Cyprus: Status of U.N. Negotiations and Related Issues

Abstract

Cyprus has been divided since 1974. Greek Cypriots, 76% of the population, live in the southern two-thirds of the island. Turkish Cypriots, 19% of the populace, live in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), recognized only by Turkey, with 36,000 Turkish troops providing security. United Nations (UN) peacekeeping forces maintain a buffer zone between the two. Since the late 1970s, the UN, with U.S. support, has promoted negotiations aimed at reuniting the island as a federal, bicommunal, bizonal republic. The UN Secretary General's Apr 5, 1992, "Set of Ideas" was a major, but unsuccessful, framework for negotiations for an overall settlement. Next, both sides accepted UN confidence-building measures only in principle and they were not implemented. The prospect of Cyprus's European Union (EU) accession and its eventual membership intensified and complicated settlement efforts. After five rounds of UN-mediated proximity talks beginning in Dec 1999, Secretary General Kofi Annan presented observations on substance and procedure on Nov 8, 2000, leading Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash to withdraw from the talks for a year. Denktash and (Greek) Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides finally met on Dec 4, 2001 and agreed to begin direct talks on Jan 16, 2002. On Nov 11, 2002, Annan submitted a comprehensive settlement Plan based on Swiss and Belgian government models, but the two sides did not agree on it. Annan announced on Mar 11, 2003 that his efforts had failed. Cyprus signed an accession treaty to join the EU on Apr 16. The Dec 14, 2003, Turkish Cypriot parliamentary elections in northern Cyprus produced a new government determined to reach a settlement. The UN led new negotiations from Feb 19-Mar 22, 2004, and again they failed. Talks continued in Switzerland, and Annan presented a final, revised Plan on Mar 31. In referenda on Apr 24, 76% of Greek Cypriot voters rejected the Plan, while 65% of Turkish Cypriot voters accepted it.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 20, 2007
Accession Number
ADA471798

Entities

People

  • Carol Migdalovitz

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

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  • Agreements
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  • Department Of State
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  • European Union
  • Governments
  • International Organizations
  • Law
  • Military Personnel
  • National Governments
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  • Negotiations
  • New York
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Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • International Relations and Conflict Resolution
  • International Relations and European Studies