The Cyprus Question

Everyone hoped this would go away. Now it's back, in a big way. As I mention below, Turkey is an important player in the current crisis. It seems to realise that. As this AP report -- Turkish Cypriot State Has Anniversary -- makes clear, the Turks seem determined to force the issue. Threats of war between two NATO countries are not to be dismissed lightly.

What is to be done? The Turks regard both the UN and EU as in hock to the Greeks on the issue (with some justification in the EU's case). The original 1960 Treaty on Cyprus was signed by the Greeks, Turks and British, who still have some sovereign territory on the island. It may be time for Tony Blair to come out to bat. In many ways, the issue should be simpler than Northern Ireland, for example. After all, there are (as far as I'm aware) virtually no Turks in Greek Cyprus and no Greeks in Turkish Cyprus. And, although the Turks were guilty of rape, murder and aggressive invasion, the Greeks had systematically deprived the Turks of rights previously -- neither side has anything to be proud of.

However, I'm not sure how strong the "ennosis" (?) movement for Greece-Cyprus unification is at the moment, but that will surely be an issue as well, given the Turkish position that Cypriot accession to the EU amounts to unification.