Cyprus unity deal to bring stability in Eastern Mediterranean

Negotiations between Nicos Anastasiades, the Greek Cypriot leader, and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart, Mustafa Akinci, in November failed to find any solution for decades-old division of Cyprus.
The talks, held in Switzerland, were supposed to produce a map of the internal boundaries of a future federation on Cyprus and pave the way for broader talks. But the two-day session broke up without progress, and each side blamed the other.
The internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government held Ankara. Despite the talk debacle, the former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, was hopeful that a deal could be reached soon. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded the northern third of the island in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking a union with Greece.
It has been widely agreed that some of the territory currently controlled by the Turkish Cypriots would be ceded to Greek Cypriots in any peace deal. But just how much, and what land Turkey should give up, has bedeviled four decades of talks.
In December, UN envoy Espen barth Eide organized a dinner for Mustafa Akinci and Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, in an attempt to restart failed peace talks.
It took place inside the UN-controlled buffer zone separating the island’s internationally recognised Greek Cypriot south and the Turkish Cypriot north breakaway.
Eide said there was a strong desire from both sides to return to the table and to move forward to build on progress made during talks which had been taking place over the last 19 months.
But the UN envoy also expressed concern about a ‘deterioration of trust’ and a ‘hardening of positions’ among ordinary Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
The leaders of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot are meeting again on January 9 in Geneva. They will present their respective proposals on January 11 for what territory would form the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot regions in a planned bi-zonal federation and how many people would be allowed to reclaim property lost after division of the island. Greece, Turkey and Britain will also take part in the negotiation process.
The leaders should understand that any approach aimed to impose the views of one side is going to bring any fruitful outcome. And as time passes, it would be difficult to find a common ground to achieve a lasting solution.
A major stumbling block to reunification of Cyprus is the issue of who has responsibility for protecting the different entities in the new federal state. Presently, the island has three so-called security guarantor powers: Greece, Turkey and the UK.
If the leaders of the divided Cyprus reach a conclusion, it would improve stability in the otherwise unstable Eastern Mediterranean and facilitate oil and gas development and exports to Europe over the long term. If no deal is reached, the fallout may complicate Turkey-EU relations and strengthen Russia’s foothold in the eastern Mediterranean.
If a unification deal is reached in Geneva, it will also need to be approved by the citizens of both sides of the island. What is desirable is that the solution must be based on a just administration, a rotating presidency under which the rights of both people and property are respected.