Cyprus explained

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History
Cyprus's location in the far east of the Mediterranean has made it a key target for neighbouring empires for thousands of years.

Trading route, imperial outpost or colonial military base - occupying forces, from the Hittites to the Romans and the Crusaders to the British, have all had their own uses for Cyprus, some leaving more of a legacy than others.

The island is said to be the birthplace of the ancient goddess of love, Aphrodite, and her cult thrived under Roman rule until eventually being overtaken by Christianity.

Ottoman Empire forces invaded in 1570, holding the island until the early 20th century, giving rise to the minority of Turkish speakers. Attempts by the island's Greek-speaking population to join the Greek rebellion in 1821 were put down, fomenting a hatred of the Ottoman Empire among Greek Cypriots.

At the end of the 19th century, Cyprus was given to Britain as a base and was formally made a British crown colony in 1925.



According to legend, the Greek goddess Aphrodite was born on Cyprus


Independence
Under British rule the demands of both communities became more polarised, with Greek speakers wanting 'Enosis', or union with Greece, and Turkish speakers calling for partition, or 'Taksim'.

Greek Cypriot rebels Eoka waged guerrilla war against the British, while Turkish nationalism was fuelled by mainland Turkey.

The island was granted independence in 1960 after Greek and Turkish communities reached agreement on a constitution. Britain retained sovereignty over two military bases.

But relations broke down when Greek Cypriots proposed amendments threatening power-sharing arrangements.

Inter-communal violence erupted and the Turkish side withdrew from power-sharing. The UN sent a peace-keeping force to the island in 1964 to support British troops manning the so-called "Green Line" dividing Nicosia.

The situation on the ground improved but relations between the military regime in Greece and the Cypriot President Archbishop Makarios, a Greek Cypriot, became strained.



The 1960s saw growing differences between the communities


Turkish aircraft conducted air raids on Greek Cypriot positions in northern Cyprus in 1964



Invasion
Tensions escalated, with Greece sending 20,000 troops to the island and Turkey launching air strikes after attacks on Turkish Cypriot areas.

In July 1974 Archbishop Makarios was deposed in a coup backed by Greece's military junta. Turkey responded by sending troops to the island and enforcing a partition of the island between north and south.

The island was divided along a line stretching from Morphou in the west through Nicosia to Famagusta.

Around 180,000 Greek Cypriots in the north fled south as Turkish Cypriots in the south sought refuge in the north. Talks to find a diplomatic solution failed and, in February 1975, the Turkish Cypriots announced the establishment of their own state, later to become the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus - recognised only by Turkey.



Turkey launched a full-scale invasion of Northern Cyprus in 1974






Peace process
The UN has sponsored a series of peace talks between the two communities since 1980, but only the recent talks have shown signs of progress.

Negotiations to create a united Cyprus have continually been hampered by key issues such as the right of return to the north by Greek Cypriots and the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the island.

Cyprus's impending entry to the European Union on 1 May prompted renewed efforts to find a solution. If either side rejects the referendum, in effect only the Greek side will join - leaving aside the already impoverished Turkish side.

In 2003, the Turkish Cypriot authorities eased restrictions allowing people from both sides to cross the "Green Line" for the first time in 30 years. Within three days, some 17,000 people made the crossing.

In February 2004 UN Secretary General Kofi Annan managed to get leaders of both sides to agree that if they could not reach agreement, he would present his own plan to the people direct - which in the event was what happened.



The two communities have been divided since 1974


Referendum
The United Nations plan put to a referendum on 24 April 2004 envisaged a federation of two states - one Greek and the other Turkish - with a loose central government, on the Swiss model with a symbolic, alternating presidency.

It was rejected decisively by the Greek Cypriots but accepted by the Turkish Cypriots.

UN chief Kofi Annan admitted the plan did not meet all the demands of both sides but said it was a historic chance for peace.

Greek Cypriots were unhappy with the number of refugees who would have got their old homes back and that Turkey was being allowed to maintain a military presence on the island indefinitely.

Both the Greek Cypriot president, Tassos Papadopoulos, and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, called on voters to reject the plan. The Greek vote was enough to halt the plan and the island stays split for the forseeable future. EU membership will apply only in the Greek sector.



Greek Cypriot voters rejected reunification at the ballot box



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There are fresh hopes in Cyprus that the divided island may be edging towards a long-awaited settlement, with the leaders on both sides preparing for peace talks.



But if they don't meet, or peace talks fail, Cyprus will risk facing a Kosovo-type situation, with the unrecognised Turkish-controlled north likely to push for international recognition.

The catalyst for the new upbeat mood was the election in February of moderate Demetris Christofias - leader of the Communist Party Akel - to replace hardliner Tassos Papadopoulos as President of the Republic of Cyprus.

Across the UN-patrolled buffer zone - or Green Line - the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat, has had good relations with Mr Christofias for decades.

"We are trying to make the start of fully-fledged negotiations possible," says Mr Talat. Turkey is the only country to recognise the breakaway north.

For a UN diplomat on the island, it is the chemistry between Mr Talat and Mr Christofias that holds the whole thing together. But a European diplomat warns: "There is still a mountain to climb."



Mr Talat's chief negotiator Ozdil Nami is optimistic. "Apart from the friendship of the leaders, it is clear that for the first time ever, they share a common vision and are determined to have a partnership," he says.

His Greek Cypriot counterpart, George Iacovou - an aide to Mr Christofias - calls himself "cautiously optimistic" that there will be full-scale talks, but is less sure if they can start by late June, the target set by both leaders.

Joint initiative

At a landmark meeting in March both sides agreed to open the Ledra Street crossing in central Nicosia. It was closed off by UN peacekeeping troops after inter-communal clashes in 1964 - even before the Turkish invasion in 1974 resulted in a complete partition of the island.


The two leaders have given a new push to the negotiations

Working groups were launched to start tackling the tricky issues that have blocked a settlement for decades.

In late May, the two leaders met again and set out their common goal of a united federal republic of Cyprus, under a bizonal, bicommunal system, where the smaller Turkish Cypriot community would be guaranteed political equality with the Greek Cypriots.

Nicos Anastasiades, leader of the centre-right Disy party, supports Mr Christofias' pro-reunification line and says "the whole climate has changed" since the Greek Cypriots' rejection of a UN peace plan in 2004.

Some issues are easier now than four years ago. With Cyprus in the EU and already using the euro, negotiating over currencies or monetary policy is redundant.

But many thorny issues remain. The Greek Cypriots want a strong federation, the Turkish Cypriots a looser one.

Tougher still will be agreeing a new security regime, and ending the presence of 35,000 Turkish troops in the north - with agreement likely only in the final hours of talks.

Abandoned homes

Property, and the right of return of refugees on both sides, is also highly sensitive - and discussions on issues of restitution or compensation have ground to a halt. New maps will also have to redraw the border between Greek and Turkish Cypriot "zones" - another area of little progress.

The two sides remain far apart over the so-called "settlers" from the Turkish mainland - people who the Greek Cypriots say settled in the north illegally after 1974.

Mr Christofias says he has offered to accept 50,000 "settlers" as Cypriot citizens. "I expected this position would be respected and greeted, but unfortunately it was not," he said recently.

A European diplomat here warned that if the two sides delay too long "they risk losing momentum and international interest".

Some say hardliners from Mr Papadopoulos' party - Diko - in the governing coalition are putting pressure on Mr Christofias.

Quiet diplomacy

The UN is playing a low-key role as a behind-the-scenes facilitator. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is expected to name a new UN special envoy soon, which could help talks shift up a gear.



For now, the European Union's role is limited to technical advice, ensuring any peace deal fits with EU rules.

Turkey's role in facilitating or blocking an agreement is another wild card worrying the Greek Cypriots.

Mr Talat insists: "Turkey is decisively supporting a deal". But he agrees that Turkey's current political crisis, with the courts threatening to shut the governing Islamist-rooted AKP party, might cause a real problem.

Yet Mr Talat says a full peace deal could be reached by the end of the year. "The future will be very, very difficult if we miss this chance," he says.

Mr Christofias agrees: "Time is passing and it becomes more difficult to handle the situation on the ground."

As one European diplomat put it: "If these two can't do it, no-one can."





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