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NARR: Cyprus has been divided along ethnic lines since Turkey invaded the north of the island in 1974. The Southern, Greek-majority part of the island is a member of the United Nations and the European Union. The breakaway state of Northern Cyprus is only recognized by Turkey.
Stelios Papagiorgiou, the owner of the Zenon Tavern in Astoria, was born in Northern Cyprus, but fled during the invasion.
(Ambi: taverna chatter and music).
Stelios: I was 15 years old. I remember everything, I remember when they came, when they bomb our village, with napalm, they came with the planes, they drop some bombs… it was a terrible, terrible experience. We didn't get anything. Only my mother, she got Jesus' picture with her.
NARR: Despite some bitterness, Stelios says he'd like to see the two sides reunited.
Stelios: The war gave me a bad taste, that I believe is not the Cypriot. I believe that Turks, Cypriot Turks, and Greek Cypriots…they can live again together, because they used to.
NARR: Many people believe that the time for reunification is now. Last month, Cypriots elected a new President, Dimitris Christofias, a Communist who ran on a pro-unification platform. Upon his election, Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat said that, with Christofias as President, the Cyprus problem will be solved in 2008.
Mavroyiannis: There is an opportunity and we need to seize it right now.
NARR: Andreas Mavroyiannis is the Cypriot Ambassador to the United Nations. He says that it's in Turkey's interest to solve this problem, because at the moment, it's a major obstacle to Turkey joining the European Union.
Mavroyiannis: In order for them to join, they need, first to solve the Cyprus problem. You cannot imagine Turkey joining the EU while they are occupying part of Cyprus, this is beyond our imagination.
NARR: Mavroyiannis says that once the problem is solved, Cyprus will be a strong supporter of Turkey's accession to the European Union.
There is optimism on both sides, but there are still some sticking points. In 2004, Greek Cypriots voted "no" to a reunification plan put forward by Kofi Annan. Most people say the main problem with the plan was that it allowed Turkey to keep troops on the island.
Mustafa Kemal Gerkeriye is the Turkish Cypriot Representative to the UN. His namesake is Turkey's founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. He works out of the Turkish Mission, because Northern Cyprus is not an official member of the United Nations.
NARR: Gerkeriye says that his father, a Turkish Cypriot politician, was killed by Greek Cypriot extremists in 1963. The Turkish invasion of 1974—Gerkeriye calls it the intervention. He says the Turkish army's presence on the island was necessary then, and is still necessary now.
Gerkeriye: Of course, the Turkish guarantee is a must for us, because we need the Turkish troops for the safety of the Turkish Cypriot people.
NARR: At present, Turkish, Greek, British, and UN troops all occupy parts of the island.
NARR: Tassos Zambas is a chairman of the Cyprus Federation of America. The way he sees it, the problem is not between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, but between the larger world powers.
Tassos: Where Cyprus is situated…it's in the Middle East, it's very close to Israel, Lebanon…Africa—strategically, everybody wants Cyprus.
NARR: Zambas says that the US has not taken a clear position on Cyprus, because they don't want to do anything to anger their strategic ally, Turkey.
Zambas: Cyprus became like the football…every time we need Turkey to do us a favor in Iraq or Iran, what do you think they're sacrificing? Cyprus.
NARR: Despite these obstacles, Ambassador Mavroyiannis says he believes a solution will be found.
Mavroyiannis: Now the time is for people to behave as citizens, to come together. We believe that regardless of ethnicity or religion, people should be able to behave as citizens of a country.
NARR: The leaders of the two sides will meet for the first time on Friday, and a United Nations team is scheduled to arrive in Cyprus at the end of the month.
SOC: Lauren Feeney, Columbia Radio News