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The world's politicians trying to settle the Cyprus issue face a number of courses of action; these courses fall into two fundamental categories, a unified island or a divided island. In its simplest terms The Greeks will accept nothing less than a unified island, but unified under a Greek dominated Government.
The Turkish Cypriots refuse to be dominated by a Greek puppet government, they tried that once and faced oblivion because of it, The unified island option sounds good to outsiders, sort of like a coming together of a divided people, like when the east and west Germans broke down the Berlin wall and met in the middle hugging each other and celebrating. Cyprus isn't like that, because on the one side, the Greeks, want the Turkish Cypriots off the island, and will settle for nothing less. On the other side the Turkish Cypriots selfishly refuse to give the Greeks a second chance at annihilating them.
The latest Greek law regarding property appears to punish anyone for buying former Greek land; there has been no mention of the law regarding former Turkish land on the south side, so it would appear that anyone dealing in former Greek land could face prison, while anyone dealing in former Turkish land is ok. This law on the face of it protects the Greeks, and allows anyone to take over former Turkish land with no such penalty. This is just a sample of the Greek justice that would apply to any Turkish Cypriot who falls under the unification option.
The divided island option, otherwise known as the (bizonal option) that has in fact operated since 1974, is the only option that allows the Turkish Cypriots to exist. Though the present state of the divided island is a reality, the border, and the UN troops manning no mans land confirms it, the ROC continues to bury its head in the sand pretending they are the sole government for all of it. That's sort of like refusing to believe there is an elephant in the kitchen, when quite clearly there is one.
The biggest stumbling block always has, and always will be the Greek puppet government. For instance the present ROC leader Mr. Puppetdopolous has a 47 year history of blocking any fair solution to the Cyprus problem, in 1959 he voted against the London Zurich agreement, His latest was his recommendation to the Greek Cypriots to refuse the Annan plan. He has up to this day in whatever political position he has found himself, used his political power to frustrate all potential solutions up to and including the Annan plan, there is no reason to expect this particular politically spoiled brat to change its spots today or tomorrow.
It is possible that the timing of the announcement of this new law maybe designed to take Turkeys eye off the ball, the Greeks may hope to enrage the Turkish Cypriots into escalating the situation with a tit for tat policy; I also believe that the Greek government may have managed to shoot itself in the foot again, by passing what could be a blatantly discriminatory law, at the same time they have passed a law that they cannot possibly enforce in the land they say the law applies to. Not only may the Greeks have managed to shoot themselves in the foot but they could have scored a spectacular own goal by dispelling the myth once and for all that they have any control at all over the north of the island.
The following weeks are going to be interesting for those like me, who follow the political chess game. But I do urge Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot governments to stay dignified and keep cool heads, and to think hard and deep about their own next move.
By Jimmy Bakala
© Copyright Cyprus Times 2006
