Getting to the table process : underlying conditions of the Turkish-Greek Cypriot rapprochement of December 2001

Official URL: http://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b1063524 (Table of Contents)

The main purpose of this research is to analyze the factors that led to direct talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, Glafcos Clerides and Rauf Denkdas, in December 2001, which can be seen as a new hope for the solution of a thirty eight-year conflict. This project is interested in knowing if the changes in different structural, domestic and international levels had an influence in the Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders' attitudes toward the Cyprus conflict. Concentrating on these factors enables an understanding of the dynamics of getting to the table process. This project tries to bring a detailed knowledge on the factors affecting parties to get to the table for direct talks by using the Cyprus conflict as the case. Based on the literature review different sub-categories are developed to have a comprehensive picture of getting to the table process in Cyprus. The variables; domestic, international and structural; are made by combining theoretical frameworks. The aim of this research is to find whether the factors had an effect on the conflicting parties in their decision to start bi-communal talks. This study will further elaborate on the nature of this influence. After examining all the factors, one can conclude that four factors affected both conflicting parties' decisions to start negotiations: change in domestic politics, increasing political opposition, change in international politics and third parties' initiatives/pressures. Seven factors which affected the Turkish side's decision to start negotiations are: change in domestic politics, increasing political opposition, domestic pressure, change in international environment, third parties initiatives or pressures, hurting stalemate, and deadline. From this analysis, one can conclude that the Turkish Cypriots have more reasons to start direct talks than do the Greek Cypriots.