I believe that the intention of those who drew up the 1960 agreement in Zurich was to create an independent State, in which the interests of the T-Cypriot minority community were safeguarded, but it could not have been their intention that the smooth functioning and development of the country should be prejudiced or thwarted, as the first years demonstrated.One of the consequences of the difficulties created by certain constitutional provisions was to prevent the G-Cypriots and T-Cypriots of Cyprus from co-operating in a spirit of understanding and friendship, to undermine the relations between them and cause them to draw further apart instead of closer together, to the detriment of the wellbeing of the people of Cyprus as a whole.
This situation should have caused all of us great concern. It is necessary to resolve certain of the difficulties by the removal of some of the obstacles (at least) to the smooth functioning and development of Cyprus. The resulting agreement, any agreement, must respect internationally accepted democratic principles and the human rights of every single Cypriot.
The fact is that the Republic of Cyprus functions extremely well & is considered a success example for small nation states to follow. I am confident that inside the EU family, and after alleviating the sources of friction between G- and T- Cypriot communities, we can undo the damage caused by the crimianal, reckless and ill-intentioned "intervention" of 1974, and confidently embark on writing the next 50 years of success, guaranteed to be an even greater one given that all Cypriots will take part.
I maintain that the ball is in the T-Cypriots' court alone.
G-Cypriots, I deeply believe, are ready to welcome an initiative by the Turkish Cypriots which for sure will be supported by healthy forces within Turkish society, those very forces that have begun their no-return journey of doubting those "leaders" in their nation who for decades on end usurped the legacy of a great leader to promote their own twisted fascistic agenda and profit as a result.
In my humble opinion, should they fail to take bold steps, away from their current stale thinking and ineffective course, should they fail to define their "ITHACA" clairvoyantly, then I am afraid their journey will contnue to be full of pain, suffering, wrong assessments, inaction, lost opportunities, more deserters and bad decisions.
The T-Cypriot Ithaca of legitimate and genuine interests lies within the Republic of Cyprus & inside the EU. The T-Cypriot jounrey to return & the joint Cypriot journey to prosperity and common future promises great rewards for all.
Regardless whether you agree with my "sermon", you will undoubtedly enjoy the the link below, Sean Connery's reciting of Kavafis' "Ithaca". Check out this link too for the actual poem in Greek and English.
