A problem called Cyprus

The question is whether Turkey's European come depends on the solution of a problem called Cyprus. On May 1, 2004, when the Republic of Cyprus joined the European Union, the "Eurocrats? breathed a sigh of relief. The false joy intended to hide his concern at the possible-and very likely to accentuate the discomfort created by the presence of the Greek part of the island in the "club? Europe. The sector was under Turkish control since 1974, the self-styled Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus could not participate in the negotiation process that led to the accession of the famous "island of Aphrodite? the structures of the "concert of democratic nations?.

Commission officials had opted for a miracle, though unlikely solution to the Cyprus crisis before entering the small, landlocked country in the EU. However, the promises of greco Cypriot partners tended to be overshadowed by the pressures exerted during the consultations by authorities in Athens. The insistence of the Greeks were not only due to cultural considerations. In fact, since the 40's, the island had become the scene of bloody clashes between the two communities. The UK business was limited to managing conflict defending their own interests: trying to control the intensity of inter-communal violence, but not eradicate it. A mid-twentieth century, the wounds were still open.

Everything is reflected in the relations between the two communities after the proclamation of independence in 1960. And this, despite the exquisite ethnic balance in the tax both the executive and legislative branches. During the presidency of Archbishop Makarios, the Cypriot managed to preserve the fragile national unity. However, in the summer of 1974, after the coup that pushed Makarios from power, the Turkish community elders expressed their reservations in the presence of "big brother? Ottoman. "We know better gentlemen on the other side. We decipher the keys of their behavior. We know the meaning of their anger, their hatred, their tenderness?, Confessed an old Turkish Cypriot police guarding the offices of community leader, Rauf Denktash. His words touched us. As did three decades later, the testimony of the first Cypriot refugees who return to their homes after the opening of the "green line?, Found that the new tenants of their houses had carefully preserved the personal of families forced to flee during military operations in 1974.

But the improvement of human relations between the inhabitants of the island, reflected in the opening of the controls, the granting of social benefits to the inhabitants of the Turkish zone, free medical care, the right to use the passport "in Europe? of the Republic of Cyprus, and so on., is not accompanied by significant changes in the relations between the authorities of Nicosia and the Government of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic. The disappearance of public life in Rauf Denktash and his replacement by the moderate Mehmet Ali Talat, a character apparently linked to left-center options have failed to unlock the intercommunal dialogue.

Cypriot politicians are blaming the military establishment in Ankara by the immobility of their Muslim compatriots, remembering the military barely disguise their rejection of any attempt at negotiation. On the other hand, the Greek community leaders place special emphasis on the forced settlement policy carried out by Turkey, which is translated by the presence here of tens of thousands of peasants from Anatolia, very conservative and not very likely to conform to the customs of his brothers islanders.

Another troubling sign is the proliferation of mosques built with Saudi funds and the invasion of Islamic financial institutions cut in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. One of the few positive factors is the inter-consultations. Dynamics at the time imposed by the United Nations, which succeeded in keeping communication lines open.

What about Europe? The Union's attempts to promote economic development in the Turkish area were unsuccessful. What's more, the EU decided to suspend trading in several chapters of bilateral consultations with Turkey, to see that the Ankara government refuses to lift restrictions on ships and aircraft of Cyprus flag, which are not authorized to use Turkish ports and airports. The Cyprus issue has been used by some members of the EU as a mere wildcard to block the already slow pace of negotiations with Ankara.

Adrián Mac Liman

International political analyst

ccs@solidarios.org.es