A LAST-minute change has scuttled plans for the Olympic torch to be seen on both sides of the Green Line on its journey through Cyprus.
Turkish Cypriots yesterday blasted the Athens 2004 organising committee (ATHOC), accusing them of not allowing the north Nicosia Municipality to stage a welcoming party for the torch-bearers carrying the flame.
Turkish Cypriot ‘Prime Minister’ Mehmet Ali Talat yesterday confirmed that talks between authorities in the north and ATHOC broke down because of the committee’s refusal to allow north Nicosia to welcome the flame with a special ceremony like all the other municipalities in the free areas through which the flame will be carried.
“It looks as though the flame will not come to the north,” he said.
“After a welcoming party in south Nicosia, the flame was to be lit and carried around the city. Yesterday we were told we could not hold a similar ceremony in the north.
“Whether or not this violates the principle of equality resulted in lengthy discussions yesterday and I have to say the result was not a positive one,” Talat added.
“The celebrations that were going to be held in the north we agreed to, but the Greek Cypriot side changed its position late yesterday. There is uncertainty about what will happen and our sports ministry is seeing what it can do.”
Speaking to the Cyprus Mail yesterday, a furious ‘Sports Ministry’ undersecretary Ali Volkan said all the conditions set by the head of the Cyprus Olympic Committee Kikis Lazarides had been accepted by the authorities in the north.
“There was no problem at all – all we wanted was for our mayor to greet the runners in the same way all the mayors of all the towns through which the runners will pass will do in the south.
“Our municipality, incidentally, was formed in 1960 and is recognised internationally. It even has representation in the EU. We wanted to have a song by a bi-communal choir, some folk dances, and to release doves into the air and hand out olive branches – all of which are symbols of peace.
“But they (the Greek Cypriot committee) decided at the last moment that if we were going to do these things, the flame would not be allowed to pass.
“This smacks of racism.”
The allegations by the Turkish Cypriot side yesterday sparked a furious row yesterday between journalists, ATHOC representative George Bolos and Lazarides.
Turkish Cypriot accusations of racism by the Greek organisers were further fuelled by reports that ATHOC President Yianna Angelopoulou-Daskalaki had insisted against the Olympic flame being carried in the north.
According to sources cited by Politis newspaper, Angelopoulou had even refused to come to the island on with the flame and had to be persuaded to do so by “influential persons in the government”.
Bolos neither confirmed nor denied the allegations against Angelopoulou. Instead, he accused the Turkish Cypriot side of refusing their conditions for the passing of the flame through the north.
He refused to comment on the details of the conditions set by ATHOC and to make public any correspondence between the north and ATHOC.
“Our proposal was not accepted by the Turkish Cypriots and so it’s too late to change the programme that was already too stressed, so we will not be taking the torch to the north,” he said.
“We did not ask for anything more than we would ask any other city we would go to,” he added.
“You should ask the Turkish Cypriots why the torch is not going to the north.”
Bolos brushed aside the allegations made against Angelopoulou, saying that if the ATHOC President had not wanted the torch to go to the north, the proposal to the Turkish Cypriots would have never been put forward.
“Reports that Ms Angelopoulou did not want the torch to go to the north are scenarios of a vivid imagination.”
Speaking to the Cyprus Mail yesterday, ATHOC Spokesman Sefafim Kotrotsos said the allegations by Politis were all fabrications.
“Of course everything that was said was lies,” he said.
“Ms Angelopoulou wanted the torch to go to the north and that’s why Athens 2004 proposed a certain programme for this part of the torch relay.
“But the only official answer we had was two days before the arrival of the flame in Cyprus and for practical reasons the flame will not go to the north.”
ATHOC sources said the issue had been discussed with the Turkish Cypriots for 12 days but that the committee only received an official answer two days ago.
“Everything went fine till yesterday afternoon when we received a letter saying that we must have the same exactly protocol in both sides,” the source said.
“We are not a government; we are the organisers, and we can’t just change things two days before the torch comes to Cyprus. We also had no idea that the Turkish Cypriots wanted to arrange a welcoming ceremony.”
The flame arrives on the island today for its final destination before going back to Athens for the Games in August.
The torch will be carried in all the cities in the free areas by 145 torch-bearers including just one Turkish Cypriot Niazi Kizilyurek, a professor at the University of Cyprus.
