AS MANY tried to interpret the ‘messages’ sent by President Christofias in the news conference he gave 10 days ago, this column also gave it a shot.
After a thorough and in-depth analysis of everything he said, I have concluded that the message was just one: the president deserves a second term. I cannot agree with EUROKO, which said, rather indelicately, that only a psychiatrist could explain the president’s ramblings.
What Christofias said was so simple and easy to understand that even the dumbest villager would have had no trouble getting the message. He would need neither a psychiatrist nor a clairvoyant to explain it to him.
The president was very clear. Many European leaders were pressuring him to seek re-election because “they cannot imagine Cyprus without him as president”. His delusions are on the same level as Makarios’, even though Makarios was even cruder in his megalomania.
Makarios used to say: “I am Cyprus. I decide everything. Even the trees you see, I chose; the electricity poles, I said where each one should be placed.”
Christofias is more modest. He does not extol his greatness himself. The European leaders tell him, “To us, you are Cyprus, so stay in your palace, because you are the one we want.” What could the guy do, ignore the wishes of Merkel, Sarkozy and Obama?
There is an important reason why foreign leaders want Christofias. “Because I have a good ear for their (foreign leaders’) worries they also have a good ear… we have persuaded them that we want to solve our problem.” This is it. The guy persuades foreign leaders because he has a good ear.
Who else could persuade them that he wants a solution to the Cyprus problem? Nicos Anastassiades who says he voted ‘yes’ in the referendum on the Annan plan 2004? Who could believe this liar? And he does not have a good ear. After all, Christofias has persuaded the foreign leaders with his actions.
On April 9, 2004, at the extraordinary conference of AKEL members who met to decide the party position in the referendum, he gave a passionate speech in favour of the proposed settlement, pointing out that the Annan plan ensured the following:
1)the re-unification of Cyprus under one state with single sovereignty and single citizenship; 2) the end to occupation with the withdrawal of 39,000 troops; 3) the return of between 85 and 90 thousand refugees under Greek Cypriot administration; 4) generally restored human rights and basic freedoms; 5) setting up of mechanisms for resolving disputes that did not exist in the 1960 constitution; 6) a short transitional period of 45 days, with all organs of state in place from the first moment; 7) restrictions on the number of Turks that would come from Turkey to just five per cent of the population of the north (today it is 80 per cent); 8) the barring of the subsequent alteration of the demographic composition of the island; 9) the establishment of one central bank with the Cyprus pound as the currency of the new state; 10) the prospect of real re-unification and co-existence of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
Concluding his historic speech to his comrades, Christofias called on the people to reject the plan that would have brought all the above-mentioned ills, so he could subsequently cement the ‘yes’ to a settlement. Four years later, he was elected president, started negotiations with the Turkish side and after another four years has cemented the ‘yes’ to the settlement – partition.
Not only did he convince us that he wanted a settlement, but he achieved it as well. And there is a rational explanation why foreign leaders want him to win a second term.
They have been won over by the good ear of Christofias who also brought us the settlement. And EUROKO should stop talking about his need of psychiatric help.
