Turkish and Greek leaders from Cyprus join U.N. reps, others at forum, Nov. 7-9

By Franklin Crawford

The Turkish mayor of Nicosia, Cyprus, and a representative from the Greek mayor's office of Nicosia have traversed a once impenetrable border, not to mention the Atlantic Ocean, in order to attend a forum titled "Crossing the Green Line" at Cornell, Nov. 7-9. Hosted by the Institute for European Studies at Cornell, the free public forum is a three-day examination of the long-term effects of enforced separation on peoples and cultures.

The forum's events include lectures and panel discussions by representatives from Cyprus and the United Nations and by guest scholars of Cypriot history and politics. In addition there will be a screening of the documentary "Living Together Separately: Pyla, a Mixed Border Village" and a concert performed by the Cornell Middle Eastern Ensemble.

Among the guest speakers will be Kutlay Erk, the mayor of Turkish Nicosia, and Agni Petridou, team leader of a bicommunal Greek-Cypriot organization. Petridou is participating in place of Nicosia's Greek mayor, who was unable to attend. Lisa Jones, U.N. senior political officer to Cyprus and former U.N. officer to Rwanda and Bosnia, also will speak.

The forum is named for the infamous east-west line that has divided the Mediterranean island of Cyprus for 29 years, effectively rendering Turkish Cyprus and Greek Cyprus into separate countries. Earlier this year, for the first time since 1974, both Greek and Turkish Cypriots were permitted to cross the "Green Line."

"The opening of this border is a historic development that signals a potential resolution to one of the most contended areas of the world," said Gail Holst-Warhaft, IES acting director, forum organizer and expert on modern Greece and the Mediterranean. "IES is a leader in the emerging field of trans-European studies. It is fitting this forum should be held on the Cornell campus, which is renown for its egalitarian ethos."

Greek Cyprus recently entered the European Union, and Turkey is attempting to enter the EU, a fact that increases the forum's geo-political relevance. The forum's theme also resonates with issues surrounding the current construction of the Israeli-Palestinian wall by Israel, among other ongoing conflicts.

Holst-Warhaft said the forum's goal is to examine the effect of separation on the lives of people, both Greek and Turkish, living on Cyprus, rather than retrace the history of the dispute. In addition, guest speakers will discuss the U.N.'s role as a mediator between the Turkish and Greek communities and examine the effects of the recent border crossings on both sides. There also will be a panel of specialists speaking on other areas of contention in Europe and the Middle East where ethnic communities have been, or continue to be, physically separated by walls or other impenetrable borders, Holst-Warhaft said.

Along with U.N. advisers to Cyprus, participants include scholars from the universities of Cyprus, Notre Dame, Yale and Penn State, as well as Cornell and Ithaca College.

The forum is co-sponsored at Cornell by the Institute for European Studies, Peace Studies Program, Johnson Graduate School of Management, Society for the Humanities and the departments of Near Eastern Studies and Music.

For more information, contact Holst-Warhaft at 255-7592 or glh3@cornell.edu; or Alice Horrigan, IES outreach coordinator, at 255-7592 or ah327@cornell.edu.

Here is the schedule of events:

Friday, Nov. 7