Cyprus peace talks to resume after four-year break but fault lines remain

Turkey-backed north wants two-state solution while Greek-Cypriot south supports federal future

Nicosia in Cyprus is the last divided capital city in Europe. Today marks the date in 1983 when the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus declared independence, nine years after Turkish forces landed on the island. The TRNC remains unrecognised by the international community, apart from Turkey. Declan McVeigh / The National

A shot of no-man’s-land in Nicosia from the Turkish side of the divided Cyprus capital. Declan McVeigh / The National

Turkish Cypriot graves near Famagusta on the island's east coast. Declan McVeigh / The National

Omeriye Mosque is the only Muslim place of worship open on the Greek side of Nicosia. Declan McVeigh / The National

A shot of no-man’s-land, taken from the Greek sector of Nicosia. Local people refer to this UN buffer area - established in 1964 and expanded 10 years later - as the "dead zone". Here ceasefire lines are sometimes just metres apart. Declan McVeigh / The National

The UN's Green Line cuts 180 kilometres across the island of Cyprus and divides the capital, Nicosia, in two. Cyprus has endured this partition since 1974. Declan McVeigh / The National

Ledra Street is the only foot crossing between the Turkish and Greek sectors of Nicosia. Visitors will have their passports stamped with 90-day visas by TRNC officials upon entering Northern Cyprus. There is a building nearby that acts as a watchtower for general public and tourists. Declan McVeigh / The National

Part of the UN's Green Line which cuts 180 kilometres across the island of Cyprus and divides its capital, Nicosia, in two. Visitors can walk down Nicosia's busy shopping streets, take a few turns, and be confronted by barricades dividing north from south. Declan McVeigh / The National

Nicosia is dotted with memorials to past conflicts. The 1973 Liberty Monument in the city's Greek zone honours paramilitary fighters of Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston, who fought British forces between 1955 and 1959. Declan McVeigh / The National

Famagusta beach with abandoned hotels and buildings form a 'ghost town' since Turkish forces landed on the island in 1974. Declan McVeigh / The National

Much of Famagusta beach in eastern Cyprus and its ghost town remain off-limits. Turkey continues to station thousands of troops on the divided island. Declan McVeigh / The National

Leaders from Cyprus will resume talks on the future of the divided island on Tuesday, but there's little hope of a lasting solution 47 years after the Turkish-Cypriot north broke away from the Greek-Cypriot south.

The informal UN-hosted three-day meeting in Geneva, also to be attended by Greek, Turkish and British officials, comes four years after the last round of peace talks collapsed.

It will seek to find what common ground remains. However, each side appears more entrenched than ever.

The UN has long supported the bi-zonal, federal solution, also backed by Greece, the Greek-Cypriot south and the UK.

This is in stark contrast to the breakaway administration in the north of Cyprus and its ally Turkey – the only country to recognise the area as an independent state – which wants a two-state solution.

Greek-Cypriots say they will never accept this because it would forever legitimise the country's partition. They are also angered by the presence of 35,000 Turkish troops on the island.

Turkish troops have been there since Turkey invaded northern Cyprus in a 1974, following a Greece-backed coup on the island.

“The purpose of the meeting will be to determine whether common ground exists for the parties to negotiate a lasting solution to the Cyprus problem within a foreseeable horizon,” said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Turkish-Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, who came to power last year, is a staunch proponent of a two-state future, and was in Ankara on Monday for talks with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Mr Tatar rejected a request by the EU to attend as an observer, and said it would not be objective due to the Greek-Cypriots' membership of the bloc.

He urged the international community to "acknowledge the existence" of two states in Cyprus.

"We are going to Geneva with a new vision for Cyprus, one based on the realities on the island," he said.

"There are two peoples with distinct national identities, running their own affairs separately."

Protesters gathered on Saturday and called for a federal solution to the Mediterranean island's problem. AFP

Mr Tatar called on the UK to use its political freedom after Brexit, which saw the UK leave the EU, and support a two-state future.

But, underlining the fault lines, Nikos Christodoulides, the foreign minister from the internationally recognised government in the south, said he went to Geneva "steadfastly committed to resuming negotiations for reunifying Cyprus in a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation".

Further complicating the situation are the maritime border disputes and energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean between Cyprus and Greece on one hand, and Turkey on the other.

Cyprus gained independence in 1960 from the UK, which earlier this year reiterated its support for a federal future.