Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders on Monday night broke off talks on a deal to reunify the island.
Meeting in Switzerland the previous two days, Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart Mustafa Akıncı could not agree where to draw the boundary between the two entities that would form the reunited country, “despite their best efforts,” the United Nations mission to Cyprus said in a statement after midnight Tuesday.
“The two sides have decided to return to Cyprus and reflect on the way forward,” it said.
Anastasiades and Akıncı had been expected to emerge from the negotiations at the mountaintop resort of Mont Pèlerin with an agreement on the territorial line and a date for the final round of negotiations. Those talks would then bring in the three countries that are legally allowed to intervene if Cyprus is invaded, Turkey, Greece and the U.K.
This bilateral, mediated by the U.N., was the Cypriots’ second session in Mont Pèlerin this month, following five days of intense talks over the territorial line and other outstanding issues in early November.
The boundary is a particularly touchy issue for the Turkish Cypriot side because it would require it to give up land it has held since the island was divided by a U.N.-enforced buffer zone in 1974. Greek Cypriots argue their side should be made bigger to reflect the size of its population and economy, and to return sites that are of particular significance to it.
The final phase of talks with Cyprus’ three security guarantors is expected to be the toughest yet.
It would require Turkey to agree to withdraw the 30,000-plus troops it has kept on the Turkish Cypriot side in the north for 42 years, and give up its guarantor status. The reunification deal would likely call for a gradual transition to quell Turkish Cypriot concerns about being swallowed up by the larger Greek side.
Anastasiades, whose government is recognized everywhere except in Turkey, and Akıncı, whose government is not recognized anywhere except in Turkey, have been in one-on-one talks for a year and a half, and are aiming to reach an agreement before the end of this year. It would then go to separate but simultaneous referendums in early 2017.
Greek and Turkish Cypriots held a demonstration on Monday in the U.N.’s buffer zone, known as the Green Line, to show their support for reunification.