ALTHOUGH there may have been high expectations, George Papandreou’s visit to Cyprus proved to be little more than an exercise in a type of public relations that we have grown weary of. We heard the familiar platitudes and generalities about Greece always being by the side of Cyprus, about the Cyprus problem going through a ‘very critical’ phase and the need for Turkey to change its stance.
In short, we heard nothing new, let alone forward-looking from Greece’s Prime Minister, who, disappointingly, resorted to the tired rhetoric of his predecessor, Costas Karamanlis, a specialist in telling us what we wanted to hear, without committing himself to anything. We had expected something more from Papandreou, given his proactive approach to diplomacy and his commitment to improving Greece’s relations with Turkey.
In the end, his visit seemed to have one purpose – to offer support to President Christofias’ handling of the negotiations and to stress the need for the continuation of the peace process. There was no announcement of joint initiatives or practical co-operation, but perhaps Greek government support of Christofias was the priority at a time when the president is being attacked from all quarters for his handling of the negotiations. Papandreou’s praise and approval could ease some of the domestic pressure on the president, but it is unlikely to achieve the unity he paid lip service to.
Perhaps we should not have expected anything more from the visit. Papandreou has more than enough things to worry about back home, to have any time to spare on the Cyprus problem. Quite rightly, he had no desire to be dragged into the non-stop bickering of our political parties on the specifics of the negotiations by trying to forge a unified front. There is also Sunday’s election in the north which is likely to produce a new Turkish Cypriot negotiator and contribute to the general uncertainty surrounding the peace process.
All these factors would have played in the mind of Papandreou on his arrival in Cyprus, persuading him to stick to the familiar old script that many of his predecessors used. This was also an indication of Christofias’ traditional reluctance to co-operate too closely with the Greek government on the Cyprus problem. In his two years in power he has never sought the meaningful and constructive co-operation between Athens and Nicosia, which existed during the Clerides-Simitis years.
All he wanted was for Papandreou to give his endorsement to his handling of the negotiations and this was why he arranged a meeting of the PM with the party leaders. Papandreou was happy to oblige and throw in the familiar platitudes into the deal as well.
