New Chance for Cyprus to Reunite
Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders will today launch talks to reunite the divided island in what diplomats say is the best chance in decades to end a conflict threatening Turkey’s European Union aspirations.
Mediators are pinning hopes on two moderates — newly elected Greek Cypriot Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot Mehmet Ali Talat — for a realistic prospect of ending a feud that has long defied international efforts.
“This is the best chance on Cyprus in at least a generation,” a diplomat close to the talks, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Reuters. “Both leaders are genuinely committed for a deal, and that is what was lacking before.”
Both will need to steer through a legalistic and practical quagmire to reunite the island, divided in a 1974 Turkish military intervention triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup. Christofias was elected president in February, pledging to end the stonewalling tactics of his predecessor, Tassos Papadopoulos, who led his community to rejecting a UN reunification blueprint in a 2004 referendum. (click here for full article)
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