In February 2003, Greek Cypriots elected Tassos Papadopoulos, leader of the center right Democratic Party, as president of the Republic of Cyprus. President Papadopoulos was supported by a broad coalition of parties ranging from his own Democratic Party to communist AKEL. None of the Greek Cypriot parties has been able to elect a president by itself or dominate the 56-seat House of Representatives. The 165,000 Greek Cypriot refugees also are a potent political force, along with the independent Orthodox Church of Cyprus, which has some influence in temporal as well as ecclesiastical matters.

"TRNC President" Rauf Denktash won re-election in 2000 to a 5-year term in office. Turkish Cypriot "parliamentary" elections were held on December 14, 2003. Because the question of whether Turkish Cypriots desired a settlement on the basis of UN Secretary-General Annan's peace plan in time to join the EU on May 1, 2004 alongside Greek Cypriots was central to the elections, they elections received considerable international attention. Two pro-solution parties -- Mehmet Ali Talat's Republican Turkish Party (CTP), and Mustafa Akinci's Peace and Democracy Movement (BDH), captured over 48% of the popular vote. They evenly split the 50 seats in the "TRNC assembly", 25-25, with two conservative status quo parties -- "Prime Minister" Eroglu's National Unity Party (UBP), and the Democrat Party (DP), led by "DPM" Serdar Denktash, which together captured over 45% of the vote.

According to the "TRNC" "constitution," "President" Denktash is tasked with entrusting the duty to form a new administration to the party or group most likely to obtain a vote of confidence. This party or group must obtain a vote of confidence within 15 days. If it is unable to do so, the "President" may ask another party or group to form an administration.

The first UN-sponsored negotiations to develop institutional arrangements acceptable to both communities began in 1968; several sets of negotiations and other initiatives followed. Turkish Cypriots focus on bizonality, security guarantees, and political equality between the two communities. Greek Cypriots emphasize the rights of movement, property, settlement, and the return of territory. Turkish Cypriots favor a loose grouping of two nearly autonomous societies living side by side with limited contact. Greek Cypriots envision a more integrated structure.

The most recent round of direct talks began in January 2002 between President Clerides and Mr. Denktash under the auspices of the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. The two leaders set as a target date the end of June 2002 for reaching an overall solution. Three rounds of talks under the auspices of the UN were held from January to April, and a fourth round began in May. Secretary General Annan visited the island May 14-15, met with each of the two leaders, and had a joint dinner with both. The Secretary General expressed concern over the slow progress at the talks and urged the two leaders to step up the process in order to resolve the core issues by the end of June.

The June "deadline" passed without significant result, however. Both leaders were invited to New York in early October 2002 for meetings with UN officials, including the Secretary General. Agreement was reached to establish two ad hoc committees to discuss technical aspects of possible solution and for the leaders to resume direct talks in November, after Mr. Denktash recuperated from a heart operation. Annan said that he hoped to see substantive progress on the core issues of the Cyprus problem by year's end.

In November 2002, Secretary General Annan released a comprehensive plan for the resolution of the Cyprus issue. It was revised in early December. In the lead up to the December 2002 EU Copenhagen Summit, intensive efforts were made to gain both sides' signatures to the document prior to a decision on the island's EU membership. Neither side agreed to sign. The EU invited the Republic of Cyprus to join on December 16.

Following the Copenhagen Summit, the UN continued dialogue with the two sides with the goal of reaching a settlement prior to Cyprus' signature of the EU accession treaty on April 16, 2003. A third version of the Annan plan was put to the parties in February 2003. That same month the Secretary General again visited the island and asked that both leaders agree to put the plan to referendum in their respective communities. Also in February 2003, Tassos Papadopoulos was elected as the fifth president of the Republic of Cyprus. On March 10, 2003, this most recent phase of talks collapsed in The Hague when Mr. Denktash told the Secretary General he would not put the Annan plan to referendum. (President Papadopoulos did agree to hold a referendum if certain conditions were met.)

On April 23, 2003, Mr. Denktash relaxed many restrictions on individuals crossing between the two communities, including abolishing all crossing fees. Since April, the relaxed crossing procedures have led to relatively unimpeded bicommunal contact for the first time since 1974. Between April 23 and August 31, 2003, there were over 1,470,000 crossings of the buffer zone in both directions. Greek Cypriots are currently required to present their passports at the checkpoints along the buffer zone, something many are reluctant to do. Greek Cypriots are permitted to drive their personal vehicles in the Turkish Cypriot community, provided they first obtain a policy from an insurance provider in the north. Turkish Cypriots are permitted to cross into the government-controlled area upon presentation of their Turkish Cypriot ID card. Turkish Cypriots must obtain car insurance from an insurer in the south to drive their personal vehicles in the government-controlled area. Individuals with Turkish citizenship and all third country nationals are not permitted to enter the government-controlled area from the TRNC. Third country nationals in the Republic of Cyprus are permitted to cross into the TRNC upon presentation of their passports at the checkpoints along the buffer zone.

Cyprus maintains an embassy in the United States at 2211 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202-462-5772) and a Consulate General in New York City. Cyprus also maintains a trade center at 13 East 40th Street, New York, NY 10016 (tel. 212-686-6016). Turkish Cypriots maintain offices in Washington (tel. 202-887-6198) and at the Republic of Turkey's Mission to the United Nations.