Illicit drugs:
territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for US
and European-bound drugs; established the death penalty for certain
drug-related crimes in 1999
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@Cyprus
Introduction Cyprus
Background:
A former British colony, Cyprus became independent 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
Government-sponsored attempt to seize control of Cyprus 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 it is recognized only
by Turkey. The latest two-year round of UN-brokered 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. The entire island entered the EU on 1 May 2004, although
the EU acquis - the body of common rights and obligations - applies
only to the areas under direct Republic of Cyprus control, and is
suspended in the areas administered by Turkish Cypriots. However,
individual Turkish Cypriots able to document their eligibility for
Republic of Cyprus citizenship legally enjoy the same rights
accorded to other citizens of European Union states. 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.
Geography Cyprus
Location:
Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey
Geographic coordinates:
35 00 N, 33 00 E
Map references:
Middle East