Faced with the failure of the Greek and Turkish Cypriots to agree on how to reunify their little island, the UN has called up the big guns.
Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis was due to arrive at the talks, in the Swiss mountain resort of Buergenstock, yesterday afternoon -- the fifth day in the final and decisive round of UN-sponsored talks.
His Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will arrive today. Envoys from the US, Britain, Russia and the EU also are trying to find a solution that will satisfy both parties before Cyprus joins the EU on May 1.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived yesterday and spent the day putting the finishing touches to the latest draft of his plan for the reunification of Cyprus. Officials said Annan would hand over the document of more than 1,000 pages to the four delegations at the talks -- Greece, Turkey and the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities -- likely yesterday.
The four parties met for lunch on Saturday, although they have not yet held a formal meeting. Delegations spent the day quietly and didn't brief reporters.
Greek and Turkish Cypriots have blamed one another for the deadlock, with both saying the other side is trying to impose unacceptable conditions on any deal.
EU leaders said on Friday they were ready to "accommodate" the outcome of the UN-led negotiations on a plan for reunification, provided it complies with EU principles -- an important move since the current plan would need a change to basic EU law.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said he was glad to hear that.
"It is unacceptable that an agreement between two sides could be destroyed by the will of another party," he told reporters.
He said there could be no settlement acceptable to his side without the change in EU law.
Cyprus has been split into the Greek Cypriot-controlled south and the occupied north since Turkey invaded in 1974 in the wake of an abortive coup by supporters of union with Greece. The breakaway state is only recognized by Turkey, which maintains 40,000 troops there.
The UN has put forward a plan that would create a federation of two states -- one Greek and the other Turkish -- with a loose central government.
The biggest problem is whether 180,000 Greek Cypriots who fled or were forced from their homes in the north following the 1974 occupation will be allowed to go back.
The Turkish side wants only a limited return. The UN has proposed a compromise that would see 100,000 people allowed to go back.
But even that has problems because in the EU, people have the right to live and own property wherever they like -- especially within their own country. Limiting returns would mean making an exception to basic EU laws, which the Greek side opposes and which may also be unacceptable to other EU countries.
If the negotiators don't agree on the plan by March 31, Annan will finish it himself. Either way, the proposal will go to separate referendums in each of the communities on April 20. If either side rejects it, Cyprus won't be reunited by the time it joins the EU on May 1, and EU laws will only apply to the Greek Cypriot part of the island.
Reunification and consequent membership in the EU has huge potential benefits for the Turkish Cypriot community, where the per capita income is barely one-fifth of that of the Greek side. It also likely would increase the chances that Turkey could soon realize its ambition to join the EU.
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