VIEW: So close, yet so far —Ansar Mahmood Bhatti
The EU committed a ‘mistake’ by admitting Greek Cyprus into the club as a member while the issue of reunification of the Island was still pending. This act of the EU had virtually put the Greeks in a better bargaining position
The Cyprus imbroglio, as is evident from the emerging scenario, is fast becoming a quagmire for the stakeholders who are unable to achieve any breakthrough despite some ‘serious efforts’ and even a popular vote. The predicament of countries having a direct stake in the issue mainly stems from their mutual disagreements and maybe their unwillingness to settle this long-standing dispute, just because a solution, and new system of governance to be evolved after the settlement, might disparage their political stature. Every time when leaders of both sides sit together to discuss the pros and also cons of this conflict, it appears as if the goal of reunification shall be achieved within months, if not days. Intriguingly, after some interactions, leaders as well as peoples of both sides become disenchanted and wary. Every time, this approach of nihilism drives them back to square one.
Though I did not come across any significant infrastructural changes on the Turkish side, since my last visit to the Island three years ago, this time there was an obvious change in the tone and tenor of the Turkish Cypriot people, most of them believing strongly they might not be able have a rapprochement with the South side, at least in the foreseeable future. Greatly indebted to motherland Turkey’s benevolence and patronage, people still think it is only Ankara that can help them salvage a deal provided the Turkish leadership is able to extract a deadline from the European Union (EU) and the UN, the two key players currently involved in a fence-mending exercise.
Needless to mention here that the Island, soon after its independence from Great Britain in 1960, was plunged into riots and uprisings that ultimately led to the intervention of Turkish forces in 1974 and division of the Island into two, the North inhibited by Turkish Cypriots and the South by the Greeks. Turkish Cyprus declared independence on November 15, 1983 and was immediately recognised by Turkey. No other country recognises North Cyprus, mainly because it has never sought formal recognition. This is in sharp contrast with South Cyprus or the Republic of Cyprus, which is not only recognised by the international community but is also a member of the EU since 2004.
Both sides had a golden opportunity to solve their disputes in 2004 when the UN organised a referendum to seek the masses’ opinion regarding the possible future of the Island. Much to the disappointment of all, the Greek side overwhelmingly rejected the UN move by saying No to the ‘Annan Plan’ and thus reunification remained a distant dream despite a big Yes vote by the Turkish Cypriot people. “There won’t be a Plan B,” said the then UN Secretary General Mr Kofi Annan, in order to make both parties realise how crucial was the referendum. Unfortunately the Greek Cyprus government did not pay any heed to Mr Annan’s warning and as a result Nicosia continues to be the only divided capital in the world.
Realistically speaking, the EU committed a ‘mistake’ by admitting Greek Cyprus into the club as a member while the issue of reunification of the Island was still pending. This act of the EU had virtually put the Greeks in a better bargaining position because they did not have anything to lose even if they would say no to the UN moves for a permanent settlement. This is why they said a resounding no to UN-sponsored referendum, which according to many analysts, was a slap in the face of the august body.
As a consolation prize, the EU announced a package of 259 million Euros for the Turkish Cypriots, primarily for infrastructure and social sector development of the tiny state, but as I mentioned earlier, no visible change has ever taken place. The reason, as told by the locals, happens to be the cumbersome EU procedures and regulations and to some extent, unwillingness on the part of the relevant quarters, due to which people are yet to reap the benefits of EU largesse. As claimed by the official clique, the Greek side too was hindering the development process by employing its EU clout.
Another stumbling block in the way of a quick solution turns out to be the Greek Cypriot people’s reluctance to co-exist with the Turkish Cypriot community. According to a recent poll conducted in South Cyprus, as many as 70 percent of Greek Cypriots do not want a reunification with the North. More or less the same number of people had rejected the UN plan in 2004. So, how leaders of both sides can strike a deal, especially when the ‘big brother’ was not ready to share power with the younger one, is in fact a million dollar question.
Britain is one of the guarantor powers along with Greece and Turkey. Therefore at times it comes up with certain proposals and offers, with a view to facilitating an amicable solution. It recently renewed an offer to hand over half of its sovereign territory in Cyprus to facilitate a peace deal. Britain controls 3 percent of territory on Cyprus. The renewal of the offer came as the Cypriot president Demetris Christofias visited London on November 11, 2009. The British government first made its conditional offer in 2003, before modifying it in 2004. The same offer has now been repeated. The Turkish Cypriot side nevertheless has turned down this offer, saying it was nothing more than a lame excuse on the part of the UK government to absolve itself of the principle responsibility.
An acceptable and early solution is still possible provided all stakeholders, particularly the EU, evince some interest. It is a matter of surprise for almost everybody that if the EU can help Croatia and Slovenia solve their chronic border dispute, why it is taking so long to address the Cyprus issue, which may have far more dangerous implications. “This is a very good day for Slovenia and Croatia, and the EU. This is a most European way of peaceful settlement of disputes,” were the words of the European Commission chief. The people of Cyprus expect him to utter similar words for them sooner rather than later.
The writer is a bilingual columnist and has a special interest in EU affairs. A collection of his columns is available in book form titled ‘Current Affairs’. He can be reached at
[email protected]
What can I say? The man's a visionary...
