- cash stashed away : Greeks stash cash away, send some money to UK banks
- Alawites : Syria's Alawites – a secretive and persecuted sect
- court : Critics outraged at Italian court's rape ruling
- Iran : Iran threatens retaliation over oil embargo
- AEL : Champions APOEL look for revenge over AEL
- England : Stage set for Six Nations kick off
- Alexander Downer : House takes pot shot at Downer
- buses : Our View: Costly mess of a bus service was not thought through...
- banks : Fitch downgrades Cypriot banks
- buses : Bus strike continues in most areas
Christofias: unity needed now, before it’s too late
PRESIDENT DEMETRIS Christofias yesterday warned that Greek Cypriots needed unity and a common language on the home front “now more than ever before”, warning that the fait accompli on the island could soon become “a road of no return”.
Speaking off-script at a cultural event last night, Christofias once again called for greater unity and a common language on the domestic front, adding a sense of urgency to his plea.
“We need this now more than ever, before it is too late. Why should we hurry? The fait accompli deepens, spreads and we should not let this become a road of no return,” he said.
Earlier in the day, after the first of two all-day intensive talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, Christofias was equally blunt about the prospects of a solution, saying he was not willing to be the last President of the Republic before partition.
On the property talks, he said: “It is not an easy discussion. It is a very difficult issue, a very complex issue for which we are authorised by the people to discuss. Because I hear conversations saying that we are forbidden to do so. This is where we’ve got to.”
Christofias noted that it was Archbishop Makarios who opened the door to the discussion on property and bizonality, which the primate had accepted.
“And don’t let anyone say that I’m putting it all on Makarios now, for God’s sake,” he said. Without mincing his words, he added: “We are behaving as if we are a superpower and don’t need a solution and can just let things go. I cannot accept letting things go and the fait accompli. And I am not the president who will be the last president before partition.”
Christofias reiterated that he wanted to find a solution which respects the rights of all Cypriots, “bearing in mind the difficulties created from the continued occupation for 36 years and end this unacceptable situation for all Cypriots”.
Concluding his comments after the one-day talks, the president noted: “So, we will continue the discussion as difficult and painful as it may be. There is no other way.”
Eroglu, on the other hand, appeared less downbeat, according to Turkish Cypriot press. Speaking from the north on his return from the talks, Eroglu said the two sides had a good meeting, and an “honest” exchange of views on the property issue. Asked if any progress had been made, he replied that progress could not be expected in a day.
UN Special Adviser Alexander Downer said the two leaders met for six and half hours yesterday with a break for lunch which the two sides shared with the UN team.
“Naturally enough, the day was devoted to discussing the proposals that have been put forward on the property issue,” he said, noting that they were discussed “at great length”.
He highlighted that the UN would not pass judgement on either side’s proposals, submitted on paper last Monday. It is up to the leaders “to explain their proposals, to make sure that both sides understand their own proposals, and look for ways of trying to reconcile the two positions”.
He added that the two all-day talks were “important”, noting that the last time there were intensive talks in March 2010, “very good work” was done on governance and power sharing.
This time Christofias has to work with recently-elected Turkish Cypriot leader Eroglu on “this very challenging chapter”, property along with “other associated issues”.
“It’s our hope that the two leaders and their teams will be able to draw closer through this period. That’s of course the point of the talks,” said the Australian diplomat.
Speaking at last night’s event, Christofias said he “reminded” Eroglu, in reference to today’s Bayram, that “a few decades back, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots celebrated Bayram and Easter together and he acknowledged that”.
“And I told him that I predict a time when we will celebrate Bayram and Easter together again in a reunited Cyprus,” he added.
In reference to the Greek language and Cypriot dialect, he also noted that Turkish Cypriots also have a Cypriot dialect, and their own rights, language and traditions, as well as many common traditions with Greek Cypriots.
Meanwhile, EDEK, EVROKO and the Greens yesterday viewed negatively the alleged Turkish Cypriot proposals on property as reported in a number of newspapers.
EDEK leader Yiannakis Omirou described them as “infuriating, provocative and uncompromising positions which are not even worth commenting on or discussing more on the negotiating table”.
According to yesterday’s Politis, the Turkish Cypriot proposals are offering a minimal return of displaced Greek Cypriots to their properties, with a cap on the number that can settle in villages and municipalities.
They have reportedly also suggested that refugees from Varosha, the fenced off part of Famagusta, share some of their properties with those who will not return, like Kyrenia refugees.
