Do the two sides on Cyprus have political will? Does Turkey want a

Do the two sides on Cyprus have political will? Does Turkey want a settlement? Is Greece prepared for a deal that might trigger a larger deal with Turkey over the Aegean and Thrace issues? Of these questions only one element is affirmative; Turkish Cypriots want a settlement. In 2004, they not only demonstrated simultaneous referenda, but repeated polls have shown since then that the pro-settlement resolve of Turkish Cypriots is over 65 percent. Greek Cypriots? Polls show a decreasing 41 percent are receptive to the idea of resolution, less than 30 want federation. Officially, both Greece and Turkey support a compromise deal on Cyprus. How sincere are they? Last time, in 2004, despite all of the pledges made before, Greece eventually could not support a plan for resolution. Will it support a compromise deal this time? Let us hope it will. Turkey will support any deal supported by Turkish Cypriots, provided it somehow maintains a presence on the island. Why should it not, after all, if Britain, a country far away, has two sovereign bases just because it was the previous colonial power? Was it not Turkey that leased the island to Greece? International actors all keep on vowing to support a deal on Cyprus. Why would the British want a settlement knowing that despite the recent agreement it signed in haste with the Greek Cypriots, British bases on Cyprus will be the next and joint target for all Cypriots if ever they resolve their bilateral quagmire? Russians would not want a resolution either. Why should they? To upset their peculiar position as the major energy supplier of Europe, (particularly) to Germany? Or to render life even more difficult to the Russian population and collaborators engaged in bleaching business? Why would Americans support a compromise deal if they benefit more from the British bases on the divided Cyprus? The upcoming visit of American Vice President Joe Biden this week and the anticipated visit to the island within weeks by Secretary of State John Kerry of course demonstrate an interest in the Cyprus problem. A visit by a U.S. vice president — the first in 52 years — of course will be meaningful. Plans to ease European energy dependency on Russia might play a role for an accelerated demand for a Cyprus deal push. Don’t the Americans know HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031581