Real Europeans: Turkish Cypriots
If both parties had said ‘Yes’ to the plan indeed all parties, Turkish Cypriots, Greek Cypriots, Turkey, Greece, United Nations (U.N.), European Union (EU) and the world at large would have benefited. The Cyprus issue would have reached the solution awaited for nearly half a century, the U.N., a crucially important organization for ensuring peace and security in the world would have won considerable prestige, and the EU as the ‘peace project’ in Europe would have achieved a new success.
Unfortunately, none of these happened. The Cyprus problem is still there. However, it is certain that the ‘peace offensive’ Ankara initiated in January has been successful. No one can claim that the Turkish side does not want a solution or that the Turkish military is an ‘occupier.’ The Cyprus issue is no longer an obstacle to the start of membership negotiations with Turkey. An end to sanctions and international isolation of Turkish Cypriots is on the agenda. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, in harmony with state institutions, has done its best for a solution to the Cyprus problem, and therefore fulfilled the pledge it made to the Turkish nation in the campaign for November 3, 2002 general lections.
Turkish Cypriots have displayed a strong willingness to bury the pains of the past in history, open up a new chapter, and live peacefully together with their Greek compatriots. The Greek Cypriot administration may become a EU member on May 1, but it is the Turkish Cypriots who have shown the world that they are the real Europeans. The April 24 referendum in Northern Cyprus may be said to have delivered a result similar to the November 3, 2002 general elections in Turkey: The status quo represented by [President] Rauf Denktas is eliminated; the Greek Cypriot administration is no longer able to hide behind him.
The Greek Cypriots, by rejecting a solution supported by all EU countries, including Greece, have betrayed EU as the ‘peace project’ in Europe. As EU Commissioner for Enlargement Günther Verheugen stated, the Greek Cypriot administration has deceived the EU by not negotiating in good faith. Perhaps the best assessment on the behavior of the Greek Cypriot administration was made by [a former Greek Cypriot President] Georges Vasiliu: "It is embarrassing and shameful… What we have seen is an industry of misinformation at work – a special kind of a police state where people have been told what to vote and indirectly threatened." (Guardian, April 24.) Yes, the Greek Cypriot administration is becoming a member of the EU on May 1, but subject to strong reactions and anger from all of Europe for having rejected an opportunity for the solution of the Cyprus problem. The Greek Cypriot administration is joining the EU representing only itself, not the entire island, and the border separating the two sides is due to become EU’s border.
It cannot be said that the new government in Athens has done all in its power to take advantage of this great opportunity for a solution on Cyprus. Prime Minister Karamanlis cannot be said to have shown leadership. If the referenda were held a year ago while Kostas Simitis was the prime minister in Greece and Glafkos Klerides the leader of Greek Cypriots, the result would doubtlessly have been quite different.
As for the EU, it might have considered that the promise of membership in the EU would provide a great incentive for a solution to the Cyprus problem. However, things did not go as expected, and Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos, [former Yugoslav President] Slobodan Milosevic’s lawyer, took advantage of guaranteed EU membership to stand against the solution of the problem. We will no see how Brussels will deal with the mess it has created for itself… Now, only one thing is certain: Any further delay in starting membership negotiations with Turkey will be another serious blow to EU’s credibility.
