Reunification appears near

The divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus faces its best opportunity in more than three decades to reunite - a prospect that could also improve Turkey’s chances of joining the European Union, analysts say.

The president of the Republic of Cyprus, Dimitris Christofias, and his Turkish-Cypriot counterpart, Mehmet Ali Talat, began discussions to resolve the 34-year-old quarrel earlier this month in the no-man’s-land dividing their capital, Nicosia.

“We must, at long last, put an end to the suffering of our people and reunite our country,” Mr. Christofias said as he headed into the meeting. Mr. Talat underlined that the final goal was to make “a divided island a common place where two nations are living.”

The Sept. 3 meeting, which was largely ceremonial, was followed by talks Sept. 18 that dealt with issues of governance and power-sharing. A third round between the rival leaders is scheduled for next week.

Cyprus was divided in 1974 when Turkey invaded the north of the island in response to a coup in Greece aimed in part at uniting Cyprus with Greece. Since then, the internationally recognized Greek-Cypriot state and the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus have been at odds.

The latest reunification talks are the first since 2004, when Greek-Cypriot voters rejected a U.N. blueprint overwhelmingly approved by Turkish Cypriots. The outcome all but halted Turkey’s bid to join the European Union, in part because Cyprus has a veto.

Cyprus is a member of the European Union, and only the Greek-Cypriot government is officially recognized internationally.

U.N. special envoy Alexander Downer, a former Australian foreign minister, has described the new talks as “fruitful” and said that prospects for reunifying the island have “never been better.”

A number of other diplomats and analysts share Mr. Downer’s opinion.

“I deeply believe that this is the most promising attempt to reach reunification since 1974,” said Hubert Faustmann, an associate professor of international relations at the Intercollege of Nicosia.

“For the first time, we have two pro-solutions leaders,” he said. “Before, you always had a hard-liner on one side or the other.”

Mr. Christofias’s election victory in February 2008 over Tassos Papadopoulos, who led Greek Cypriots in rejecting the U.N. reunification plan in 2004, marked a turning point.

“When Christofias was elected, the mood really turned to optimism,” Mr. Faustmann said.

But “just having two moderates in power doesn’t mean they will come to a solution,” he cautioned. “Both sides have to make painful concessions.”

Among the toughest issues are those dealing with administration and power-sharing.

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