Everyone will blame Annan

Please don’t misunderstand. The Greek Cypriot side is resisting as much as — or even more than — Denktas. They both indicate that they don’t want a solution based on the Annan plan. Moreover, they are also aware that they have entered a tunnel with no escape and will be faced with a solution in the end.

Maybe that’s why they seem to be saying: "Why should I bear all the responsibility? Let Ankara and Athens come in and make some of the difficult decisions."

Do you know why I think that?

From their attitude, the tactics they are engaging in and their delaying methods. Like I said earlier, I might be mistaken; however, the information I am receiving says that both leaders are trying to delay the process. It is evident that such a delay would prevent the completion of the process by the set deadline.
Are Ankara and Athens ready for a solution?

It is likely that the ball will soon be tossed into Ankara and Athens’ court. However, is either one ready to assume such a responsibility?

Let’s start with Ankara…

To tell the truth, if you talk to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his self-confidence and his belief that he is not being pressured by the media or his party show he is ready to take on the responsibility and the political risk associated with making tough decisions. Of course, this does not mean that the Turkish prime minister is ready to sign any agreement and that he does not shrink from taking political risks or bearing public pressure.

I believe the government of Turkey will wait and see what Athens does before deciding on its policy. If Athens takes some constructive steps, Turkey will follow, but if not, it will let U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan resolve the matter.

Let’s now look at Greece’s attitude…

The attitude of Athens will become clear after the March 7 national elections.

Will George Papandreou or Costas Karamanlis win the elections?

Turkey prefers Papandreou’s victory because it is familiar with this leader. He supports a solution. It has nothing against Karamanlis. Moreover, Turkey knows he will follow socialist party PASOK’s policy in Cyprus. However, hearts are beating for Papandreou.

However, the problem in Greece is not its leaders. The problem is that Greece does not want to make any decisions on Cyprus. Firstly, Greece’s influence on Greek Cyprus is very weak compared to Turkey’s on the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC). Additionally, Greece does not want to assume any responsibility. It wants the Cypriots to make all the decisions. The Greeks see themselves as responsible for the past troubles of having interfered with the domestic affairs of the island. Greece also thinks it is to blame for not doing anything to prevent the 1974 military intervention.

Greece feels it has paid for its past mistakes by making Cyprus a member of the EU and does not want to bear the responsibility of an agreement that will affect the future of the Cypriots.

Athens wants Papadopoulos to make the decisions and wants the Cypriots to take responsibility for their own affairs.

That’s why they might prefer that Annan make the final decisions.

In other words, everything will end up in Annan’s hands.

If you ask me, this will be a great shame for all of us. We can’t cry about it afterwards. If we cannot solve our own problems, we should be prepared for solutions coming from the outside.