History of Cyprus since 1878 accepted by both sides. Both Greece and Turkey along with Britain were appointed as guarantors of the island's integrity. Some of the major points of the Zurich agreement are: On August 16, 1960 Cyprus gained its independence from the United Kingdom, after the long anti-British campaign by the Greek Cypriot EOKA (National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters), a guerrilla group which desired political union with Greece, or "enosis". Archbishop Makarios III, a charismatic religious and political leader, was elected the first president of independent Cyprus. In 1961 it became the 99th member of the United Nations. The Zurich agreement, however, did
Cyprus Turkish National Union legislate for the Turkish Cypriot population. In 1973 the party was dissolved and most of its members were involved in founding new political parties in the territory of Northern Cyprus. The party's primary objective was the protection of the civil rights of Turkish Cypriots. Prior to independence in 1960, it advocated partition of the island, known in Turkish as Taksim. After independence was granted, it then supported the London and Zurich Agreements for power sharing in the country. Cyprus Turkish National Union The Cyprus Turkish National Union (, KMTB) was a conservative political party in Cyprus led by Fazıl Küçük.