President Glafkos Clerides of Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr Rauf Denktash, are due to open a second round of direct talks today at the Righi Vaudois Hotel in the small Swiss village of Gilon, near Montreux.
This five-day encounter has been characterised by UN officials as the "defining moment" in negotiations designed to reunite the island in a bicommunal, bizonal federal republic because the two sides are not only meant to give their reactions to a document describing the shape of a "comprehensive settlement" presented by the UN mediator, Mr Diego Cordovez, during last month's talks at the Troutbeck resort in upstate New York, but also to submit their own ideas on a federal constitution.
The UN is expected to have a difficult time securing agreement on a constitution as the Greek Cypriots favour a true federation with a strong central government provided with international security guarantees and the Turkish Cypriots want a confederal arrangement with a weak central authority and firm Turkish guarantees.
Since the leaders met in midJuly the Cyprus peace process has been both bolstered and battered by various developments. The most positive development was an accord reached by Mr Clerides and Mr Denktash to resolve the emotive issues of the 1,619 Greek Cypriots who went missing during the Turkish invasion of 1974 and some 500 Turkish Cypriots missing since inter-communal clashes erupted in 1963.
The two sides have pledged to locate and investigate mass graves.
Other positive developments have included dozens of highly successful confidence-building bicommunal meetings and activities, including a Turkish Cypriot pilgrimage on August 8th to the village of Kokkina in the Greek Cypriot controlled Paphos District. (Some 600 Greek Cypriots are due to visit the Apostle Andreas monastery in the Turkish-held Karpass peninsula on August 15th).
But the negotiations have been affected negatively by an agreement signed on August 6th providing for the "partial integration" of the Turkish Cypriot zone with Turkey.
The Greek Cypriots said this document "cemented partition", while the US, Britain and Russia, all involved in the settlement process, expressed strong disapproval of the move. Provocation was avoided yesterday when the Cyprus government kept firm control of 1,000 Greek Cypriots attending a church service at Paralimni held to commemorate last year's killing by Turkish Cypriots of two Greek Cypriots.
