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20 February 2004
Source: Cyprus Mail
Author: Jean Cristou
‘No’ campaign gears up as talks begin
"If the Turkish settlers don’t leave and the army don’t leave and if the EU acquis is not followed, in our opinion we will say ‘no’ to the vote... we stress we can’t accept arrangements that will turn us into second class European citizens... referring to a list of derogations..."
THE BATTLE has begun to win the hearts and minds of Greek Cypriots on
the Annan plan ahead of a referendum in exactly two months’ time.
While there is little concern over how the Turkish Cypriot vote
will go, with the majority in the north expected to accept the plan,
there is a real concern that Greek Cypriots will swing the other way.
As UN envoy Alvaro de Soto made clear in New York last week, the
separate referenda in April will be the decisive factor on whether or
not Cyprus enters the EU as a reunited island on May 1.
Although there has been huge interest among Greek Cypriots keen to
learn about the plan, the momentum against the UN blueprint is also
growing, ranging from politicians to organised groups, such as the
Citizens’ Movement.
Among the political parties, right-wing New Horizons leader Nicos
Koutsou said yesterday that as the plan stood, his party would have no
option but to vote ‘no’.
“If the Turkish settlers don’t leave and the army don’t leave and
if the EU acquis is not followed, in our opinion we will say ‘no’ to the
vote,” he said. “For this we stress we can’t accept arrangements that
will turn us into second class European citizens,” he said, referring to
a list of derogations from the acquis included in the plan.
Centre-right DIKO also issued a statement saying that if acceptable
changes were not made it would oppose the plan.
DIKO’s firebrand deputy Marios Matsakis said he was personally
launching a campaign to oppose the plan.
“I am in line with the party’s view but I will go a little
further,” Matsakis told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.
“First of all, I support fully the government in their negotiations
because I think they had no option but to go into negotiations, but I
wish to declare from today that I am against the solution based on the
Annan plan because I have no illusions and I have no doubt that at the
end of the day will be not have a solution that is viable and just.”
Matsakis said that even if changes were made to the plan it would
still not be viable and just, saying it would be impossible to make any
changes that would make it so. He said that as of yesterday he would
begin actively campaigning against the plan every time he found a public
platform to air his views.
“I don’t want the Cypriot people to be misled. I think that every
political personality should make their position clear and I make my
position clear right from the beginning that I will say ‘no’. What I
want now is accession to the European Union. That is my main concern
now,” he said.
Matsakis said he did not believe that differences of opinion across
the political spectrum would cause divisions on the Greek Cypriot side.
“The divisions are between those who want to submit to the
pressures of the US and Britain, who only care for their own benefit and
not for the Cyprus people, be they Greek or Turkish Cypriots,” he said.
He added there were large amounts of money pouring into the country
from foreign agencies in the US and the UK as part of efforts to sway
the media and to buy newspaper opinions, and “generally to try and
swing, mislead and change the opinions of the Cypriot people”.
“We will see more of this in the next few weeks,” he said.
George Kentas, spokesman for the Citizens’ Movement against the
plan, said the group had been set up when the Annan plan was first
presented to the sides by UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan in November
2002. The group, including political scientists, lawyers, experts in
international law and economists, has stepped up its activities over the
past week since the New York agreement on the resumption of talks.
“This is a spontaneous movement of citizens who have made up their
mind about the Annan plan and don’t agree with it,” said Kentas.
He said the group gave a talk on Wednesday night attended by some
600 people and that 400 had signed up for membership.
The Citizens’ Movement, which has also issued its own publication,
believes a solution should be based on the EU acquis, and that there
should be no rush to find a solution until the island joins the bloc.
“We are surely in favour of a solution to the Cyprus problem that
is properly functional, and is a final solution and not a temporary one
where the problem will still exist,” said Kentas.
“This is not only our conclusion but also that of the national
council, and our main aim now is to inform citizens. The decisions taken
in New York were in favour of the national interest of the US and
Turkey, which wants EU membership.”
Kentas said that the group also planned to pressure the leaders and
explain why the Annan plan wouldn’t work.
He dismissed the notion that the group might be seen as extremist
or attract an extremist element.
“Nobody in our movement is against Turkish Cypriots and in fact we
believe in rapprochement. We know there are people who don’t like the
plan because of financial reasons or because they don’t like Turks but
we are making an informed decision and that is the difference,” Kentas
said."
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