New president aiming for demilitarised Cyprus

Cyprus’ new president pledged to open new crossing points on the divided island and to work towards demilitarising it under a possible reunification deal.

Dimitris Christofias, who heads a communist-rooted party, has promised to restart talks immediately with the breakaway Turkish Cypriots following his February 24 election victory, renewing hopes that Cyprus’ 34-year division can be resolved.

He is expected to meet Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat by the end of the month for talks he said would be “exploratory”.

Speaking during a visit to Athens, he said he hoped the two would agree to open a crossing at Ledra Street, a busy pedestrian thoroughfare in the heart of Cyprus’ capital, as well as at Limnitis in the north west of the island.

Ledra Street has come to embody the island’s division, and opening a crossing there would be highly symbolic.

Lynn Pascoe, the United Nations undersecretary-general for political affairs, said in response to a question yesterday that there would be an announcement “probably, in the next week or two”.

“Certainly the important thing is the development on the island, what the new leadership of the Greek Cypriots and the leadership of the Turkish Cypriots ... decide when they have their meetings as they work forward,” he told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.

Mr Pascoe said Michael Moeller, the top UN official in Cyprus, had been talking to both leaders.

“He’s working it,” Mr Pascoe said, adding that there would be no announcement until everything was “tied down”.

“I think in principle there has been extremely strong interest in having UN involvement as the two sides try to work together. So we have said all along that we want to help them – we want to be as helpful as we can,” he said.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded the island in response to a coup by supporters of union with Greece. The island joined the European Union in 2004, but the bloc’s benefits are only enjoyed by the internationally-recognised Greek Cypriot south.

A breakaway Turkish Cypriot state in the north is recognised only by Ankara.

Five crossing points have been opened since Turkish Cypriot authorities relaxed restrictions in 2003.

In Athens, Mr Christofias met President Karolos Papoulias, prime minister Costas Karamanlis and opposition party leaders.

He accused Turkey of interfering in negotiations to reunify the island, and insisted that Ankara’s effort to join the EU would only succeed after a deal was reached to end Cyprus’ division.

In last month’s elections, Mr Christofias defeated centrist incumbent Tassos Papadopoulos, who was viewed as uncompromising during UN-sponsored peace talks.

Mr Christofias said reunification would lead to the island’s demilitarisation, but he did not elaborate on the future of two sovereign British bases, created when the island gained independence from the UK in 1960.

“Our position is that a united Cyprus Republic should be demilitarised, with the prospect in our opinion of the island itself being demilitarised,” he said.

“Unfortunately, based on the agreements of 1960, we refer to Cyprus Republic territory and British bases territory. So the final aim, as a prospect, is the demilitarisation of the island.”