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| Europe |
| Exit poll: Greek Cypriots reject reunification |
| 2004-04-24 |
| A UN plan to reunite Cyprus collapsed Saturday when Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly rejected it in a refendum. Turkish Cypriots voted heavily in favor. The rejection of the plan, which had to be approved by both communities, means that only Greek Cypriots will enjoy the benefits of Cyprus’ joining the European Union on May 1. bitch-slapped again, huh Turkey? With 96 percent of ballots counted in the Greek Cypriot south, official returns showed 76 percent voting against the plan and 24 percent approving it. With all of the votes counted, 64.91 percent of Turkish Cypriots voted "yes" and 35.09 voted "no," according to official results. The European Commission said it "deeply regrets that the Greek Cypriot community" rejected the plan. "A unique opportunity to bring about a solution to the long-lasting Cyprus issue has been missed," the commission said in a statement in Brussels. almost Paleo in the ability to miss opportunities The commission, the EU’s administration, said it wanted to "warmly congratulate Turkish Cypriots for their "yes" vote." It added it would look at ways to promote their development. Greek Cypriots were known to be opposed to the plan by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan because it limited the number of Greek Cypriots who could return to their homes in the north of the island, which they had fled after Turkey invaded in 1974. Ioannis Kyriakides, a 55-year-old Greek Cypriot and chemical engineer, said he voted "no" because the plan did not guarantee there would not be another Turkish invasion. However, another Greek Cypriot, Daphne Kourra, a 44-year-old worker, said she voted "yes." "It’s my country and I love it, and I don’t want it to be like this. I want it united," Kourra said. Turkish Cypriots tended to favor the plan because they saw it as a means to greater prosperity and EU membership. Can Aydan, 35, a businessman, said he voted "yes." Turks and the EU - forever the bridesmaid "All Turkish Cypriots have to vote ’yes’ _ for the future of my son and for the future of all the children on this side of the island," said Aydan, whose son is 2. Rauf Denktash, the "president" of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot, expressed satisfaction that the plan was defeated. He had campaigned against it, saying the plan amounted to the "extermination" of the Turkish Cypriots. Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat, who championed the plan, called on Denktash to resign. Denktash said he would not step down because "the (Turkish Cypriot) state has been rescued. Therefore there’s no reason for me to resign." Turnout was high. In the south, election officials put it at between 88 percent and 91 percent. In the north, the turnout was 87 percent. The plan envisages a federation of two politically equal states, one for the 643,000 Greek Cypriots and one for the 180,000 Turks and Turkish Cypriots in the north, under a weak central government. The Turkish area would be reduced from 37 percent of the island to 29 percent, requiring entire villages to be uprooted and the homes to be returned to the original Greek Cypriot owners. The number of foreign troops - currently 40,000 Turks and 6,000 Greeks - would be gradually reduced to a maximum of 6,000 by 2011 and 1,600 by 2018. Turkish Cyprus has been isolated for years. Legally, it can only trade with Turkey, the only country that recognizes it as a separate state. In its response Saturday, the European Commission said it would look at ways to ease the isolation of Turkish Cypriots. "The Commission is ready to consider ways of further promoting economic development of the northern part of Cyprus," the statement said. EU rules and regs without the benefits, most likely |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #6 As a sidenote -- some change in attitude on the part of the Cypriot government wasn't because of any specific change in the Annan plan, but rather because of a change in the Cypriot government itself --- the moderate president of Cyprus, Glafkos Clerides, lost in the elections and was replaced by the chauvinist (IMO) Tasos Papadopoulos. |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2004-04-24 10:27:52 PM |
| #5 Phil -- you are misremembering: with a unified island, EU membership would have been a given for all its citizens. That was never an issue in dispute. There weren't any EU terms for reunification -- the plan is a UN plan (that's why it's called the Annan plan), even though it has the backing of US, UK and EU. The main problem IMO is the way that the Greek Cypriots object to the terms of particication of the Turkish Cypriot community (and the powers of veto that it will hold) in the reunited Republic. Not in the EU, but in republic of Cyprus itself. |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2004-04-24 9:04:55 PM |
| #4 Aris, I haven't been following this closely, but my recollection was that the Greeks were in favour of reunification (on more or less the EU terms) and only turned against it when the Turks were offered EU membership. BTW 'The past is prologue.' |
| Posted by: Phil B 2004-04-24 6:38:05 PM |
| #3 You don't get it. The EU is a *tiny sidenote* to the 30-year old question of the reunification of the island. Entry into the EU simply became the lure for the Turkish Cypriots to desire reunification that gave the issue a new momentum. But you think that the Greek cypriots were interested in keeping the Turkish Cypriots from joining the EU -- why would they even care about having the Turkish Cypriots join or not join? The question was whether the Greek Cypriots wanted the reunified state as described by the Annan plan or not. It ended up they didn't. I think they were mistaken but so be it. |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2004-04-24 6:15:08 PM |
| #2 The media is spinning like crazy on this, becuase they can't state the obvious. Which is the Greek Cypriots were give the opportunity to screw the Turkish Cypriots (out of joining the EU) and promptly did so. Talk about predictable. |
| Posted by: Phil B 2004-04-24 5:47:59 PM |
| #1 "EU rules and regs without the benefits, most likely" More like the exact opposite, I wager. |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2004-04-24 3:43:35 PM |