Est. 2min 04-04-2008 (updated: 28-05-2012 ) cyprus.jpg Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>> Languages: Français | DeutschPrint Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Hopes of an historic reconciliation and reunification of the divided island were raised on Thursday (April 3) by the opening of a crossing in an ancient shopping street in the Cypriot capital for the first time in more than 40 years. Although Ledra Street in Nicosia had to be closed temporarily following the appearance of uniformed Turkish Cypriot policemen in the buffer zone, the atmosphere of celebration by thousands of Greek and Turkish Cypriots represented a powerful signal for politicians to advance on the road towards reunification. The removal of an historic symbol of partition could become a major milestone since 1963, when violence erupted between the two rival communities. Nicosia was later divided into Turkish Cypriot north and Greek Cypriot south by a UN monitored buffer zone, which also split the enitre island. Last February the Greek Cypriots elected the communist Demetris Christofias as president, with a mandate for change. Christofias and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart, Mehmet Ali Talat, both leftwingers, met last month and pledged to launch reunification negotiations by this summer. The Greek community, who voted against the island’s reunification during the referendum in 2004, seems to have realised that the division is not in their interest. In the absence of progress the island could move to formal and permanent partition, leading to the permanent loss of land that Greek Cypriots claim as theirs and the arrival of more Turkish settlers. Read more with Euractiv EU to 'wait and see' on Serbia, Turkey accessionEuropean Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said he was adopting a "wait-and-see" attitude towards EU hopefuls Serbia and Turkey in light of recent developments in the two countries. PositionsThe international community welcomed the opening of Ledra street. European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering called it the "first step of a real and visible approach between the two communities on Cyprus". He expressed the hope that this symbolic act would lead to many other steps that would improve the daily lives of the citizens of both communities and that it would finally lead to Cyprus being an undivided member state. Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis compared the event with the fall of the Berlin wall. "The re-opening of this street, once so vibrant, brings new hope to all Cypriots that their country will soon be reunited and that Nicosia, like Berlin, will again become one city and one capital," he said in a statement. BackgroundCyprus has been divided since 1974, when the Turkish military invaded the northern part of the island in response to a coup, inspired by the military junta in Athens, to unite the island with Greece. Thousands of Greek-Cypriot refugees fled south as Turkey seized the island's northern third, while Turkish Cypriots headed north. Following the death of the Greek Cypriot spiritual leader, Archbishop Makarios, in 1977, mutual antagonism became firmly entrenched. UN-sponsored talks between the Greek Cypriot president, Glafcos Clerides, and the leader of the Turkish-occupied north, Rauf Denktash, in the 1980s and 90s collapsed, with neither capable of persuading their people to compromise. The north, only recognised by Turkey, slid into poverty and corruption, while tourism and offshore banking brought prosperity to the south. Hopes were rasied in 1992, when the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, presented a reunification plan, suggesting a two-part federation with a rotating presidency. But while Turkish Cypriots were in favour, Greek Cypriots rejected the plan in a referendum in 2004. This disappointed EU officials, who had agreed to allow Cyprus to join that year partly in the hope it would encourage a solution to the Cyprus problem. Further ReadingEuropean Union Commission:Turkish Cypriot community
