan, which would have brought them back into the international fold and catapulted them into the EU. But the Greek Cypriots rejected it, knowing they had already been guaranteed a place in the EU anyway. Seen from the west, Mehmet Ali Talat, the Turkish Cypriot leader, is more personable than his hardline Greek Cypriot counterpart, Tassos Papadopoulos. The trouble is that that Mr Papadopoulos's country is a full EU member.
How is Northern Cyprus coping with isolation?
With difficulty. With few opportunities at home many young people have emigrated. There are now said to be more genuine Turkish Cypriots in London than in Cyprus. Cut off from the rest of the world, the economy is reliant on trade with Turkey and some tourism. Under Mr Denktash a strong culture of cronyism developed. When the Turkish Cypriots voted "yes" in their referendum on unification the EU promised to help. But European plans for direct trade and financial aid to Northern Cyprus have been blocked by the Greek Cypriots.
If even Bosnia can resolve its problems, why not Cyprus?
Land remains at the heart of the impasse. On a small island almost everyone either has a grievance over property, or knows someone who has. The best chance to resolve the crisis was in 2003 - before Cyprus was told it could join the EU. Brussels then had leverage over the Cypriots because EU membership could have been conditional on Greek Cypriot support for a united Cyprus. But the former Turkish Cypriot leader Mr Denktash let his Greek-Cypriot adversaries off the hook by vetoing the Annan plan. Now the Greek Cypriots hold most of the cards and know they need make few compromises.
The one factor that could persuade the Republic to compromise is the thought of the profits from developing tourism in Northern Cyprus if they could retrieve property and be allowed to invest there.
Can agreement ever be reached on northern Cyprus?
Yes...
* A workable UN plan in already on the table and has been supported by one side
* The EU wants a deal and will put pressure on the Greek Cypriots to accept it
* More than three decades has past since the island's division, giving time for memories to fade
No...
* The land row has been complicated by an influx of Turkish settlers and other foreigners who now occupy property
* Now in the EU, the Greek Cypriots hold too many cards and see no need to compromise
* The one historic chance to close a deal was in 2003 - and ther opportunity was missed
The process is an instrument for a comprehensive
settlement
The Presidency has stated that the
process which started following the 8th July dated decision is
viewed as a means of reaching a comprehensive settlement through negotiations
relating to the substance of the Cyprus Issue.
In his weekly press conference,
Presidential Spokesman Hasan Erçakıca reminded that the 31 July dated list
including the issues of substance of the Turkish Cypriot side and the non-paper
documents have been prepared and submitted to the Greek Cypriot side and added
that in order to reach a comprehensive settlement without any more delay, the
negotiations concerning the substance of the problem must commence.
Spokesman Erçakıca pointing out
that all the relevant parties acknowledged all the elements relating to a
comprehensive settlement during the negotiations carried out until today, said
that “There is no obstacle for the negotiations regarding the substance, to
start”.
Saying that the technical committees
which, by now, were supposed to start working on the day-to-day issues
following the exchange of the list of issues of substance by the end of July,
Erçakıca stated that “At this point we think these committees should start
working immediately. As it will be recalled, it was decided that these
committees were to work on issues that cannot be postponed until a settlement
is reached and effect the lives of people in a negative way. We think there is
no need for these issues to be delayed any longer.”
All the proceedings concerning the financial assistance, should be
carried out by the EU Office in Northern Cyprus
The Presidential Spokesman Hasan
Erçakıca said that they would support this effort provided that all the
proceedings concerning the financial assistance, which will be provided to the
Turkish Cypriots by the EU, are carried out by the office in Northern Cyprus.
Referring to the statement by the EU
Representative in Cyprus, Themis Themistocleous, in which he said opening of an
office in North Cyprus is not considered, Erçakıca said that “It is proved
once again that it was such an incorrect decision to appoint Themis
Themistocleous as the EU Commission official who is making statements not as
the representative of the EU but as if he is the representative of the Greek
Cypriot Administration.”
Spokesman Erçakıca explained
that GTZ is a German company which carries out the logistic affairs of the EU
Commission and therefore, the status of the GTZ company related to the EU
Assistance Office, which will be opened within the framework of the Regulation
concerning the Financial Assistance, is not special to the TRNC.
Pointing out to the EU Commission
official, Alessandra Viezzer’s statements concerning the opening of the office
of the EU Assistance Program in Northern Cyprus, with the purpose of providing
financial assistance for the Turkish Cypriots, Erçakıca said that “As it
can be seen, two different officials of the EU can say two opposite things.
This contradiction once more proves how incorrect it was to appoint a Greek Cypriot
as the EU Commission Representative to Cyprus, which has not yet reached a
settlement itself.
Participation of Cyprus to the peace operation is a paradox
Presidential Spokesman Hasan
Erçakıca said that it is a “meaningful paradox” for Cyprus to participate
in other peace operations while Cyprus itself has peace forces on the island
and it is a country which could not have overcome its own problems yet.
Spokesman Erçakıca said “It
will only be possible to eliminate these paradoxes by reaching a settlement to
the Cyprus Issue”. He also added that we, as the Turkish Cypriot side want an
urgent and just settlement to the Cyprus Issue and Cyprus to become a center of
stability and peace in the region.
Erçakıca underlining that Greek
Cypriot Army of National Guards is an illegal organization of aggression
reiterated that its involvement to the Lebanon Peace Forces would cast a shadow
to the legality of this force.
TRNC PRESIDENT’S OFFICE