| The Greek South refused to unite with the Turkish North The results of Saturday's referendum in Cyprus, as expected, buried UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's plan to unite the southern Greek and northern Turkish parts of the island. More than 75% of Greek Cypriots were against it. The consent of 65% of the Turkish Cypriots did not matter, since the plan had to be approved by both communities of Cyprus to implement it. The Turkish Cypriots' support for Kofi Annan's brainchild is understandable - the backward north had a chance not only to merge with the much richer south, but also to join the European Union with it. Now only the Republic of Cyprus will join it on May 1.
Annan's plan envisaged the formation of a common federal state, within which two independent administrations would operate. At the same time, part of the territory seized during the invasion of the island by Turkish troops in 1974 was returned to the Greeks. 86 thousand refugees were given the opportunity to return to their homes. In total, the document contained 9 thousand pages, so the population listened to the opinions of their leaders.
The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Tassos Papadopoulos, called on his fellow citizens to vote against it, since repatriation concerned only a part of the refugees and would last for many years, as well as the payment of compensation to those who cannot return. In addition, the Turkish units stationed in the north would not be withdrawn immediately, leaving Ankara with a powerful lever of pressure. Mr. Papadopoulos also emphasized the negative economic consequences of the merger. Taking into account large payments for lost property and the need to bring the north up to the level of the more developed south, unification would cost 6 billion euros. About 2.5 billion euros were promised by the EU and the United States, the rest would come from taxpayers, mainly wealthier Greek Cypriots.
The president was supported by the church and the largest leftist party, AKEL. The right spoke in favor of the Annan Plan.
According to US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher, “the failure of the referendum in the Greek community is a defeat for the international community, which undermines the hopes of the island residents who voted to resolve the problem.” EU Enlargement Commissioner Günther Verheugen called for economic support for Turkish Cypriots, who “should not suffer” because of the behavior of their Greek neighbors. They, in turn, fear, not without reason, that the international sympathy they previously enjoyed will go to the northerners. Tassos Papadopoulos hastened to declare that his fellow citizens did not vote against peace, but against a specific UN plan.
The unyielding Cypriots came under strong pressure from the UN, the US and Europe before the vote. The EU transparently hinted that it would like to see a united Cyprus in its ranks. “I hope that the Cypriot people will vote for the UN plan,” said British Prime Minister Tony Blair. “This historic moment cannot be missed,” warned US Secretary of State Colin Powell. Russia called for Cypriot self-determination without external interference. “This is our permanent position,” noted Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, receiving his Cypriot counterpart Georgios Yakova in Moscow. The veto imposed by Russia in the UN Security Council on the resolution on Cyprus served the same purpose.
The British newspaper Financial Times noted that "the Greek Cypriot government sent its foreign minister to Moscow to persuade the leadership of Russia - its historical ally - to block any unwanted Security Council resolution." The Austrian newspaper “Standard” speculatively explained the Russian veto by the fact that “the head of the Cypriot Foreign Ministry, Georgios Iakovou, during his quick visit to Moscow, hinted at the possibility of verifying the origin of millions of dollars from Russia placed in the accounts of Cypriot banks, as well as money laundering through a Cypriot offshore.”
The president of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Rauf Denktash, like his counterpart in the south, publicly called for a “no” to the union and even threatened to resign otherwise. “God bless Russia! - said Mr. Denktash. “She saved us from disaster.” She demonstrated that such immoral months-long pressure is unacceptable.” “My main goal has been achieved: Annan’s plan has been rejected! We saved our republic,” the leader of the Turkish community rejoiced. Having secured the support of Turkey, he called on the world to recognize the TRNC and provide it with financial assistance. Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul also called for the withdrawal of the TRNC from international isolation and the lifting of the embargo. Meanwhile, Greek government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos said that Athens respects the opinion of the people of Cyprus and is ready to continue working together with Nicosia to resolve the Cyprus problem. Katerina LABETSKAYA, Igor TARUTIN, Nicosia |
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