Negotiations for reunifying the island of Cyprus have reached a deadlock when dealing with the issue of land property. When the Turkish army invaded the Northern half of the island in 1974 in response to the Greek-sponsored coup, thousands of Turkish Cypriots were forced to leave their homes and flee to Turkish-invaded areas in the north, while Greek Cypriots escaped south. Delegations from both communities will have now to negotiate to what extent former owners have the right to claim for their land.

After an unsuccessful meeting held on March 5 between Dimitris Christofias, Greek Cypriot Prime Minister, and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart, Mehmet Ali Talat, it was decided to postpone the land issue and move on to less controversial aspects of the negotiation, such as those referring to the European Union. The Republic of Cyprus -Greek Cypriot- is currently a full member of the Union, while the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is a de facto independent state which is only recognized by Turkey and enjoys no representation in any international organization.

Further information:

• ekathimerini.com: Cyprus rivals disagree on property
• SETimes.com: Cypriot leaders put off talks on property, move on to EU issues
• UN News Centre: Cypriot leaders move on with UN-backed reunification negotiations