Acting in the best interest of Cyprus
byKarin Resetarits*

When 500,000 people on a Mediterranean island are going to vote for a new president, the political attention paid to the matter is usually moderate. Cyprus, however, is different. Cyprus is a very special case in the EU.

None of the other member states would accept that one part of the population is treated as European citizens without European rights, but the current government of Cyprus does. Having rejected the UN plan in 2004, the government of Tassos Papadopoulos has not managed to find a solution for the Cyprus problem.

As a liberal member of the high-level contact group of the European Parliament for relations with Turkish Cypriots, I have visited the island a dozen times over the last three years. I know the complicated conflict very well: the deadlock that paralyses all parties involved, making it impossible for them to move forward.

There are always two sides of a coin. Wise leadership needs to keep this in mind and pay attention to what moves the two sides. In Cyprus I only hear one side complaining about the other, while at the same time the praising their own willingness and generosity. I experienced this behavior in the north as well as in the south.

Both sides deeply mistrust each other. This is the current unity of Cyprus.

The Cyprus conflict has turned into an acrimonious divorce case. And, like in divorce, there is an economically powerful part famishing the weaker one hoping that one day it will have to return home. But, like women or children who were once mistreated, often the weaker part rather prefers to stay in poverty rather than suffer oppression.

If I ask people in the north "What do you want?" the answer is "a better life and equal rights."

If I ask people in the south, the answer is "I want my property back and the Turkish soldiers out of my country."

Thus: Give Turkish Cypriots political and economic equality, give back Greek Cypriots their property, which they had to leave 1974 when the Turkish army took over one-third of the island, and send away all the soldiers -- UN, Turkish and Greek -- to a place where they are needed now.

The European Union should be the only guarantee power for peace and freedom in Cyprus.

There are several huge obstacles that have to be overcome. They are primarily psychological because both sides have been suffering now for decades. All parties involved have been grossly negligent in not moving since the rejected referendum in 2004.

A majority in Greek Cyprus voted against the referendum following the advice of their political and religious leaders. But what is the alternative? In a democracy the majority defines the policy -- but the will of all the people has to be considered to avoid riots.

Since there was no other plan for settlement, Turkish Cypriots started to do their own business. And since there is no white economy allowed, the grey and black markets started to blossom in the north. Property is sold and investors from all over the world are constructing holiday homes for people who want to have a small house close to the beach in the Mediterranean Sea.

The buyers are mostly people who just retired and who do not care if the property is legal or if it belongs to a Greek Cypriot -- because they think the Cyprus conflict will last longer than their life on earth. This is a huge problem that the current political leaders have to answer for.

What Cyprus truly needs is an integrative leadership and not a separatist one. Cyprus is suffering from weak politics. But let me be frank, dear citizens of the world, this is not a specific Cyprus problem; this is the case in many states. But Cyprus is different; Cyprus has a problem that the other 26 EU-member states don't have. This is why the final judgment of who is going to lead Greek Cyprus is more than essential.

The people of Cyprus must find a modern, European and peaceful solution. They have to be aware that being part of the EU means making compromises. Don't trust politicians who repeat the same words over and over again. They are trapped in a deadlock of shallow phrases.

Is there any candidate who will dare to present a fresh look at the Cyprus problem? If so, support him. Cyprus needs new ideas and someone who looks forward, not back into the past.

Good luck, people of Cyprus -- Greek and Turkish alike -- for the elections. You need a change. You all deserve for things to go back to normal.

*Karin Resetarits is an Austrian minister in the European Parliament and a member of its northern Cyprus high-level contact group.