Rival leaders meet in Cyprus - 1 July 2008

Rival Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders have been meeting to iron out differences ahead of talks over the reunification of the divided island.




Al Jazeera's Hamish Macdonald reports from the UN buffer zone in Cyprus where leaders came together on grounds that had separated the Turkish north from the Greek south for more than three decades.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• al
• jazeera
• english
• turkey
• cyprus
• turkish
• cypriot
• hamish
• macdonald

[hoplitespao]

Peace ok but not reunification. 2 countries on one island is not a problem.

[lukiri]

There is obviously no reasoning with you. You have your face so deep in historical text that you are unable to see or feel the future. The future is not written so for someone like you this does not give you the ability to quote. Unifying Cyprus, for me and the moderate majority is not EOKA mantra at the slightest. We want a constitution that represent both sides equally, even if this mean rotating presidency I have no qualms.

[Paulynyc]

Actually, the big question is whether realpolitik will allow a regional bully like Turkey to join the ranks of the EU before it actually undertakes any real democratic reforms, and before it removes its occupying troops from the sovereign territory of Republic of Cyprus.

[petcalledros]

I agree. A good solution would be

1) Turkey would recognise the Republic of Cyprus

2) The world would recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

3) Put Turkey in the EU

4) Learning REAL history in both countries, not the propaganda they are learning now

[petcalledros]

the bigger question would be: How the hell did Greece join the EU? After all, it was Greece and the terrorists of EOKA that started all this mess....No enosis = no taksim. No EOKA = Peacefull independance and probably no archbishop president. RELIGION AND POLITICS SHOULD NOT MIX

[42turk42]

Ask the UK they make a mess of everything. Know what happened to whats Israel know? It was Turkish but the English took it in war and sold to the jews. Same thing happened on cyprus it wasnt Greek nor Turkish but when the majority of Greeks start killing the MINORTY of Turks the Turkish army stept in. And not only Turkey but the entire EU will benefit when Turkey joins the EU. But its better if Turkey doesnt join the EU.

[Paulynyc]

It would seem to be in the best interests of the advancement of Turkish society to join the EU, but how can they hope to be an EU member when 40K troops occupy their neighbor's property for over three decades? This mentality of "what's mine is mine, and what's yours is negotiable" has got to go before Turkey can seriously be considered as an EU contender.

[Paulynyc]

I have a simple, straighforward question...

--Turkey wants to join the EU

--For 35 years,Turkey has occupied one-third of the sovereign territory of Cyprus, a full EU member since 2004

--Turkey wants Cyprus to stop blocking it's way into the EU...

---How does Turkey expect to be admitted into the EU when it's been in gross violation of international law, invading occupying, ethnically-cleansing and colonising part of a sovereign state recognized by the UN--and an EU member?

[lostridinfast7734]

turkey raped and robbed this country of it's freedom. turkish immigrants go home, why hasn't the eu helped remove these liars and theives from this country.

[Alex23192]

pahaha, ratsismos file mou..mazoximsmos

[petcalledros]

poushto ratsisti!