United Cyprus Republic proposed
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s second revision of his «Basis for a Comprehensive Settlement of the Cyprus Problem» proposes a «United Cyprus Republic» with a federal government and two constituent states. The blueprint was presented to the leaders of the Greek and Turkish Cypriots after Annan arrived on Cyprus on Wednesday and made public yesterday. It «is modeled on the status and relationship of Switzerland, its federal government and its cantons,» the draft agreement says. Among the greatest changes to the original plan, presented on Nov. 11 and revised about a month later, are the new name for the island and the fact that the two parts that make it up are «constituent» and no longer «component» states. «The United Cyprus Republic is an independent state in the form of an indissoluble partnership, with a federal government and two equal constituent states, the Greek Cypriot State and the Turkish Cypriot State. Cyprus is a member of the UN and has a single international legal personality and sovereignty,» the draft says. There is a single Cypriot citizenship, and «political rights at the constituent state and the local level shall be exercised at the place of permanent residency,» the draft says. The plan provides for the return of 90,000 Greek-Cypriot refugees to territory to be relinquished by the Turkish-Cypriot state, but still limits the return of refugees to the Turkish-Cypriot side, something which has drawn criticism from the Greek Cypriots. The revision says that when Turkey accedes to the European Union, these limits will be raised. Until then, it says, «a constituent state may limit the establishment of residence by persons hailing from the other constituent state. To this effect, it may establish a moratorium until the end of the sixth year, after which limitations are permissible if the number of residents hailing from the other constituent state has reached 7 percent of the population of a village or municipality between the seventh and 10th years and 14 percent between the 11th and 15th years and 21 percent of the population of the relevant constituent state thereafter. After the second year, no such limitations shall apply to former inhabitants over the age of 65 accompanied by a spouse or sibling, nor to former inhabitants of specified villages.» Greek and Turkish military contingents will not exceed 6,000, with all of them being withdrawn after Turkey’s EU accession.
