Cyprus: the Annan Plan and EU accession
Long a source of tension between Greece and Turkey, the newly-independent state of Cyprus experienced political violence between Greek and Turkish communities in the 1960s which culminated with the exit of Turkish Cypriot representatives from Republic of Cyprus institutions in 1963. In 1974 Turkey invaded the north in response to a military coup backed by the Greek government, and the island was effectively partitioned along a 'Green Line' patrolled by UN troops, with the northern third inhabited by Turkish Cypriots and the southern two-thirds by Greek Cypriots. In 1983 the Turkish-held area declared itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, but has been recognized only by Turkey.
UN-mediated talks between the sides collapsed on several occasions before the prospect of European Union enlargement provided a new incentive to resolve the conflict. Talks between the Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash under the auspices of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan were reactivated in January 2002 with the aim of reaching agreement before the European Union (EU) Copenhagen Council in December that year, which would, it was hoped, invite the whole island to join the EU. The 'Annan plan,' tabled in November to break the deadlock, proposed the creation of the United Cyprus Republic, a loose federation of the two constituent states joined together by a minimal federal government apparatus. But in the continued absence of agreement on the plan the EU Council decided that if there was still no formal agreement on reunification, then the internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot part of Cyprus could join the EU on 1 May 2004. UN drafters had requested the Annan plan be written into the accession agreement but the EU was ultimately not prepared to do this, its priority being to keep the broader Eastern Enlargement process on track.
Despite the Council's decision, the UN, backed by the US and UK in particular, continued the mediation effort. Special Representative Alvaro de Soto mediated talks in The Hague in March 2003 between Denktash and Tassos Papadopoulos (who had recently defeated Clerides in the Greek Cypriot presidential elections). Denktash's sustained resistance to the idea of putting the plan to a referendum seemed to put an end to the process. But with Denktash's position severely weakened by the election of new pro-European Turkish and Turkish Cypriot prime ministers, a final mediation attempt was made in early 2004. Exposed by a more realistic prospect of the referendum, Papadopoulos had become as much the reluctant partner as Denktash had been, apparently happy to accede to the EU without a united island. But under intense diplomatic pressure both sides eventually allowed the UN to 'fill in the gaps' in the plan (the parts the sides could not agree on), which would then go to a simultaneous referendum in each of the two communities in April. The referendum went ahead but confounded the expectations of many when the plan was endorsed by Turkish Cypriots (64 per cent) but overwhelmingly rejected by Greek Cypriots (76 per cent). A divided Cyprus acceded to the EU, with its laws and benefits applying only to the Greek Cypriot community.
Whilst it had originally been hoped the EU would be the 'sweetener' for the negotiations process, the potential for the accession process to make a decisive contribution was lost. Papadopoulos and the Greek Cypriot 'no' campaign made a compelling argument that there was nothing to lose in voting no: accession had already been assured and a better a agreement for the Greek Cypriots could be secured from a position of strength within EU institutions. Moreover, the complicated plan was not widely understood by the public and distrust of the Turkish side prevailed. Last-minute efforts by the US and UK to address voters' security concerns by bolstering the role of UN peacekeepers was blocked by Russia at the Security Council, probably because of concerns about the US and UK's regional agenda and European expansion.Top | Incentives and sanctions | Contents