HOUSE President Demetris Christofias received anything but a warm welcome during Saturday night’s anti-occupation march in Dherynia, with a section of the crowd booing and jeering over his party’s stance on the Annan plan.
Greek Cypriot refugees from Famagusta marched to the Dherynia checkpoint to reiterate their determination to return back to their ancestral homes.
Christofias was the main speaker at the protest, but a faction of the crowd made clear their displeasure with the fact that AKEL had called for voters to vote ‘no’ “in order to cement the ‘yes’”.
Ultimately, the Annan plan was rejected by 76 per cent of Greek Cypriots. Dherynia was the only area in Cyprus where a majority, 62 per cent, voted ‘yes’ to the plan. Had it been adopted, Famagusta would have been returned to the Greek Cypriots by now.
A number of those at the march shouted and jeered at Christofias, but he later dismissed the incident, saying he could have counted the number of protesters on one hand. He was bringing a message of unity, he said.
The government also condemned the handful of protestors. Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said everyone should be aware of the gravity of the current situation and “behave properly”.
“These events when they are turned against the political parties and the leadership that is interested only for the good are not justified for any reason,” he said.
Saturday’s march was titled ‘Solution Reunification Peace’ and involved the release of 31 pigeons representing the 31 years since the 1974 invasion.
The event was organised by the Famagusta Municipality. In addition to Christofias, other political party leaders and deputies attended, along with a delegation from Greece as well as British MP and honorary citizen on Famagusta Eddie O’Hara and British former MP and honourary citizen of Famagusta Tom Cox.
Christofias told the crowd that the demand for the return of the fenced-off city of Famagusta to its lawful inhabitants and the broader implementation of confidence building measures were not the main target of the Greek Cypriots, but aimed at fostering a climate that would contribute to a settlement of the Cyprus problem.
”Solution and reunification the soonest possible remains our struggle’s ultimate target for the fulfilment of which we will continue to strive,” Christofias said.
He described the declaration by Ankara that Turkey did not recognise the Republic of Cyprus as “the most recent example of intransigence”.
“It is a deplorable declaration which contradicts the UN resolutions, the acquis communautaire and questions Turkey’s commitment to implement the Protocol to expand its Customs Union with the ten EU member states,” Christofias said.
Famagusta Mayor Yiannakis Skordis said: “We demand nothing more than the return to our homeland and the guarantee of our human rights, as envisaged by all UN decisions,” he stressed, adding “we will continue to organise marches until we will be able to celebrate the reunification of our small country in cooperation with our Turkish Cypriot compatriots.”
