(Maariv International) Amos Gilboa - Why is what's good for Cyprus not good for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? When the Turkish army invaded in 1974, approximately 200,000 Greek refugees fled south to the Greek section of the island. During negotiations for reunification, the Greeks demanded that all of the refugees and their descendents return to the Turkish section. The UN and EU did not accept the Greeks' demand to allow the refugees to return. After the invasion, the Turks brought farmers from Turkey and settled them in northern Cyprus. During the negotiations, the Greeks demanded that the Turkish "settlers" return to Turkey, but the UN and EU supported the Turkish position and left the "settlers" and "settlements" in place. In Cyprus, the basic assumption was that the new reality of refugees and settlers, which has been created in Cyprus during the last 30 years, was the decisive factor to be considered. President Bush's letter to Prime Minister Sharon was based on the same assumption, that preference must be given to "the new situation that has been created." Furthermore, the EU did not make ratification of the agreement (which was rejected in a recent referendum) a condition for Cyprus to join the Union.
2004-05-04 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive