CYPRUS: Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders agreed yesterday to negotiate daily over the next month with the aim of reunifying the divided island before it enters the European Union on May 1st.
If agreement is reached on the UN framework for a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, the two sides will hold a referendum on April 22nd.
First to arrive at the venue in the UN-controlled buffer zone yesterday was Mr Alvaro de Soto, the UN facilitator and host. Next came the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr Rauf Denktash (the architect of partition), and the pro-reunification Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister, Mr Mehmet Ali Talat, whose house in the coastal town of Kyrenia had been damaged a few hours earlier by a percussion grenade. Finally, the cautious Cyprus president, Mr Tassos Papadopoulos, swept in with his entourage of legal advisers.
The symbolism of place and date of the encounter were not lost on Mr Papadopoulos and Mr Denktash. The two-hour meeting was held in a handsome one-storey whitewashed building with a red-tile roof at Nicosia's first airport. The venue was built by the British administration in 1948 before the two communities began to dispute the post-colonial governance of the island.
Yesterday was the 45th anniversary of the initialling in London of the agreements granting Cyprus independence. The meeting was followed by a brief get-together with Mr Guenter Verheugen, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement.
Mr Denktash departed without a word. Mr Papadopoulos characterised the opening as "useful". Mr de Soto said the meeting was "very constructive" and the parties had shown "ample goodwill". Mr Verheugen stated that the EU, which is not directly involved in the talks, seeks to "facilitate the efforts of the UN".
He said that the EU must make certain that "the elements of a settlement conform to EU conditions and do not violate the basic principles on which the EU was founded". The EU must also find "how to help the Turkish Cypriot community to catch up" with the Greek Cypriots, who have fulfilled the requirements of EU membership.
Turkish and Turkish Cypriot journalists said that a majority of Turkish Cypriots would opt for a deal, but Greek Cypriots consulted said that there is no certainty that their community would approve the plan.