Since the late 1970s, leaders of both the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots have agreed in principle on a “bizonal, bicommunal federation” as the basis for reunification, but have different understandings of that term.
The latest round of negotiations, sponsored by the United Nations, has been promising. On Thursday, the foreign ministers of Britain, Greece and Turkey — the three countries that are designated as “guarantors” of the nation’s sovereignty under a 1959 treaty — met in Geneva, prompting the new United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, to observe that Cyprus could be “a symbol of hope” this year.
Among the key issues in dispute are the return of displaced Cypriots and the handling of their…
