A historic effort to end the division of Cyprus was to begin in earnest yesterday when Greek and Turkish community leaders resume reunification talks ahead of a high-stakes multilateral conference, the first since the island’s partition 43 years ago.
After 18 months of intensive negotiations to settle inter-ethnic divisions, attempts to finesse the details of a peace deal will see Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Northern Cypriot President Mustafa Akinci pore over maps and discuss territorial trade-offs before tackling the potentially explosive issue of security.
For an island the finer skills of peacemakers has long eluded, the talks are seen as a defining moment in the arduous process of resolving what has long been regarded as the Rubik’s Cube of diplomacy.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called this week a historic opportunity.
In Nicosia, officials on both sides of the buffer zone spoke of “the best and last chance” for a settlement.
Other experts described the talks as the endgame.
“This is the final phase of the final phase,” said Hubert Faustmann, a professor of history and political science at the University of Nicosia. “It will be the first time since 1974 that Turkey and the Greek Cypriots will hold direct talks at the negotiating table.”
A week of fierce horse-trading lies ahead before Greece, Turkey and Britain, the former colonial power — the island’s three guarantors under its post-independence constitution — convene on Thursday to address the issues of troop presence and security in an envisioned federation.
Both are seen as crucial to ensuring 1974 is never repeated.
“It is a classical final stage of negotiation,” said Faustmann. “Issues that neither side could agree on and have been kept pending will now be interlinked.”
The commitment to a settlement shown by Anastasiades and Akinci has helped to raise hopes. The two men have shown a rare moderation, with some tracing their desire for a solution to their shared heritage as sons of the southern city of Limassol.
Like Akinci, Anastasiades has memories of coexistence and believes time will only work against reunification.
At a time of unprecedented uncertainty in Europe and growing global volatility, the need for a good news story has also added impetus. From Washington to Ankara there is recognition that a deal would bring stability to the wider region.
The prospect of Greeks and Turks, Christians and Muslims cooperating in the continent’s eastern corner would, say officials, send a powerful message and be a beacon of hope.
Acknowledging a settlement will help set the tone for this year with Turkey and Britain agreeing at the weekend that a solution would be a game changer.
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