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Cypriot President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met on July 1 and agreed to a single Cypriot citizenship and a single sovereign entity — crucial demands of the Greek Cypriot side. Greek Cypriots wanted assurances that the new unified Cyprus would not be a confederal state and that limits would be placed on citizenship for Turkish migrants. The agreement has paved the way for a July 21 meeting between the two leaders to discuss further progress on technical issues.
Reunification still rests on the Turkish Cypriot ability to give in to all the demands of their Greek counterparts. The Greek Cypriots hold all the cards; as members of the European Union, they hold a veto both in Brussels and by extension at the U.N. Security Council, the body that would ultimately be responsible for any U.N.-brokered reunification. As a political and economic backer of Turkish Cyprus, Turkey also ultimately will have to sign off on all of the Greek Cypriot demands. Ankara does not, however, have a veto in the process. It also cannot match the sort of economic benefits that joining the European Union would create for the north.
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