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World Council of Churches
Press Update UP-03-14
For Immediate Use
4 April 2003

WCC Cyprus visit: "Reconciliation needs to begin now"

Cf. Press Update, UP-03-12 of 27 March 2003
Cf. Press Update, UP-03-05 of 21 February 2003

Ending a three-day visit to Cyprus, a World Council of Churches' (WCC) staff
delegation identified hope in the midst of the failure of recent peace
negotiations. But it emphasized the need to reconcile the two communities at
the grassroots level before a sustainable peace is possible.

"The Annan Plan (the Comprehensive Settlement of the Cyprus Problem), seems
to have shifted the mindset of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities. It
has created hope and shown that [...] reunification of the island is
possible," says Peter Weiderud, director of the WCC's Commission of the
Churches on International Affairs (CCIA). "It is unfortunate that the plan
was rejected, ending the recent peace negotiations under the UN
secretary-general's auspices. The energy released in both communities, mainly
among Turkish Cypriot youth, is in danger of turning into apathy, pessimism
and frustration."

"There is very little interaction and a lot of mistrust between the two
communities. The people of Cyprus need to address their past histories in
honesty, heal pain on both sides, build confidence and trust.  A peace plan
has to engage the people of Cyprus at the grassroots, not just the treetops,"
says WCC/CCIA programme executive for Middle East Affairs Salpy Eskidjian.

"The Annan plan looked at reconciliation as a fruit of the settlement rather
than as [...] leading to a settlement," Weiderud said. "Reconciliation needs
to begin now, even in the absence of a signed plan, in order to pave the way
for a solution. The churches have a unique role and responsibility to be a
catalyst for such a process. "

Weiderud and Eskidjian visited Cyprus 31 March-3 April on behalf of the WCC
general secretary and at the request of the Church of Cyprus (Greek
Orthodox). Expressing "gratitude to the WCC for accompanying us at such a
critical time in the country's history," WCC Central Committee member H.E.
Bishop Vasilios Karayiannis of the External Relations Department of the
Church of Cyprus noted that "The two communities still need the auspices of
the UN secretary-general and international solidarity in order to solve this
decades-long conflict, to bring together what has been divided by
geopolitics, mistrust and war." 

In addition to meeting with church representatives, WCC staff met with the
president and foreign minister of the Republic of Cyprus, leaders of the
Turkish Cypriot ruling coalition and of the opposition parties (Democratic
Party, National Unity Party, Communal Liberation Party and Republican Turkish
Party). They also exchanged views with the head of the United Nations Mission
in Cyprus, the European Union ambassador, academics, and representatives of
joint Greek-Turkish civil society groups.

A summary report of the visit will be available next week. A full report with
policy recommendations will go to the meeting of the WCC Central Committee at
the end of August 2003.

For further information, please contact the Media Relations Office,  tel: +41
(0)22 791 64 21 / 61 53

**********

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a fellowship of churches, now 342, in
more than 100 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian
traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but works
cooperatively with the WCC. The highest governing body is the assembly, which
meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally inaugurated in
1948 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Its staff is headed by general secretary
Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany.

World Council of Churches
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