OUR BROTHERS of the Greek Cypriot diaspora were in town this week for the annual, high-level conference at which they briefed our government about the latest thinking on the Cyprob in the barber-shops of Astoria and Haringey, and try to squeeze more money out of the government for their organisations.
The August bash has been an annual fixture for decades, but despite the important decisions taken every year, we never hear a piece of good news from the participants, about the enlightenment campaigns in their countries of residence.
Leading overseas Cypriots may have influence and gravitas, but the policy-makers (not to mention the barbers) in Washington and London remain as fanatically pro-Turkish as they have always been. Have our expat brothers been talking to the wrong barbers or are they not receiving adequate support from Nicosia?
This week though we were in for a big surprise as the life-time president of PSEKA, Philip Christopher gave an exhibition of his clout in Washington. He secured a video message, especially for the conference of overseas Cypriots, from no lesser person than US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
President Christopher admitted that the message was not very positive – Hillary did not mention human rights violations or call for withdrawal of occupation troops or return of refugees to their homes. In fact she called on both sides to make hard decisions, totally ignoring Turkish intransigence.
“But the fact that she responded to our invitation to send us a message, that was positive,” concluded Christopher, without a hint of irony.
THE PSEKA president, in an interview given to the Tass News Agency, said that Hillary was merely repeating the basics of US foreign policy on Cyprus which had remained unchanged for 36 years.
But this of course was not a reflection on the ineffectiveness of PSEKA, the Cyprus Federation of America and other lobby groups in the US of A. “It is a foreign policy that could have been much worse than what it is,” said Christopher.
And we have Christopher and the rest of overseas Cypriot to thank for this. “With the work we are doing in the US as expatriates we managed to keep the Cyprus problem at the forefront of foreign policy.”
It is difficult to see the value of this considering that that for 36 years US foreign policy has been trying to shaft us. Would it not have been better if US administrations deleted Kyproulla from the forefront of its foreign policy and thus not have to side with the invader and occupier every time?
A RAY of hope has appeared on the horizon thanks to the rift between Israel and Turkey, which has been moving away from the West and done a deal with Iran. These developments, said Christopher, “gave us the opportunity to open the door to the Jewish lobby wider.”
Members of the Jewish lobby attended the conference of overseas Cypriots and met the foreign minister and comrade president. As he told Tass, the Jewish lobby was “all-powerful” because there were many Jewish Congressmen and Senators plus it had great power in the mass media. As result it had persuaded the American people that it was in the US interest to support Israel.
When such views are expressed publicly in the US, the source is invariably pilloried by the Jewish lobby for being anti-Semitic, but who cares. Now that the door has been opened wider, the all-powerful lobby will also be campaigning in the US for the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the occupied territory.
We need another ally that, like Russia, takes a stand on principle in international affairs.
WHEN I read that a delegation of the Jewish lobby would be attending the conference in Nicosia, I assumed that Christopher had invited the Jewish owners of his neighbourhood bagel shop and kosher butchery for a holiday in Kyproulla.
I was wrong. The delegation was from the American Jewish Committee (AJC), which a few days earlier had visited Greece and met with top government officials including PM Papandreou. An AJC press release about the visit, headed by its executive director David Harris, made no mention of the Cyprob as a topic discussed in Athens.
Going through the AJC web-site, it struck me that PSEKA may have opened door to the wrong lobby group. This group is more concerned with the ‘welfare and security of Jews throughout the world’, fights ‘anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry’ and works ‘to enhance the quality of American Jewish life…’
The real power in is exercised by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which has been described as one of the most powerful lobbying groups in Washington DC. Its critics claim it acts as an agent of the Israeli government and has a stranglehold on US Congress.
If we are going to jump into bed with the Jewish lobby we may as well go with guys with the big organs.
THE TALK about the Jewish lobby and predictions of a Greece-Israel-Cyprus alliance has got everyone excited in Kyproulla. Even Giorkos Perdikis has been waxing lyrical about a possible alliance.
Michalis Ignatiou had a long article in last Sunday’s Phil, promoting all types of theories about the issue, forecasting the preparation of a meeting of Papandreou, Netanyahou and Christofias. The new relations between Athens and Tel Aviv were being promoted by Congress and the Jewish lobby, but the White House “did not hide its happiness and satisfaction” about the development he wrote.
He also waxed lyrical about the AJC, which “constitutes the umbrella of the Jewish organisations”, when it rains.
Poor old comrade president – never a great fan of Israel – always got on better with the Arab states and will now be pressed by the bash-patriotic front to strengthen relations with Tel Aviv.
NOW THAT the change in US foreign policy is a certainty, UK-based organisations of overseas Cypriots will have to find a way of changing Britain’s pro-Turkish stance. Things have become more difficult since the change of government as the Liberals and the Tories have traditionally had close links with Ankara, said delegates from Britain.
And we cannot rely too much on UK Jewish lobby as it is nowhere near as powerful as the American in shaping perfidious Albion’s duplicitous foreign policy. In multi-cultural Britain the Muslim lobby is much more powerful, as it represents a lot more voters. UK-based POMAK should consider opening the door to the Muslim lobby, if we are to shift British foreign policy as well.
Next year we should invite a delegation from the British Muslim Council to the conference of overseas Cypriots. As long as they are not sitting next to the delegation of the Jewish lobby, there should be no problem.
UK-BASED Cypriots are much less arrogant and boastful than their self-regarding Yank brothers who are always giving the government instructions about what it should do and the policy it should follow. The Brit Cyps are completely overshadowed.
The brash Christopher always dominates the gatherings of expats, giving interviews to papers, appearing on the telly, making fiery speeches and generally promoting himself as our overseas saviour. In a previous conference he had claimed that if the government gave him 100 million bucks, he would solve the Cyprob favourably, in no time.
This is good salesmanship, and the reason why the government gives more moollah to the Yank organisations. The marketing of the Jewish lobby as the new big hope, this week, may have ensured that PSEKA’s budget will not be cut in 2011, despite the need to reduce government spending.
OUR GOOD friend Charilaos could make a saving by scrapping next year’s conference of overseas Cypriots, as it is proving a big waste of time and money.
What was achieved by this year’s conference? Our party leaders entertained the delegates by using the conference to slam comrade president’s alleged incompetence at the talks. And they all seem to have agreed, encouraged by the wisest Cypriot of all, Archbishop Chrys 2, the Cyprob needed to be re-positioned.
As naughty Chrys said, the policy of the “well-behaved child proved a failure” as it put us in a worse position. Christopher agreed that it was time for re-positioning. The missionary position has failed us, so from now on the Cyprob will be done doggy style, as long as the Jewish lobby approves. Dr Faustus, will approve as he has been calling for re-positioning and bad-boy behaviour for years now.
WE HEAR there have been developments in the Iacovou-Emiliou saga that have put comrade Tof in a bit of quandary. We reported some weeks ago, how Iacovou turned up at a scheduled meeting with Kudret Ozersay, accompanied by hard-line foreign ministry perm sec Nicos Emiliou, to the surprise of the UN officials.
Iacovou said that he would have the role of note-taker, to comply with the agreement that these meeting would be attended by the representative of each leader and a note-taker. Subsequently, the duo also took a note-taker with them to the meetings.
But now the Turks have decided that this was a violation of the agreed procedure and told the UN that at this Tuesday’s meeting only Tof’s representative, whoever he is, should be present, plus his note-taker. So now, the poor old comrade will be getting stressed out about who to send to the meeting.
Getting Iacovou to shave his moustache, disguise himself (maybe go in drag) and pretend to be a real note-taker could be the answer. This would spare the comrade from making a choice and humiliate the out of favour Yiorkos. A terrible dilemma could be turned into a win-win situation.
THE GREAT debate about the Curium beach poo continues to rage for the second summer running, thanks to the sensitivity of the Perdikis Party which has been campaigning against the poo. The party issued a statement again this year complaining about the turds – they must have been floaters – that had been washed to the shore.
The mukhtar of the area was convinced that the turds were being laid by the turtles whose toilet behaviour is bit reckless. But despite tests being done by three different labs, it had not yet been established whether the poo had come from an animal or a human bottom. But the mystery will soon be solved as samples have been sent to the US for tests.
It later transpired that the blaming of the turtles for the turds could have been a misinformation trick by the British bases. According to CTO official, Glafkos Kariolou British soldiers were also using the bays. They could have been having dumps in the sea and blaming the poor turtles.
Kariolou said: “I am not an expert on turtles but the faeces the life guards found floating were simply too big to be that of sea turtles.”
Perdikis has avoided comment after his beloved turtles were incriminated. He could not carry out an on-the-spot inspection of the poo as he was holidaying in Troodos (he sent pictures of himself to all papers), but if he had we are certain his state-of-the-art, bull-shit detector would have exonerated the turtles.
APOLOGIES for boring you with stories about poo the Cyprob and the overseas Cypriots but we are still in the slow season. NOW for a musical break with the song, ‘Don’t cry for me Karpasia,’ performed by Yiorkos Lillikas.
