OPPOSITION DISY said yesterday it saw no reason to take part in the National Council given the body did not meet its primary purpose, which is the formulation of a policy strategy on the Cyprus problem.
At a news conference convened to explain why DISY was walking out, party boss Nicos Anastassiades held the government and President Tassos Papadopoulos personally responsible for the fact the Council had degenerated into “a source of gossip and leaks”.
The National Council is the advisory body of the President on the Cyprus problem, comprising party leaders from all sides, but their views are not binding on the President in terms of what action he takes.
DISY has long complained that Papadopoulos consistently fails to keep them updated on the Cyprus problem, even claiming that they rely on information from abroad to stay abreast of developments.
Another gripe has been that the President and his cohorts frequently distort the positions aired by DISY during sessions. The latest alleged incident occurred just this weekend.
“If the President has no confidence in the National Council, then perhaps he should not convene it at all,” a stern-faced Anastassiades said yesterday.
“In these critical times, we shall not stand for hypocrisy,” he added, alluding to the fact that the National Council was a façade because no real work was done while it was in session.
DISY said it was suspending its participation in the body for an indeterminate amount of time, in the hope that “remedies” would in the meantime be taken to improve its functioning.
Party spokesman Tasos Mitsopoulos told the Mail the move was intended to “shock” the powers that be into action.
In substantiating its action, DISY borrowed a 1997 proposal by socialists EDEK calling for the transformation of the Council into a “National Policy Council,” akin to a high-level think tank. The restructuring would see the establishment of subcommittees comprising foreign affairs and strategy analysts.
The backlash from the government coalition did not take long in coming. Government Spokesman George Lillikas said the administration was “saddened and disappointed” by DISY’s decision.
“We feel their decision creates an unnecessary crisis and tension, which could result in political fanaticism,” Lillikas noted.
“Their pulling out will not help the problems facing the National Council, especially the problem of the leaks. At the same time, the move conveys the message abroad that our side is divided.”
Senior coalition partners AKEL marshalled parliamentary spokesman Nicos Katsourides for the onslaught on DISY. The AKEL deputy cast doubt on DISY’s motives, saying that if the opposition party genuinely wanted to improve the operation of the Council they would have done so from within.
“Moreover, what they did was supremely arrogant. They’re saying that they’ll return to the Council only when they consider the situation has improved. But what happens if they never come to that conclusion? What if all the other parties are satisfied and DISY alone is not?”
A country with a turbulent political past – and present – Cyprus conspicuously lacks a foreign policy think tank. Analysis and decision-making has traditionally been limited to the Foreign Ministry and a close circle of advisers to the President.
Yet the latest row over the National Council masks a deep-seeded rift between the political forces on the handling of the Cyprus issue dating back to the April 2004 referendum.
A chasm seems to separate DISY and the government coalition. DISY, who backed the Annan plan, want a more proactive policy to resume talks with the Turkish Cypriots as soon as possible, arguing that the passage of time only serves to cement partition.
The government line seems to prefer for a longer-term approach that centres on achieving a “European solution”, or using the island’s membership of the EU to exact concessions from Turkey, which is seeking to join the 25-nation bloc.
The political rhetoric has served to muddle the waters, with the UN blueprint alternately called a basis for future negotiations, a starting point or a reference point.
In fact, the last National Council meeting on Friday was thrown into disarray when United Democrats leader Michalis Papapetrou suggested the Greek Cypriot side send a letter to the UN Secretary-general, saying it was ready for negotiations based on the Annan plan.
The Council had met to recap developments on Cyprus and to try and formulate a strategy before the meeting between President Papadopoulos and Annan in Paris on February 28.
The comment sparked an exchange of accusations and name-calling between political party leaders, leading Greens chairman George Perdikis to later describe the NC as “an arena where the cocks of the parties vent their megalomania”.
