CYPRUS SETTLEMENT INITIATIVE PROJECT

Addressing the Settlement of Self-Determination Conflicts through Complex Power-Sharing: The case of Cyprus

The Project Background

The ECMI Cyprus Settlement Initiative was conceived in the days before the 14 December 2003 election in Northern Cyprus. When the election ended in deadlock and protracted negotiations involving the Turkish Government took place over the New Year and into January 2004, the Cyprus Team of the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) continued to monitor the developments closely. After the announcement on 11 January 2004 of a coalition effort between the Republican Turkish Party and the Democratic Party followed by the subsequent 25 January 2004 announcement by Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan in Davos that Turkey wanted resumption of the Cyprus talks on the basis of Secretary General Kofi Annan’s Plan, the ECMI Cyprus Team decided to launch the Cyprus Settlement Initiative. There was a clear sense at this point that with Cyprus becoming a member of the European Union in May 2004, the world was ready to seize this historic opportunity to reunite the island.

 
Aims

The aim of the ECMI Cyprus Settlement Initiative was to assist the authorities of Northern Cyprus in understanding the ramifications of adopting the so-called Annan Plan for Cyprus prior to becoming a member of the European Union. The Plan was proposed by the United Nations’ Secretary General, Kofi Annan and formed the basis for the resumed negotiations in February and March 2004. The project targeted members of the Northern Cypriot negotiation team, high-level policy and decision-makers in Northern Cyprus as well as opinion forming groups and individuals. The rationale for the project was a perceived need in the Northern Cypriot leadership and authorities for support in understanding the ramifications of adopting the Annan Plan. This need did not appear to have been addressed by international actors. The general assumption in the international society had been that with the Republic of Cyprus set to enter the European Union on 1 May 2004, the population of Southern Cyprus would adopt the Annan Plan’s structure of power sharing whereas the population in the North appeared reluctant.

Outputs

Among the outputs envisaged for the project was

(1)     a greater overall understanding of the Annan Plan within the leadership of Northern Cyprus as early as possible in the negotiation process,

(2)     improved technical understanding of specific issues and aspects of the Annan Plan,

(3)     empowerment of the negotiation team as well as the supporting technical committees in the negotiation process, and

(4)     improved networking opportunities for the Northern Cypriot authorities with international experts.

 
To this end one seminar and one workshop were held and one network of experts was launched.

Activities

Capitalizing on the political climate favourable toward working out a settlement for Cyprus, a constitutive event was held on 6 March 2004 in Antalya, Turkey where the ECMI convened eminent experts in the fields of international law, EU law, conflict resolution, power-sharing mechanisms, property issues, negotiation processes with experience from the Balkans and other conflicts areas to interface with members of the negotiation team and related public officials.

The aim of the “FIRST Technical Expert Seminar on Complex Power-Sharing Mechanisms in Cyprus� was to identify areas of concern to the negotiation team that would be the focus of follow-on workshops with individual experts as well as to launch the international network, the Cyprus Settlement Support Network (CSSN), which includes the attending experts and policy makers as well as academics, practitioners and institutions that have the expertise and knowledge useful for the issues at stake in the Cyprus settlement.

The Seminar identified two key areas, property returns and derogations under international law, which the authorities of the Northern Cyprus requested the ECMI to address immediately while negotiations were under way.

The “SECOND Technical Expert Seminar on Complex Power-Sharing Mechanisms in Cyprus� was held on 21 March 2004 in Nicosia, Cyprus where high level officials interfaced in an intensive workshop with experts on property issues and international law.

Cyprus Settlement Support Network (CSSN)

Download list (PDF, 4 pp.,19 kb)