REACTIONS TO the withdrawal from government and Christofias’ response came thick and fast yesterday. Socialist leader Omirou said the president’s reply reflected unchanging positions which proved that EDEK’s decision was the right one. He argued again that the party’s requests for more briefings and “collective consultations” on the negotiations had fallen on deaf ears in two years.
He accused Christofias of missing a chance to withdraw the proposal on a rotating presidency when the Turkish Cypriot side submitted a host of confederal proposals to the table.
On the question of EDEK members recently appointed on the boards of semi-government organisations (SGOs), Omirou said he advised those board members to remain at their posts, unless the president wished to raise the issue. EDEK had benefited greatly from DIKO’s decision not to submit candidates for the SGO boards last year.
DIKO vice-president Nicolas Papadopoulos yesterday backed EDEK’s claim that Christofias had kept the parties in the dark during negotiations. “The rule was always that the government partners were briefed after decisions were taken and after the generous offers made,” said Papadopoulos.
He gave as an example the proposal for a rotating presidency, submitted last February. “We didn’t know about it. Nobody said anything to us and we learnt about it from the leaked UN documents.”
EVROKO leader Demetris Syllouris went a step further, accusing the president of putting the interests of the Republic and Cypriot Hellenism “in a most precarious position, due to (his) amateur handling, based on vague expectations”.
Greens deputy Georgios Perdikis said EDEK’s decision was totally justified, placing full responsibility for the move on Christofias.
DISY spokesman Haris Georgiades also lent credence to the view that there was a lack of information and consultation on the talks. It’s one thing to brief parties after the event and another to discuss policy and strategy before, he said, adding that Christofias was demanding unconditional support without the necessary preceding consultation.
AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou countered, saying that all parties were given documents to study and respond to before each chapter was to be discussed in the talks. “This happened every time,” he said.
He also argued that the president has successfully achieved “far more convergences” today than was achieved in 2004, and this without making concessions, as many have claimed. Regarding the “casus belli”, the rotating presidency, Kyprianou said EDEK’s reaction seemed a little late since the proposal was tabled exactly a year ago. “I think this hypersensitivity is belated. It would be a blessing to hear what solution EDEK proposes, and not in general and vague times,” he added.
Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou also defended the government’s handling of the talks, noting that all negotiating documents had been submitted to the parties, who did not always voice their disagreement as they are making out.
