Introduction: 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 Cypriot-occupied area declared...

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The Cyprus Dispute: The final period of British rule in Cyprus saw a bitter deterioration in relations between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. In 1960 the Republic of Cyprus became independent under a Constitution which provided for a power sharing arrangement between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Britain, Greece and Turkey became the guarantors of Cyprus' independence and territorial integrity. Friction between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots intensified in 1963 after President Makarios sought to amend the Constitution. This was viewed by the Turkish Cypriots as an attempt to destroy their guaranteed community rights and they ...

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