by brother » Thu Apr 07, 2005 11:31 am
Would you be happy for you children to marry across the divide?
By John Leonidou
WITH leaders in Cyprus all professing their commitment to reuniting the island, it would seem hardly any of them would be happy to unite the communities in their own homes, with their children marrying across the community divide.
In an interview with Hurriyet, Turkish Cypriot ‘prime minister’ Mehmet Ali Talat spoke of his reluctance to see his children marrying a Greek Cypriot, something which Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides pounced on to point out the Turkish Cypriot leader’s desire for partition.
“Neither I nor my wife would be happy if one of children ends up marrying a Greek Cypriot,” Talat was quoted as saying. “It is our wish that our children end up marrying Turkish Cypriots. However, as a father that is just what I would prefer but the final word is for my children to have. It is their life, after all, and besides that they won’t listen to anyone once they have fallen in love.”
Seizing on his comments, Chrysostomides said on Tuesday: “I believe that Talat’s comments do not coincide with modern political or social opinion. His comments basically confirm his intent on the island’s partition, but that is his own personal opinion.”
However, Chrysostomides himself was defensive when asked how happy he would be to see his children marrying Turkish Cypriots. “These kind of questions you should put to me at the briefing room and not by phone,” he said, before ending the conversation.
Nicosia Mayor Michalakis Zampelas, however, said he “had no problem with inter-marriage between the two communities”. Asked how he would feel if one of his own children wanted to lead the way, Zampelas merely repeated his answer: “I have no problem with inter-marriage between the two communities.”
DISY deputy chairman Averoff Neophytou said he had other matters to think about before he could answer such a question.
“First I would have to make the decision to get married myself, and then I would be able to answer that question” Neophytou chuckled.