Coming to Terms: The prospects and policies for (re)unifying Cyprus under a New Constitution (original) (raw)

Abstract

Cyprus, a small island in the Mediterranean, with a presence of Greek and Turkish populations, has been struggling ever since 1974 to reunify its two communities under one constitution. As a former British Colony, the 1960 Constitution gave independence under a Greek leadership with rights to the Turkish minority, however after an unsuccessful Greek driven coup to take over the island, the Turkish invasion of 1974 resulted in the island split de facto in half with a sovereign state under Greek leadership in the south and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the north, which however is not recognised by the International Community. Since then, unfruitful negotiations and unsuccessful attempts to reunify have been made for the island to retain its unity under one constitution. Subsequently, the first real attempt to reunify the island was made in 2004 with the UN-backed Annan Plani which was however rejected by the Greek-Cypriot side after a nation-wide referendum. Either way, one has to question what makes this long peaceful dispute, peaceful and different from other international cases. Evidently, Cyprus is a divided nation with only two ethnic communities, an EU member state and a core part of the geostrategic interests of Europe. It is situated in the eastern part of the Mediterranean and provides a source of stability in protecting European political and economic interests in the Middle East. Thus, paradoxically, Europe’s eastern part remains divided in a very unstable region and scholars have supported that the time has come to resolve one of Europe’s contemporary dispute. On the same note, the official position of the International Community remains a viable solution which will be a product of the reunification of the island under one constitution. However, over the past few years another proposal has surfaced asserting the fact that the Cyprus issue should not be resolved, and that silently and periodically the island of Cyprus should de facto host two countries rather than one. Currently, the Cyprus dispute does not only require a new Constitution, it requires coming to terms across issues in the talks that seem insoluble on their own. These include the multi-billion euro issue of compensation for restitution of Greek Cypriot properties after the Turkish invasion of 1974, involving perhaps three quarters of the territory of the Turkish Cypriot north; the future of immigrants from Turkey, the Turkish Cypriot wish (backed by Turkey) for a continued Turkish military guarantee; and the question of how much of the 37 per cent of the island now in Turkish hands will pass to the Greek Cypriots. In effect, the purpose of this paper will not be to present a solution for the latter issues but instead, by trying to take in account the interests of both sides regarding power sharing, it will assess the foundations for a viable Constitution of a reunified Cyprus which is fundamental in resolving the dispute. Moreover, it will support that the basic structural principles for a solution exist and that the Cyprus dispute can only be resolved if both negotiating sides exclude taboos from the negotiation process and agree on a quota power sharing in the executive, legislative and judicial levels of the new state.

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  1. Copyright © Greek Foreign Affairs Council. All rights reserved APPENDIX B CHRONOLOGY 1960 Cyprus granted independence from the UK, guaranteed by the UK, Greece and Turkey. 1963 Constitutional order breaks down, and Turkish Cypriots withdraw from government, never to return. Greek Cypriot attacks on Turkish Cypriots trigger intercommunal violence. 1964 UN deploys peacekeepers to protect Turkish Cypriots and head off a Turkish invasion. 1974 -After Athens-driven coup in Cyprus in pursuit of enosis (union) with Greece, Turkish troops invade. Europe and the U.S. impose political and military sanctions against Turkey. Turkish troops remain on the island occupying the north side. 1977 -First High-Level Agreement between Cyprus President Archbishop Makarios III and Turkish leader Rauf Denktash lays out basis for bicommunal, bizonal and federal solution. 1983 -September: collapse of peace effort by UN Secretary-General Perez de Cuellar. November: Turkish Cypriots unilaterally declare independence as Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. 1992-1993 -Rise and fall of UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali's "set of ideas". 2003 -February: Tassos Papadopoulos elected a s Greek Cypriot president. December: After advances by pro-solution Turkish Cypriot parties in election, Mehmet Ali Talat's Republican Turkish Party forms new government and, with support of pro- solution government in Turkey, becomes negotiator for a settlement. 2004 -24 April: Six years in the making, settlement plan sponsored by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is submitted and twin referendums are held. Accepted by 65 per cent of Turkish Cypriots, rejected by 76 per cent of Greek Cypriots. 1 May: The Republic of Cyprus enters the European Union 2005 -April: Talat is elected as the Turkish Cypriot president. Veteran hardliner Rauf Denktash steps down as Turkish Cypriot leader. Bibliography A. Books
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