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3. Seeking a Comprehensive Settlement on the Eve of European Integration: The Annan Plan
- Syracuse University Press
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52 3 Seeking a Comprehensive Settlement on the Eve of European Integration The Annan Plan The long-standing, interethnic, citizen peace-building initiatives in Cyprus, the rising citizen and top-level rapprochement between Greece and Turkey, the EU accession process of Cyprus, and Turkey’s EU orientation gradually gave rise to an unprecedented convergence of the interests of TCs, GCs, Turks, and Greeks, and the association of these interests with peace. It was precisely in relation to this new context of Cypriot, Greek, and Turkish politics that the UN launched its historic proposal entitled Basis for the Comprehensive Settlement of the Cyprus Problem. On November 11, 2002, the UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan, announced his plan for the reunification of Cyprus, presenting it as a historic opportunity for peace. As the culmination of top-level negotiations that began in late 1999, the Annan Plan, as it came to be known, was the most elaborate and sophisticated proposal ever presented to the rival ethnic communities of Cyprus. In light of the complex history of the Island’s conflict, the array of grievances and suffering of each side, and the divergent fears, concerns, and interests of each community, the general structure of the Annan Plan may be characterized as a masterpiece in conflict-resolution diplomacy. More than 150 pages of the UN proposal presented a comprehensive plancoveringthebasicaspectsoftheCyprusproblem,namely,governance, Seeking a Comprehensive Settlement | 53 territory, refugees, property, and security, with certain details left open for further negotiation and later closure. Building on the original Treaty of Establishment, Treaty of Guarantee, and Treaty of Alliance by which Cyprus first became an independent state, the Annan Plan delineated the creation of a loose, bizonal, Swiss-modeled federation, accompanied by additional treaties with Cyprus’s traditional guarantor powers in light of the anticipated entry of a united Cyprus into the EU. The following summary of the Annan Plan gives the basic principles that underpinned the elaborate UN proposal. The Treaty of Establishment, the Treaty of Guarantee, and the Treaty • of Alliance shall remain in force, but new treaties will also be signed with Greece, Turkey, and Britain on matters related to the new state of affairs in Cyprus. Cyprus shall sign and ratify the Treaty of Accession to the EU. • Cyprus shall maintain special ties of friendship with Greece and • Turkey and shall support Turkey’s accession to the EU. Any unilateral change in the state of affairs, in particular, the union • of Cyprus or part of Cyprus with any other country or any form of partition or secession, is prohibited. The status and relationship of the State of Cyprus, its “common • state” government, and its “component states” is modeled on the status and relationship of Switzerland, its federal government, and its cantons. The new Cyprus will be composed of one common state and two • component states with political equality. The common state will be the voice of one Cyprus internationally • and fulfill the island’s obligations to the EU. The component states, of equal status, within the limits of the con- • stitution, sovereignly exercise all powers not vested by the constitution in the “common state” government, organizing themselves freely under their own constitutions. The component states shall cooperate with each other through coop- • eration agreements and constitutional laws, and they will not infringe upon the powers and functions of each other. There will be a single Cyprus citizenship and special majority, • “common state” law that shall regulate eligibility for Cypriot citizenship. [18.232.88.17] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 17:30 GMT) 54 | Nationalism Versus Europeanization All Cypriots will enjoy internal “component state” citizenship sta- • tus, which will complement and not replace Cypriot citizenship. Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots residing in specified villages • in the other “component state” shall enjoy cultural and educational rights and shall be represented in the “component state” legislature. The “common state” parliament will be composed of two chambers, • the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. Each chamber shall have forty-eight members. In the Senate each • “constituent state” shall be represented on a 50-50 basis, while in the Chamber of Deputies each “constituent state” shall be represented in proportion to its population, provided that each “component state” receives no less than 25 percent of the seats. Decisions of parliament will require the approval of both chambers • by simple majority. The Presidential Council shall consist of six members elected on a • single list by special majority in the Senate, and approved by majority in the Chamber of Deputies...