Article

2004-04-24 Europe

Exit poll: Greek Cypriots reject reunification

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Posted by Frank G 2004-04-24 3:36:39 PM|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 "EU rules and regs without the benefits, most likely"

More like the exact opposite, I wager.

Posted by Aris Katsaris 2004-04-24 3:43:35 PM|| 2004-04-24 3:43:35 PM|| Front Page Top

#2 The media is spinning like crazy on this, becuase they can't state the obvious. Which is the Greek Cypriots were give the opportunity to screw the Turkish Cypriots (out of joining the EU) and promptly did so. Talk about predictable.

Posted by Phil B 2004-04-24 5:47:59 PM|| 2004-04-24 5:47:59 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 You don't get it. The EU is a *tiny sidenote* to the 30-year old question of the reunification of the island. Entry into the EU simply became the lure for the Turkish Cypriots to desire reunification that gave the issue a new momentum.

But you think that the Greek cypriots were interested in keeping the Turkish Cypriots from joining the EU -- why would they even care about having the Turkish Cypriots join or not join?

The question was whether the Greek Cypriots wanted the reunified state as described by the Annan plan or not. It ended up they didn't.

I think they were mistaken but so be it.

Posted by Aris Katsaris 2004-04-24 6:15:08 PM|| 2004-04-24 6:15:08 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 Aris, I haven't been following this closely, but my recollection was that the Greeks were in favour of reunification (on more or less the EU terms) and only turned against it when the Turks were offered EU membership.

BTW 'The past is prologue.'

Posted by Phil B 2004-04-24 6:38:05 PM|| 2004-04-24 6:38:05 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 Phil -- you are misremembering: with a unified island, EU membership would have been a given for all its citizens. That was never an issue in dispute.

There weren't any EU terms for reunification -- the plan is a UN plan (that's why it's called the Annan plan), even though it has the backing of US, UK and EU.

The main problem IMO is the way that the Greek Cypriots object to the terms of particication of the Turkish Cypriot community (and the powers of veto that it will hold) in the reunited Republic. Not in the EU, but in republic of Cyprus itself.

Posted by Aris Katsaris 2004-04-24 9:04:55 PM|| 2004-04-24 9:04:55 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 As a sidenote -- some change in attitude on the part of the Cypriot government wasn't because of any specific change in the Annan plan, but rather because of a change in the Cypriot government itself --- the moderate president of Cyprus, Glafkos Clerides, lost in the elections and was replaced by the chauvinist (IMO) Tasos Papadopoulos.

Posted by Aris Katsaris 2004-04-24 10:27:52 PM|| 2004-04-24 10:27:52 PM|| Front Page Top

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