insan wrote:All the intimate details and the unknown aspects of 1973-1976 era shed a great light on what was happening during those years. A must read! This report destroys all GC and Hellenic propaganda over Cyprus Problem.
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/96606.pdf
CYPRUS—AN OLD PROBLEM
Summary
The conflict between the Greek and Turkish communities on Cyprus
has had repercussions far beyond the island. Greece and Turkey have
twice threatened war to protect the interests of their communities on the
island. The US and UK have been caught up in the island’s problems,
the Soviets have occasionally tried to take advantage of the situation,
and a UN peacekeeping force has been on the island for almost a decade,
keeping the lid on deep-seated intercommunal antagonism.
Cypriot intercommunal problems continue to elude a satisfactory
solution. Animosity between the two communities is deeply rooted in
the island’s history, and independence in 1960 did not help. Major hostilities
erupted in 1963 and again in 1967, and passions continue to
smolder. Though talks between the communities have helped to keep
the level of violence down, they have made little progress toward basic
solutions—despite the addition of “advisers” from Greece and
Turkey, as well as a UN observer. The talks remain deadlocked; the
Greek Cypriots will accept nothing less than majority rule, and the
Turkish Cypriots demand greater participation in the administration
of the island than their 20-percent minority would seem to justify.
Total political supremacy on the island is a basic goal of President
Archbishop Makarios. A shrewd political maneuverer, his tactics have
at times created misunderstanding and mistrust in both communities.
Makarios clings to the conviction that he was hoodwinked into accepting
the original terms for independence, which included a protective
veto for the Turks; he is dedicated to expanding the already dominant
Greek Cypriot position on the island.
Cyprus has been relatively quiet since 1968, but trouble has been
brewing since late last year. This time the threat lies within the Greek
Cypriot community. George Grivas, a leader of the fight for independence,
secretly returned to the island late in August 1971. The aging
guerrilla leader has always been a fierce champion of enosis—union
of Cyprus with Greece—and he is now a bitter foe of Makarios, who
favors enosis in theory but not in practice. Grivas has carried out a
Cyprus 253
1 Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of Current Intelligence, Job 79–T00861A,
Box 22, Folder 14. Secret; No Foreign Dissem.
series of terrorist acts against the Makarios government, and there is a
danger that violence could eventually spill over into the Turkish
Cypriot community.
This working paper defines the major issues, identifies the principal
players, and provides some historical background of a complex
problem that promises to be with us for a long time.
This was posted last year. Very interesting. It shows how much the Yanks can be trusted.
