Cyprus, a country with a population smaller than the city of Birmingham, emerged as the major sticking point in the EU’s landmark summit on Turkish membership.

The former British colony has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded the northern part following a short-lived coup in Nicosia engineered by the military junta then ruling Greece.

UN peacekeepers, involving a British contingent, arrived ten years earlier following an outbreak of inter-communal violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

The most concerted international effort to re-unite the strategically-located island failed in April when a comprehensive United Nations settlement plan was put to separate referendums on either side of the divide.

Greek Cypriots, encouraged by their leader, President Tassos Papadopoulos, overwhelmingly rejected the plan which they complained favoured the Turkish side and did not meet their minimum requirements.

The Greek Cypriots, who represent the island internationally, had already been guaranteed EU membership a week later and hoped their side would be in a better negotiating position once safely in the haven of the bloc.

Rauf Denktas, the veteran Turkish Cypriot leader who had long been viewed as the main obstacle to a settlement, urged his people to reject the UN plan.

But tired of their long international isolation and keen to join the EU alongside the more prosperous Greek Cypriots, they ignored him and endorsed the UN’s proposals to re-unite the island under a loose federal system.

In a major policy shift, Ankara had also supported the UN plan, acknowledging the island’s division was an obstacle to its own EU aspirations.

But because the UN blueprint was not endorsed by both communities, Cyprus entered the EU divided on May 1, with the Turkish Cypriots effectively excluded from membership pending a settlement.

Their breakaway state is recognised only by Turkey whose 35,000 troops in northern Cyprus are regarded as occupying part of EU territory.

In the run-up to the EU summit, the Greek Cypriots had dangled a veto threat over Turkey, hoping to win concessions from Ankara, including its formal recognition of Cyprus.

Greek Cypriots argued it was absurd that Turkey refused to recognise an EU member, whose agreement it needed to begin accession talks.

But Ankara insisted that it had already done enough on Cyprus by supporting the UN plan and that recognition could not come before a settlement on the island.

Turkey was concerned that formal recognition would leave the Turkish Cypriots even more isolated and weaken their position in future settlement talks.

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