Cyprus crisis
July 30, 2009
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops launched an invasion on July 20 in response to a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at a union with Greece. International observers regard the current negotiations between the Greek and the Turkish Cypriot leaders as a last chance for a diplomatic solution.
Much of the current debate around the split has focused on diplomatic efforts to bring together the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides. But in the streets of the southern Republic of Cyprus - controlled by Greek Cypriots - and in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus there is still a feeling of distrust of the other side, says Christoph Ramm, a Cyprus expert from the University of Bochum.
"There is still a mistrust about the true intentions the leaders of both parts are pursuing," Ramm told Deutsche Welle. "So Greek Cypriots are very much suspicious of the role of the Turkish army in northern Cyprus, while Turkish Cypriots see the Turkish soldiers as a guarantee for their security."
Ramm says that about two thirds of ordinary Greek and Turkish Cypriots support a solution of some kind, but that what they mean by a solution differs between the groups. He says the Greeks want a unitary state with a strong central government, while for Turkish Cypriots, a two-state solution is the preferred model.
"So the main aim for the Greek Cypriots is to get the Turkish occupation of the northern part ended, while for the Turkish Cypriots it's an improvement of their economic situation, and the end of their internationally isolated status."
Cooperation possible
Greek Cypriot Bambos Papageorgiou, who is a researcher at the European University in Cyprus, told Deutsche Welle that despite these differences a compromise deal is possible.
"There is a lot of time passed from violent events in the history of Cyprus, and there is no real hatred or extreme animosity. Greek and Turkish Cypriots have many things in common, so it's not impossible for them to cooperate," he says.
"(For Greek Cypriots) the ideal solution is to have a unified state and this is understandable in the sense that they constitute the majority here on the island. The second solution, which is a compromise solution, is a federation.
"I think people are very pessimistic in both communities. The problem is very difficult for the United Nations as well. If they decide to interfere in a more drastic way, that is by imposing a solution, a solution like that will fail. On the other hand, if they don't take an active role, negotiations may take quite a lot of time to materialize. But generally people are not very optimistic."
Ultranationalist minority
Efforts at cooperation have so far been unable to resolve differences over power-sharing, property lost in the war and the future of the 35,000 Turkish troops still stationed in the breakaway north. Turkish Cypriot bi-communal activist Serdar Atai told Deutsche Welle that these aren't the only factors fuelling suspicion of the other side.
"There is anger of course for past atrocities, in both communities, but it also comes from the teaching material in school books. Our side, we read these school text books, and so did Greek Cypriots until very recently," he says.
"And in the north there are some ultranationalist associations who are trying to keep this anger. There also is a kind of association in the south which is ultranationalist and these people are feeding the communities with this anger and ultranationalism."
Jaco Cilliers, who manages the United Nations cooperation program in Cyprus, told Deutsche Welle that while there is a degree of cooperation between the two communities on the island, there is still a great need for ordinary citizens to do more to bridge the gap between the two groups.
"Although there are opportunities for people to cross and interact with the other community there really aren't any good opportunities for them to engage in longer-term relationship building or real practical projects," he says.
Negotiations between the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south, which is part of the European Union, and the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north have so far shown a lot of goodwill, but little progress. Experts say that the longer those talks drag on, the more Cypriots from both sides will lose faith in a compromise solution.
Author: Darren Mara
Editor: Neil King