PHILELEFTHEROS: “Nicosia prepared for backlash” In its lead story, the daily said the government was readying itself to face the international fallout from the Greek Cypriots’ response in Saturday’s referendum. Sources in Washington said that the US government planned to discredit President Papadopoulos personally.
The Times “The overwhelming rejection by Greek Cypriots of the United Nations plan to reunify their island is a disaster. The chance of overcoming the division of the past 30 years has been lost, possibly for decades. A colossal amount of diplomatic effort has been wasted, international goodwill squandered and regional tensions exacerbated.
DISY leader Nicos Anastassiades yesterday refused to comment on the internal conflict racking his party at a news in which he blamed the government for Saturday’s rejection of the Annan plan and called on Europe not to cement the division of the island.
THE government yesterday urged DISY chief Nicos Anastassiades and United Democrats leader George Vassiliou to withdraw their claims that the government had violated the freedom of expression during the referendum campaign. Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides described their actions as unacceptable, adding that they only did the country damage.
DISY yesterday warned its dissident members that their divisive behaviour would not be tolerated further. Several deputies, along with many DISY members, disagreed with the party’s decision to advocate a ‘yes’ vote and openly challenged the leadership by holding their own ‘no’ congress.
CALLS for Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash to resign gained volume in the wake of his failure to convince his people to reject the Annan plan in Saturday’s referendum. But on Saturday evening – as it became clear that Turkish Cypriots had wholeheartedly backed the plan – Denktash turned the tables and claimed victory in his battle to kill the UN-backed settlement.
THOUGH the United Nations has given up for now on trying to reunite Cyprus, it is not too late for the island’s people to return to negotiations, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said yesterday.
GREEK Cypriots on the street were worried yesterday as the full consequences of their resounding ‘no’ on Saturday began to sink in. One 55-year-old woman, who refused to give her name, admitted she was already regretting her decision. “I voted no mainly because of the president and other people’s influence and pressure to do so. I now regret it more than I can say,” the woman said.
TURKISH Cypriots reacted with mixed feelings to the news that the EU would be seeking to improve conditions for them as a result of their ‘yes’ vote in last Saturday’s referendum on the Annan plan. “I don’t see how embargoes can be lifted completely,” said Guven Muratoglu in occupied Nicosia yesterday.
AS THE referendum hubbub of the weekend settles down, it’s time for a detached look at the actual voting on Saturday, where there was the largest turnout in recent history. And although for most the outcome of the referendum was a foregone conclusion, it’s still useful to analyze what went on in people’s minds as they cast their vote in the ballot box.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
