2010_CIC_3.qxd:Peacekeeping_FM_qxd.qxd 1/26/10 12:20 PM Page 95

3.4

Cyprus

By late 2009, was heading toward a In 2003, the first crossing point between critical turning point, with the possibilities of the north and south was opened. Since then, reunification or partition both very much alive seven more have followed, including, in April and the path to be taken likely to be determined 2008, the crossing point at , Nico- within a very short time frame. During the sia’s main thoroughfare. The opening of the course of the year the two community lead- Ledra Street crossing represented a significant ers—, president of the Re- breakthrough: after four decades of closure it is public of Cyprus, and his Turkish Cypriot currently used by thousands of people on a counterpart, Mehmet Ali Talat—made signifi- daily basis. cant progress in negotiations that started in During 2009, UNFICYP continued to sup- September 2008, but faced dwindling support port day-to-day issues in the buffer zone such among their own communities. as education; medical services, including evac- Uncertainty regarding Cyprus’s political uations and transfers of the deceased; and future extends to the future of the UN Peace- clearing of minefields. It also conducted socio- keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), which cultural gatherings. While there were some tense has been deployed for forty-five years. Either exchanges between UNFYCIP and Turkish mil- reunification or a decided shift toward partition itary forces, which frequently restricted peace- would have a profound impact on this long- keeper movements, these incidents were gener- deployed operation. ally quickly resolved. UNFICYP was established in 1964 with a Parliamentary elections within the Turkish mandate to prevent violence between the Greek Cypriot community in April 2009 saw the defeat Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. In of Talat’s by the 1974, renewed fighting led to a-UN-brokered cease-fire and an expansion of the UNFICYP mandate to include cease-fire monitoring and administration of the buffer zone between the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) Cyprus National Guard and the Turkish Cypriot forces. Since that time, UNFICYP’s mandate has consistently been renewed on a six-month basis. • Authorization and 4 March 1964 (UNSC Res. 186) Over the decades, negotiations between the Start Date • SRSG Tayé-Brook Zerihoun (Ethiopia) leaders of the two sides have had limited • Force Commander Rear Admiral Mario César Sánchez success. A large-scale effort launched by then– Debernardi (Peru) Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1999 led to the • Budget $55.9 million (1 July 2009–30 June 2010) resumption of face-to-face peace talks in De- • Strength as of Troops: 858 cember 2001. But the process came to an abrupt 31 October 2009 Police: 68 end in April 2004 when an ambitious UN reuni- International Civilian Staff: 40 fication plan was rejected in a referendum by the Local Civilian Staff: 112 Greek Cypriot population, even as the Turkish For detailed mission information see p. 275 Cypriot population gave it their support.

95 2010_CIC_3.qxd:Peacekeeping_FM_qxd.qxd 1/26/10 12:20 PM Page 96

96 • MISSION NOTES

National Unity Party, led by hard-liner Dervis a village in northwestern Cyprus, has not been Orogulu. Orogulu favors a two-state solution achieved. Even more telling, as of October 2009, and does not aspire to membership in the Euro- the two parties have yet to discuss the divisive pean Union—a position that represents a clear issue of property disputes related to Turkey’s change in Turkish Cypriot politics. Mounting 1974 invasion of the island after a Greek coup opposition from nationalist parties has intensi- that sought to reunite Cyprus with Greece. fied the pressure on Talat to reach an agreement Optimism surrounding the prospects for a on reunification before he seeks candidacy for reunification agreement remained cautious in a second term in elections slated for April 2010. the final months of 2009 as the two leaders Negotiations between President Talat and continued negotiations and the Security Coun- Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias con- cil renewed UNICYP for a further six months. tinued throughout 2009, but their slow pace Yet it has become increasingly clear that the was a concern. Disagreements remain between status quo is unlikely to persist. The negotia- the two leaders, on a range of difficult issues. tions so far have relied significantly on the two At the center of these is the difficulty of con- leaders’ shared vision for reunification. If a structing a reunified federal state on the basis deal is not struck in the early months of 2010, of bicommunality and bizonality, which have a significant opportunity will have been lost— yet to be defined. Other difficulties also persist. perhaps irreversibly. The reopening of the crossing point at Liminitis,