Greek Cypriots will have to decide in 2008 what they want on the island
The ball is in the court of the Greek Cypriots and after they elect their new president in mid-February they have to do some soul searching and decide what they want for the future of the island. Even Greek Cypriot analysts agree that they only have two options: They will either accept to share power with the Turkish Cypriots and allow the reunification of the island or they will have to agree to the creation of two separate states on the eastern Mediterranean island.
Cyprus Mail says three and a half years ago when the Greek Cypriots entered the European Union Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos believed that membership would enable them to turn the screw on Turkey. But the paper says this has proved monumentally misguided as it has seen its partners consistently siding with Ankara whenever it had tried to do so.
The unsolved Cyprus problem is considered a major nuisance by
the European Commission, which is quite clearly fed up of the Greek Cypriot obstructive tactics in the Union’s dealings with Turkey.
This was why the Swedish government called a meeting of interested parties in New York last September, the German parliament issued a strong-worded resolution and Britain signed a deal with Turkey, committing itself to upgrade its contacts with the Turkish Cypriots. The message was clear
if the Greek Cypriot problem is not solved, the EU will find ways to minimize the disruptions caused to its dealings with Turkey. 
Cyprus Mail said this was also a way of reminding the Greek Cypriot political establishment of the need for a solution. It has repeatedly been said that there would be one last attempt in 2008, after the presidential elections, to find a settlement and if it fails the status quo would be the solution.
Greek Cypriots analysts say unfortunately, the presidential candidates have been reluctant to take these warnings seriously, preferring to deal with the no-cost politics of wishful thinking – promising the ideal solutions and telling the Greek Cypriots what they will never accept. Cyprus Mail says the main message of Papadopoulos’ campaign, in fact, is that he is the man best able to resist the foreigners’ effort to impose an unfair settlement.
Greek Cypriots analysts say neither he nor his campaign spokesmen inform the people what would happen once he has successfully resisted the efforts for a settlement. Observers say the other presidential candidates seem more willing to debate what should happen, but also embrace, to some extent, the negative approach, Papadopoulos has imposed on political debate.
Cyprus Mail says the decision of maverick politician Dr. Marios Matsakis to stand in the elections has shaken up things, by exposing the dishonesty of the election debate – if he failed to secure the desired settlement, he would pursue a two-state solution, he said. None of the other candidates have dared to discuss the possibility of failure, even though they have no problem repeating what they would never accept as a solution.
Cyprus Mail says the February’s elections should have been an opportunity for Greek Cypriot politicians to speak honestly to the people about the two options that they have. The paper says "We either try to find some way of reuniting the island, accepting that any agreement would be far from ideal (it will invariably be worse than the Annan plan), or the two sides agree to go their separate ways. There is no third option, as Matsakis quite rightly pointed
out."
The newspaper says "hopefully, 2008 will prove the year that Greek Cypriots finally decide what they really want for the country and work to achieve it." It also warns "if again, we choose the negative approach – focusing only on what we do not want – the decision will be taken for us in 2008, by our EU partners, even if we elect a president, theoretically, capable of resisting their designs."
Meanwhile, some optimistic observers say the arrival of the euro may help a solution on the island. They say the European currency may actally be a peace maker between the Turkish Cypriots and the Greeeks.
The island's arrival in the eurozone on Jan.1 is being heralded as more than just a milestone amid predictions that it will pull off what countless mediators have failed to achieve so far, and help to reunify Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
"It is golden opportunity for both communities to overcome one of their major disparities," said Ali Erel, who heads the European Union Association in the island's Turkish-run north told British daily Guardian. "The transition will push us to cooperate more and that, ultimately, could lead to economic reintegration," he said.
Although EU laws and regulations are not applied in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, where enthusiasm for Europe has also waned considerably, the euro is being used increasingly by the territory as it tries to shake off its pariah status.
Observers say northern Cyprus's booming property market is linked almost exclusively to the currency.
Source:
http://www.thenewanatolian.com/tna-30445.html
