Athens/Nicosia - Rival leaders seeking a solution to reunify
the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus will begin discussion of
European Union issues next week, United Nations officials said
Thursday.
Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot
leader Mehmet Ali Talat completed weeks of talks in the settlement of
the property issue, which includes the exchange of properties,
compensation and how properties might be returned.
'They have now referred the matter (on property) to the
representatives to consider, in tandem with other issues, including
governance and confidence building measures,' said Special
Representative of the UN Secretary General Taye-Brook Zerihoun.
He said the two leaders would move on to EU matters in their next
meeting on March 11.
Turkish Cypriots are proposing to exchange or compensate
properties belonging to Greek Cypriots situated in its territory and
to return them under certain conditions. The Greek Cypriot
government, however, argues that the property decision is one that
should be made by the owners.
The eastern Mediterranean island has been split since 1974 into a
Greek Cypriot south and Turkish Cypriot controlled north. Turkey
invaded the northern third of Cyprus in response to a short-lived
coup initiated by the military junta then ruling Greece.
At the time, 160,000 Greek Cypriots and 40,000 Turkish Cypriots
were uprooted from their settlements and forced to seek shelter in
opposite ends of the island.
This has led to property disputes where thousands of individuals
stake a claim to land and homes seized decades ago.
Despite the enthusiasm that greeted a new round of UN-led direct
negotiations in September following a four-year stalemate, weekly
talks between Christofias and Talat failed to produce a breakthrough
in 2008.
Although a settlement has been thwarted for decades, mediators are
optimistic that Christofias and Talat will broker a deal within the
year. Any deal will need to be approved by Cypriots in separate,
simultaneous referendums.
The two sides have agreed in principle to a settlement based on a
federation, but the Turkish Cypriots want a loose federation, while
the Greek Cypriots want a stronger central government and more
limited regional powers which will prevent the island falling back
into partition.
There is disagreement on whether a bi-zonal federation would
permit free movement or try to enforce the ethnic majorities in the
north and the south.
The ongoing conflict in Cyprus also threatens Turkey's aspirations
of joining the EU. Ankara started EU entry talks in 2005, but the
Cyprus problem has proved one of the main stumbling blocks in
negotiations.
USA
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