Cyprus, like Northern Ireland, used to be regarded as an insoluble political question by the international community. But events move on and circumstances change. According to the Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Spring, neither need be "intractable" if there is a will between the governments and peoples involved that a way can be found to end the problem. He believes that there now exists a window of opportunity to do so in Cyprus.
On the old Irish principle that one beetle recognises another, European and United States leaders requested Mr Spring to help find a solution in Cyprus. His official visit there over the last two days has given him further reason to believe that its problems have moved from insolubility to tractability. It is a considerable tribute to his negotiating skills and to Ireland's own experience and international standing that he should be involved in this way at this time.
Mr Spring's optimism will be tested in the forthcoming discussions to be held by the US Assistant Secretary of State, Mr Richard Holbrooke. He has identified Cyprus as an important strategic issue after his successful brokerage of the Bosnian settlement; and his familiarity with the Northern Ireland issue led him to suggest that Mr Spring should be involved.
Irish officials have, however, been at pains to point out that the Tanaiste's mandate for this visit comes from the EU, ahead of the Irish presidency in the second half of this year, and based on last year's imaginative deal brokered by France which linked a customs union for Turkey to agreement to open EU accession negotiations with Cyprus. The current Italian presidency has now proposed that a high level EU envoy be associated with Mr Holbrooke. Cyprus therefore looks likely to be an important element in the orchestration of EU-US relations that the Government has identified as one of the prominent themes of its own EU presidency.
In the short term the prospects for substantive talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriots are not good because of political uncertainties in Athens and Ankara. But following these discussions, it looks more likely that they can get going in the medium term. Mr Spring does not accept the Turkish Cypriot condition that EU accession cannot be contemplated until the island's national question is resolved; but his visit has elicited a commitment from the Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister, Mr Alecos Michaelides, to begin a series of negotiations on a settlement over the next two years before the opening of EU accession talks. If the Turkish side takes up the challenge, they have an opportunity to fulfill their own condition in practice.
Circumstances suggest both Greece and Turkey are likely to encourage such a momentum within this timescale, assuming a succession to Andreas Papandreou in Athens that is less nationalist, and the formation of a government in Ankara consisting of parties which will want to consolidate the customs union with the EU. In Cyprus a peace dividend has great attractions for the Turkish north of the island, which has been suffering from economic depression, and also for the south, where a settlement would copperfasten the recent economic boom. Despite the many differences, it is not difficult to draw parallels with our own island.