By Constantinos Sofocleous
The political ideology and antiquated cold war mentality of President Christofias and his ruling communist party (ΑΚΕΛ) were known to many who deal and read about Cyprus politics. This ideology led the Cypriot government to maintain and store a confiscated load of 98 containers of explosives for over 2 years despite several warnings from the United States Department of State and the European Union (EU) about the danger associated with the containers.
It appears that Mr. Christofias was so eager to please the shipping country of Iran and the receiving dictator Assad of Syria that he foresaw any other interest of his own country, including the safety of his own people. His administration continued with storage of the confiscated explosives in the most sensitive location in the entire island, next to the major electrical production station of the country and in the open air under the hot Eastern Mediterranean sun. Despite the obvious political mistakes, president Christofias continues to deny any responsibility and offered no apology to the victims. He has also chosen to ignore the growing and ongoing demands from all political parties (but his own) and a large part of the public asking for his immediate resignation. The massive explosion was not simply an accident. It was the result of criminal neglect and purposeful inertia of President Christofias and his cabinet.
The catastrophic events came at a point that public support towards the president’s approach to the Cyprus issue was declining. His prior unilateral offers to the Turkish Cypriots, such as the rotating presidency, the acceptance of 50,000 illegal Anatolian Turkish settlers and an electoral system that will not respect the majority were the main points that pushed his last partner, the Democratic Party (ΔΗΚΟ) out of the coalition government. Unlike all prior presidents that were very careful to declare at all times that despite negotiations with the Turkish Cypriot community leader, the key party responsible for the Cyprus problem was Turkey and its military presence and occupation of 37% of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Christofias asked that he negotiate with the Turkish Cypriot leader without any interference. He has repeatedly declared that he will solve the Cyprus problem and that this can be done with direct negotiations with the Turkish Cypriot leader alone. Similarly to the storage of the 98 containers next to the electricity station of the country, his approach to the Cyprus problem was considered by most Cypriots equally moronic, since it does not take into account the concerns, fears and wishes of the people that elected him. More importantly, his approach ignores the basic principles of the Cyprus problem and does not bring to light the real threat for the indigenous population. Mr. Christofias’ approach to the Cyprus problem fails to recognize the unique and pivotal role of Turkey.
Since 1956, Turkey (with the aid of the United Kingdom) has been working steadily on the erosion of the Greek Cypriot majority on the island (a British colony until the 1960 independence) in an effort to gain the absolute strategic control over Cyprus. Step by step this goal is coming closer and closer to reality, aided by the weak negotiation positions of all Greek Cypriot leaders since the 1974 Turkish invasion and occupation and the declining strategic influence of Greece in the region. In no prior Cypriot presidency however, has Turkey been so close to achieve its ultimate goal of eradicating the Republic of Cyprus.
On the aftermath of the explosion of July 11th, the prime minister of Turkey Mr. Erdogan visited the Turkish occupied territory of the Republic of Cyprus, an EU member territory where the European Law (Acquit Communauté) has been placed on hold due to the illegal Turkish military occupation. Mr. Erdogan praised the role of the Turkish military on Cyprus and reiterated the long term goals of Turkey. He went as far as to ensure that the ethnic cleansing of Greeks from the North of Cyprus is “fait accompli” and no one should have any hope for getting back to their land in exchange of any and all political concessions that Mr. Christofias has offered to date. He advised the Turkish Cypriots to give birth to more children to make their part along with the illegal Turkish immigrants in order to change the demographic population in Cyprus. He even went ahead and claimed that the Republic of Cyprus does not exist and that Turkey will halt negotiations during the 2012 Cyprus presidency of the European Union (EU). These statements are in direct opposition to several Security Council resolutions clarifying that the only legal state on Cyprus is the Republic of Cyprus; calling for the immediate withdrawal of Turkish troops from Cyprus; and imposing an embargo in the so called “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” created in the part of the Republic of Cyprus occupied by the Turkish military and recognized only by Turkey. The same Turkish Premier statements are also contrary to the statements signed by Turkey upon becoming a candidate country for EU membership.
Under these circumstances any decent negotiator representing the Greek Cypriots would have left the process and would have taken all measures to expose the ongoing ethnic cleansing policy and mentality of Turkey and its occupying forces on the ground. Cyprus as a member of the EU should also immediately ask for freezing not only the negotiation process but all and any EU funding towards Turkish projects within the accession process. Instead Mr. Christofias attributed the statements of the Turkish Premier to an “emotional outburst” and engaged in an intense negotiation with the Turkish Cypriot leader, continuing to offer alibis to the Turkish policy of Ethnic Cleansing and illegal occupation of Cyprus, in violation of international and EU laws. The Greek Cypriots have previously rejected a UN “Anan” plan for a partnership state with the Turkish Cypriots because they felt insecure in a future state where Turkey would maintain the status of “guarantor” with unilateral rights for military intervention in Cyprus.
These and other concerns have only increased with the current process and the Christofias’ approach to the Cyprus problem. Under the current circumstances any Cypriot citizen and in particular any Greek Cypriot has no hope for a better future or a fair solution to the Cyprus problem. Instead a growing number of Greek Cypriots now feel that the danger is not only from Turkey but within, with those that were supposed to protect and promote the Greek Cypriot cause. Taking all factors into account, the only hope that may remain for the very existence of any Greek on the island is not unification under Turkish supervision and with no democratic norms. It is already evident that the safety of the Greeks on the island cannot be guaranteed in a common state where Turkey is a guarantor. How can 700,000 Greek Cypriots feel safe next to an aggressive neighbor with over 60 million and the second largest army in NATO?
The approach that Mr. Christofias and his government have taken is certainly not a safe one. Instead the only hope is the alliance of Cypriot interests with those of the EU and other, stronger NATO members. It is for this reason that the recent events have exposed the vacuum rhetoric of the Christofias government and have left the people of Cyprus in shock. The realization that Turkey and its goals are facilitated by the Christofias government is now widespread in the public opinion and is expressed in daily massive demonstrations asking for the resignation of the President and his cabinet. The clock is ticking and the very existence of the Greek Cypriots on the island is in danger. The continuing negotiation process seems to hold nothing positive for the Greek Cypriots. They stand to lose their sovereignty in exchange for a partnership state with the Turkish Cypriots where Turkey will maintain and legitimize its strategic control over the island. It is very questionable if some of the Greek Cypriot refugees or their children will be allowed to return to their ancestral birthplaces currently under Turkish occupation and even if some do return, their need for security, democracy and prosperity seems impossible in the proposed plans. Many Greek Cypriots seem to believe that is safer to live separately in their own state without any interference with the Turks and in particular Turkey.
When one looks the details of the previously rejected Anan plan and the current proposals it is clear that the proposed Federal State in Cyprus stands on principles far away from the European and democratic norms. There are numerous deviations from any other Federal State with a large number of provisions contrary to the European Laws and the UN Declaration of Human Rights. These include but are not limited to violations of the right of free movement, installation, ownership of property and maintaining the cultural, ethnic or religious identities.
As a matter of fact there are many more barriers between the proposed 2 federal states than any 2 member states in the EU. As such, it is not a wonder that many Greek Cypriots now secretly hope for 2 completely independent sovereign states in Cyprus in exchange for a significant part of their occupied land. This of course might satisfy the native Turkish Cypriot population as well and could allow for a slow, peaceful and natural integration of the 2 separate states under the umbrella of the EU.
Cyprus politics are not simple however and such a plan would fail to accomplish the strategic goals of Turkey and the United Kingdom both looking to maintain and increase their grip on the island. The Greek Cypriots have voiced their disapproval about President Christofias’ policy and negotiation tactics. After the departure of the Democratic Party from his coalition government, Mr. Christofias, now stands in isolation, with only the support of his own Communist Party that at most represents one third of the electorate. As such, Mr. Christofias is no longer legitimate in continuing to represent the Greek Cypriots in any negotiation process and in particular the UN led negotiations for the Cyprus problem. If he indeed believes that he has the Cypriot people behind his proposals he needs to prove this through a referendum seeking approval of his stance in the Cyprus problem. Should he fail to do this, the people of Cyprus will never accept his proposals and their backlash will be catastrophic for him and his party and possibly for the entire nation.
Constantinos Sofocleous, MD, PhD., is a Cypriot American refugee from the Turkish occupied part of Cyprus. He is an associate professor and practicing physician in New York City.
Despite the growing disapproval ratings of president Dimitris Christofias at home, he is probably still going to represent Cyprus in the September 2011 annual United Nations general assembly. For many Cypriots and particularly Greek Cypriots, the massive explosion in the Mari naval base on July 11th, 2011, illuminated the deceptive and catastrophic thinking of the Christofias administration. Furthermore it raised questions not just for the motives and aims of this government but for its inability to take basic decisions about public safety.
