EU urges Cyprus to seize opportunity for peace this year

Feb 13, 2009, 12:40 GMT

Athens/Nicosia - The European Union's chief official for enlargement urged rival leaders on the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus Friday to seize the unique chance for peace this year.

'There is a unique chance this year to reunite Cyprus and to bring an end this long-standing conflict on European soil,' Olli Rehn, the European Union commissioner for enlargement, told journalists.

Speaking within a buffer zone that divides Cyprus' capital, Nicosia, Rehn said the EU was prepared to do everything possible to carry out a solution, adding 'this chance must be taken and not missed.'

'Once the leaders agree on a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus issue, the EU will then accommodate the terms of a settlement,' said Rehn.

The eastern Mediterranean island has been split since 1974 into a Greek Cypriot south and Turkish Cypriot-controlled north. Turkey invaded the northern third of Cyprus in response to a short-lived coup initiated by the military junta then ruling Greece.

Ankara still maintains more than 35,000 troops in the northern part of the island and refuses to normalize ties with the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union.

The two divided communities launched a new round of reunification talks in September 2008. But negotiations, which have been held on a weekly basis, have been slow.

The two sides have agreed, in principle, to a settlement based on a federation. But the Turkish Cypriots want a loose federation, while the Greek Cypriots want a stronger central government and more limited regional powers, which they say will prevent the island from once again falling back into partition.

There is disagreement on whether a federation of two zones would be able to permit free movement between the zones. There are also concerns that such an arrangement might lead to consolidation of the ethnic majorities in the north and the south.

The ongoing conflict in Cyprus also threatens Turkey's aspirations for joining the EU. Ankara started EU entry talks in 2005, but Turkey's support for the Turkish Cypriots has proved one of the main stumbling blocks in negotiations.