BRITISH Foreign Secretary Jack Straw appeared unfazed yesterday by a series of demonstrations that greeted the beginning of his contacts in Cyprus, as students and others turned out to protest his meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat.
As he arrived at the Foreign Ministry for a meeting with his Cypriot counterpart George Iacovou during a heavy downpour, people threw eggs at Straw’s chauffeured vehicle, while one woman threw her umbrella at the car.
Other protestors, from the 120 or so outside the Ministry had erected a mock gallows and displayed photos of 1950 heroes as a reminder of colonial times. Some held banners with ‘Shame on you, Jack’ and shouting ‘Go home’.
“It’s divide and rule all over again,” said protester Ioannis Shekersavvas.
There was also a small scuffle when a middle-aged man who tried to reach the car was pulled back by a police officer and fell to the ground but not before he was hit by the side mirror in the crush. Panayiotos Georgiou, 47, was slightly hurt and was taken to the Nicosia General hospital.
“I am sorry that a demonstrator was injured,” Straw told a news conference at the Ledra Palace later, when asked about the incident.
“I’m sorry indeed but in these situations I am not the one who is driving and we are subject to local security measures.”
Straw said he had come as a friend of Cyprus and that the links between the two countries were deep and strong.
At the Foreign Ministry, a joint resolution from the protesting associations and organisations called on Britain to get used to the idea that Cyprus was no longer a colony but a member state of the EU.
Green Party leader George Perdikes, who was participating in the demonstration, said Straw’s visit was suspicious as it coincided with a Turkish action plan for a Cyprus settlement, which was announced Tuesday by Turkey’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.
Two hours later, busloads of students numbering around 1,000 in total, headed for the British High Commission although by that time Straw was safely ensconced at the High Commissioner’s residence just before his midday meeting with Talat.
With great fanfare the students marched up the long road to the High Commission just before noon holding banners reading ‘Down with Imperialism’ ‘British Bases out of Cyprus’ ‘Down with Partition’, ‘Rapprochement with Turkish Cypriot’, and others.
They stayed ten minutes and then dispersed, after handing in a resolution to the High Commission protesting against British Foreign policy and accused it of a pro-Turkish stance.
