To the Editor:

In the December 4, 2002 issue of In the National Interest, Nikolas Gvosdev observed, "In an effort to avert a crisis over Cypriot accession to the European Union, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has put forth a series of proposals that he hopes can lead to the creation of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation for Cyprus." However, the overall proposal by the Secretary-General, as currently written is undemocratic and unworkable. It also violates key UN resolutions and the European Union’s democratic norms and acquis communautaire. Annan's proposal needs a number of modifications to achieve his goal. Both President Glafcos Clerides, the Greek Cypriot leader, and Rauf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot leader, have accepted the proposal as a basis for further negotiation.

The United States should be the champion of democratic norms throughout the world, not undemocratic constitutions like the one proposed. Especially now, when our war on international terrorism makes it tempting to subordinate timeless principles to alleged needs, the U.S. should be vigilant in supporting democratic norms and the rule of law.

By ignoring these considerations the United States would be actively tolerating for Turkey a standard of conduct the U.S. aggressively condemns elsewhere. The perceived need for Turkey’s cooperation in the war against international terrorism does not justify such a double standard. Rather than abandoning the bedrock American principles of democracy and the rule of law, the U.S. should actively propose modifications to make the proposal democratic, workable and fair.

Gene Rossides is the General Counsel for the American Hellenic Institute.

Nikolas Gvosdev responds:

I would like to thank Mr. Rossides for his thoughtful letter and for alerting our readers to the documents prepared by the American Hellenic Institute concerning the Annan proposals for Cyprus.

My concern is that the perfect not become the enemy of the good. The Annan proposal has flaws, which I hope can be corrected or ameliorated through subsequent negotiations. It is not an ideal plan--and certainly, the Republic of Cyprus is being asked to concede on issues where it is right by principle--but it may be the only basis for a realistic settlement. President Clerides has rightly said, ''Sacrificing the forest for the sake of a tree goes beyond my vision.''

The settlement of the Cyprus problem could have important ramifications for solving other lingering ethno-territorial disputes in the larger Eastern Mediterranean/Black Sea zone. If a workable bi-communal, bi-zonal federation can be created for Cyprus, it could then serve as a model upon which solutions for conflicts such as Nagorno-Karabakh or Trans-Dniestria could be crafted. This serves long-term American interests as well; the existence of unrecognized statelets all along the arc of Eurasia only contributes to continuing instability.

Nikolas Gvosdev is the editor of In the National Interest.