I attended the event organised by OPEK on October 10 (Group for Dialogue and Social Modernisation) at the Home for Cooperation and I would say that the event was excellent and ground breaking. This was demonstrated by the number of people who attended the event, the ethos and the content of the speeches by George Vassiliou and Mehmet Ali Talat, as well as by the quality of the questions and answers. One question raised was how old is the Cyprus problem. It is known that the majority of Greek Cypriots claim that the problem is 40 years old; while the majority of the Turkish Cypriots claim that the problem is 50 years old.
The above question arises often in many debates. I will try and give my own version as to the age of the Cyprus problem. I shall not go to the years, prior to 1963, because, among other things, this would depart from the basic question of whether the Cyprus problem is 40 or 50 years old.
Many who raise this question should be aware that on 15 February 1964 the Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the United Nations, Zenon Rossides, requested the sending of an international force by the Security Council to ensure the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus.
After intensive lobbying at the United Nations the Security Council on March 4, 1964 unanimously adopted resolution 186 which recommends the establishment of a Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) in the interest of maintaining international peace and security. Its stationing was intended for a mere three months.
The resolution was put into effect with great speed and the first UN contingent arrived in Cyprus on 27 March 1964, which is almost 50 years.
Another important event that occurred in 1963, and which must not escape our attention, was that the intercommunal conflict of and the establishment of Turkish Cypriot enclaves, which resulted in my 20-donum field in the village of Fotta, a suburb Yerolakkos, to came under the control of the Turkish Cypriot administration, as did many fields belonging to my fellow villagers. These have, since 31 December 1963, become inaccessible to their Greek Cypriot owners. Fifty years have passed since then.
Unfortunately our politicians recognise refugees and economically affected entities only since the events of 1974. No consideration or compensation was provided by any government, for properties located in the area of Yerolakkos, Omorfita and Neapolis.
My present dire financial position forces me to sell my land in Yerolakkos, and I know very well who actually betrayed and who actually continues to betray, for their own benefit, the Cypriot people for the past 50 years.
I am 82 years old and I have to meet emergency health costs. I cannot even buy a grave in Strovolos, where I live.
On March 18, 2011, I applied, through the United Nations, to be given a grave in Yerolakkos. As yet I have had no positive response.
Spyros Hadjigregoriou
Member of the Executive Committee of the United Democrats
