Crs Report for Congress Cyprus

Cyprus has been divided since 1974. Greek Cypriots, nearly 80% of the population, live in the southern two thirds of the island. Turkish Cypriots live in the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (recognized only by Turkey), with about 30,000 Turkish troops providing security. U.N. peacekeeping forces maintain a buffer zone between the two. Since the late 1970s, the U.N., with U.S. support, has promoted negotiations aimed at creating a federal, bicommunal, bizonal republic on Cyprus. The two sides would pledge not to move toward union with any other country. This reflects concerns that Greek Cypriots would like to unite with Greece and that Turkish Cypriots seek to partition the island, linking the north to Turkey. The Secretary General's April 5, 1992 "Set of Ideas" is a framework for negotiations for an overall settlement. The Security Council implied Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash's responsibility for their failure and called for confidence-building measures (CBMs). Glafcos Clerides was elected president of the Republic of Cyprus in February 1993. Subsequent talks focused on CBMs. Denktash failed to return to talks on June 14, 1993. Both sides eventually accepted CBMs in principle, but did not agree on Secretary General's proposed method for recording clarifications. A ...