zan wrote:Paphitis wrote:Bananiot wrote:Today's article by Loucas Charalambous, another masterpiece.I CANNOT tell whether President Christofias is being serious when he boasts that thanks to his much-trumpeted ‘package of proposals’ our side was “one step ahead” of the other side.
If he seriously thinks that such transparent gimmicks would fool the Turks or the international community, he is even more of a political bungler than originally thought.
The pinnacle of his ingenious proposals is the return of the fenced part of Famagusta in exchange for two Greek Cypriot concessions to the Turkish side. First we would undertake not to block the opening of any chapters in Turkey’s accession negotiations with the EU; second, we would agree to the use of Famagusta port by the Turkish Cypriots so we would no longer be held responsible for allegedly keeping them in isolation.
Our cunning and crafty president could be asked the following: If you are “one step ahead” because you now thought about asking for the return of Famagusta, how many miles ahead of us is Rauf Denktash who proposed the same thing 32 years ago and without demanding anything in exchange? And how intelligent is the AKEL leadership, which rejected the proposal back then, dismissing it as a ‘trap’, only to make the same one, a third of a century later?
Christofias’ move is a monument to astounding naivety. It is based on the assumption that the Turks are idiots and foreigners total simpletons. Is there even a one in a million probability that we could fool Turkey with such ridiculous gimmicks?
As things have developed, now that the return of Morphou is dead - killed by Christofias in 2004 – Famagusta is the only negotiating card the Turkish side has in the territory chapter. Is it going to offer it to us before it secures our signature on an overall settlement agreement? If he considers the people who shape Turkish policy so stupid, they would fall for his ridiculous tricks, it is his own political idiocy that he is advertising.
But even the foreigners know us so well now it is laughable for the president to believe that he could trick them with his crude political games. Is it a coincidence that despite his marketing drive, not a single European state has publicly backed his ‘package of proposals’?
Foreign governments are fed up with us. What they want is a settlement agreement. And they are not so stupid they would be unable to understand that, in the extremely unlikely case of Famagusta being returned, this would block any agreement. You – they would tell us – rejected a comprehensive settlement that provided for the return of the town, what motive would you have to reach an agreement if the town was returned beforehand?
Everything, including politics, to a large extent, is subject to rational scrutiny. Someone should inform Christofias who has started engaging in bizarre gimmicks, under the illusion that they would help him come out of the labyrinth in which his unforgivable political sins and cluelessness placed him.
NOTE: A Simerini columnist was riled by my advice to foreign ambassadors – in a previous article – to ‘kick out’ the Mayor of Morphou when he visited them demanding the return of the town by the Turks. He informed us that ambassadors did not ‘kick out’ people.
I was under the impression that even a columnist at a newspaper which is the mouthpiece of political paranoia in our country, would have known that I used the phrase metaphorically. But nowadays, when inciting the murder of political rivals on web-sites, is considered lawful behaviour by the Attorney-general, two or three real kicks, would probably not be such a bad idea.
So what is the purpose of this ill thought out article if what Loucas states is true?
No more TRICKS will be tolerated because the world has got your number and........................An early general election perhaps!!!
If the article is true, I can't see how allowing 40,000 odd refugees back to their homes in exchange for the lifting of EU obstacles and also allowing direct trade is a trick!
If you were a man, you would support the handing over of Amochostos to the legitimate owners. But you are not a man. You are the lowest of the low Zan!
Well done!
35 years of “steps ahead” and your staircase to nowhere hasn’t reached panacea yet??? 
