Figure 1.--The minority Turkish Cypriots became targets after the power-sharing arrangemrnts broke down. The press cption her read, "Run for Refuge during Truce: Turkish Cypriot womern and children, under escort of Bruitisdh psaratroopers, run toward school building at Ghaziveran, village 28 miles west of Nicosia, during a brief truce today. Ghaziveran, a Turkish village, was the scene of fierce fightging when a force of 200 to 3000 Grteel Cyoriots attscked with mcjiner guns and bazookas. The photograph was dated (March 8, 1964).

The Cyprus crisis had deep historical roots embedded in the tension between the Greek and Turkish communities, resuting from centuries of Ottoman rule. The 1960 Constitution under which Cyporius chieved independence proved unworkable because of the new country's ethnic divide. fforts to deal wsith the prfonlmns faild. This was not a problen under British rule, but became a huge problem as an independent country. Similar problems occurrd in other colonies. The problems came to a head over the proportion of Greeks and Turks in the Cypriot parliament and in the police and in the bureaucracy. Greek Cypriots proposed amendments that threatened the power-sharing arrangements that had been a fundamental part of the independence agreement. As a result, Turkish Cypriots withdrew from the government. After Turkish ministers withdrew from the Cabinet and the Turkish civil servants stoped working (1963). The President, Archbisxhop Makarios proposed the three guarantors a thirteen-point proposal to resolve the paralasis of the government (Novemberr 30, 1963). There were various constitutional changes revisions, most importantly ending the veto power possessed by both the president and the vice-president. Turkey initially rejected the proposal out of hand, but subsequntly proved willing to duscussit. Inter-ethnic sectarian violence began to occur on the streets. Fighting erupted in Nicosia -- Bloody Christmas (Dcmber 21). Violence spread across the island. The death toll was 364 Turkish Cypriots and 174 Greek Cypriots. Some 25,000 Turkish Cypriots were disdplsaced. Turkey threatened to intervene. The Turkish Cypriot leadership apparently was acing under instructions from the Turkish Government with the goal of partitioning Cyprus and annexing the Turkish area. This only served to harden and intensify the existing divisions between the Greek and Turkish communities. The United Nations dispatched a peacekeeping force to Cyprus (1964). They were used to support British troops that had rmined in the country and were attempting to man the ‘Green Line’ dividing Lefkosia. Turkish Cypriots retreated to heavily Turkish sectors and protected enclaves in an effort to protect themselves from Greek attacks. The U.N. peave-keeping force did its best to control the violence and prevent a Turkish military intervention. Both the Greek and Turkish Governments made military threats, but held back from actual hostilities. Cypriots began to consider the possible separation of the two ethnic communities. <1 At the same time, the power-sharing government collapsed. How this happened is one of the most contentious issues in modern Cypriot history. The Greek Cypriots argue that the Turkish Cypriots withdrew in order to form their own administration. The Turkish Cypriots maintain that they were forced out. Many Turkish Cypriots chose to withdraw from the government. However, in many cases those who wished to stay in their jobs were prevented from doing so by the Greek Cypriots. Also, many of the Turkish Cypriots refused to attend because they feared for their lives after the recent violence that had erupted. There was even some pressure from the TMT as well. In any event, in the days that followed the fighting a frantic effort was made to calm tensions. In the end, on 27 December 1963, an interim peacekeeping force, the Joint Truce Force, was put together by Britain, Greece and Turkey. After the partnership government collapsed, the Greek Cypriot led administration was recognised as the legitimate government of the Republic of Cyprus at the stage of the debates in New York in February 1964.[29] The Joint Truce Force held the line until a United Nations peacekeeping force, UNFICYP, was formed following United Nations Security Council Resolution 186, passed on 4 March 1964. >

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