British Minister for Europe Caroline Flint has said that the negotiations to solve the Cyprus problem will not be easy, noting that to reach a solution both sides will need to continue to be flexible, imaginative and prepared to embrace compromise.
In an article about her recent visit to Cyprus, Flint notes that Cypriots should not doubt the UK’s ongoing commitment to the current process and its hope that it will deliver a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality.
''Last week, just three days into my job as Minister for Europe, I travelled to Cyprus to offer the support of the British Government to the negotiations aimed at re-unifying this beautiful island. My briefings told me that a window of opportunity had opened with the election of President Christofias earlier in the year and that both parts of the island were now led by men who wanted to solve the Cyprus problem,'' she says in her article.
She notes that initially she found it ''hard to be optimistic about the chances of an agreement being reached in such a long running and bitter conflict.''
''When a deep and genuinely held sense of grievance and grief is held on both sides, it requires both communities and their leaders to dig deep to find the will and courage to compromise. But I became quickly convinced that thanks to the leaders commitment there is a real chance this process will bear fruit,'' Flint points out.
She adds that at her meeting with President Christofias ''the passion and commitment he displayed towards finding a solution to the Cyprus problem was inspirational'' and that she was ''equally impressed by Turkish Cypriot leader Mr. Talat who is clearly dedicated to achieving this goal and thereby improving the lives of Turkish Cypriots who are not currently able to reap the benefits of EU membership.''
''However, both men were also frank with me about the challenge ahead,'' Flint notes and says that ''it is clear that a deep sense of mistrust permeates the island and that, despite the opening of the crossing points, the two communities are leading separate lives with too little bicommunal activity.''
Flint adds that ''it was an honour for me to be able to blow the starting whistle at a cross community football match between the current Turkish Cypriot inhabitants of the village of Katokopia and its former Greek Cypriot residents.''
''The villagers have been developing their relationship since 2003 and are looking to work together on a plan to restore the village. I was delighted to see evidence that the people of Cyprus want to look forward, not back. The match was played in a stunning setting, against a mountain backdrop. Fittingly it ended as a 1-1 draw. However, I was told that such events are still all too rare,'' she says.
Flint points out that ''if there is to be a future for Cypriots in which the next generation do not grow up knowing nothing other than division, buffer zones and peace keepers, then the current process is a fantastic chance.''
Referring to the press conference she held before leaving the island, Flint says she ''commended both leaders for their statesmanship and constructive approach.''
''Since I returned to the UK they have shown that I was right, committing to an intensive programme of negotiations and cancelling planned military training exercises as a profound confidence building measure,'' she says.
Flint notes that during her stay in Cyprus she also had a chance to talk to members of both communities and visited the old town of Nicosia, ''where I saw the scar of the Green Line, cutting the city in half.''
''But I also saw a symbolic part of the healing process, the new, pedestrian crossing point, where Greek and Turkish Cypriots can shop together down the whole length of famous Ledra Street. In my conversations I stressed that it was for Cypriots themselves to agree on the shape of any eventual settlement but that the UK stood ready to offer assistance to all parties if it was requested,'' she says.
Flint assures that she left with ''a wish to see Cyprus thrive as a united country within the EU, with both communities able to play their full part as EU citizens.''
''I also came away with a clear understanding that the negotiations will not be easy and that there are many obstacles ahead. Both communities have concerns and aspirations which the negotiations will need to address. To reach a solution both sides will need to continue to be flexible, imaginative and prepared to embrace compromise. However, Cypriots should not doubt the UK’s ongoing commitment to the current process and our hope that it will deliver a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality,'' she concludes.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.
