Kirk Watson: “A crucial opportunity was missed this spring to bring peace to Cyprus. Almost 3 decades of illegal occupation have kept…”

“A crucial opportunity was missed this spring to bring peace to Cyprus. Almost 3 decades of illegal occupation have kept the Cypriot nation divided and its people, both Greek and Turkish Cypriots, in a dangerous limbo. Cyprus has a rich tradition as the crossroads of trade and culture in the Eastern Mediterranean. Yet, in spite of history and geography, those living in the occupied zone have been isolated from the rest of the world for close to 30 years because of the intransigence of their leaders. While unoccupied Cyprus has fared better, the fact of the division of Cyprus still leaves fear, doubt, and uncertainty in the minds of all Cypriots. This month Cyprus will join the European Union. This act is a testament to the will and the industry of the Cypriot people, building an economy which is the envy of many of its neighbors. But the celebration of the EU membership will be bittersweet for many Cypriots, knowing that their country will not join the EU as a whole, but still as a nation illegally divided. This fact was not inevitable. The Cypriot people, both Greek and Turkish, have repeatedly demonstrated their desire to end the division of their nation and integrate themselves into modern Europe, but the old men that hold power in northern Cyprus refuse to free their people to join the 21st century.”