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A former
British colony, Cyprus received independence in
1960 following years of resistance to British
rule. Tensions between the Greek Cypriot majority
and Turkish Cypriot minority came to a head in
December 1963, when violence broke out in the
capital of Nicosia.
Despite
the deployment of UN peacekeepers in 1964, sporadic
intercommunal violence continued forcing most
Turkish Cypriots into enclaves throughout the
island. In 1974, a Greek-sponsored attempt to
seize the government was met by military intervention
from Turkey, which soon controlled more than a
third of the island.
In 1983,
the Turkish-held area declared itself the "Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus," but only Turkey
recognizes it. The latest two-year round of UN-brokered
direct talks - between the leaders of the Greek
Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities to reach
an agreement to reunite the divided island - ended
when the Greek Cypriots rejected the UN settlement
plan in an April 2004 referendum. Although only
the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot-controlled
Republic of Cyprus joined the EU on 1 May 2004,
every Cypriot carrying a Cyprus passport will
have the status of a European citizen. EU laws,
however, will not apply to north Cyprus. Nicosia
continues to oppose EU efforts to establish direct
trade and economic links to north Cyprus as a
way of encouraging the Turkish Cypriot community
to continue to support reunification
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