Roundup: Fear of failed Cyprus peace negotiations leads to majority support for solution

As time is running out for a peace agreement to end the four-decade-old partition of Cyprus, more people are showing support for a solution that will see Greek and Turkish Cypriots share power under a federal state, a survey published on Wednesday showed.

The survey by the State University of Cyprus showed that as negative developments in the Cyprus reunification talks dealt a blow to optimism for an agreement, more people in April said they supported a solution compared to those surveyed in January.

The findings of the survey are considered important as this is the first time that there has been a clear indication that an agreement on a Cyprus solution could be approved in a referendum.

Associate professor of social and developmental psychology, Charis Psaltis, said fears of a collapse in the negotiations that could lead to the annexation of the part of Cyprus occupied by Turkey and possible tensions and even fighting made more people believe that even a not-so-good solution is better than conflict.

"While disappointment grows, so does the wish for a solution," Psaltis told Cypriot media.

He said the survey showed that 47 percent of those asked said they would vote in favor of a compromise solution, compared with 45 percent before.

However, Psaltis added that a steady 25 percent of Cypriots rejected the idea of a solution in which Turkish Cypriots would have a say in the government and Turkey would maintain a presence in Cyprus.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci have been engaged in negotiations for the last two years which have led to considerable progress, but have also confirmed deep-rooted conceptions.

The main stumbling blocks preventing an agreement are the extent to which Turkish Cypriots, who make up about 20 percent of the population, will have a say in the federal governance, as well as the withdrawal of Turkish occupation troops and the abolition of intervention rights by Turkey.

Greek Cypriots are strongly opposed to any Turkish military presence in Cyprus, following Turkey's military operation in 1974 in reaction to a coup by the military rulers of Greece at the time.

But Psaltis said that the majority of those in support of a solution would support one that would provide for a symbolic presence of Turkish and Greek troops in Cyprus -- 650 Turkish and 950 Greek soldiers under the 1960 Treaty of Establishment.

They would also accept a treaty of friendship between Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey to safeguard the application of the terms of a settlement, to replace the existing rights of guarantee and intervention by Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Endit