Divided in Europe” “

“A disaster!” is the laconic comment of Father Umberto Barato , Latin vicar of Nicosia (Cyprus), on the result of the referendum held on Saturday 24 April. It rejected the plan, proposed by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan for the reunification of the island militarily occupied by Turkey in the summer of 1974. 76% of the Greek Cypriot electorate voted “no”, while 65% of the Turkish Cypriots voted “yes”. This meant that only the Greek-Cypriot zone of the island entered the EU on 1st May. “A GREAT OCCASION HAS BEEN LOST”. “The disappointment is great – the Latin vicar told SirEurope –, I didn’t think the Greek part were so averse to the plan for the island’s reunification. Such a decision [to vote “no”] has deep roots, nor is it casual. Here people are taught to mistrust, if not hate the Turks, from childhood on, even at school. To this we may add the words of the Greek-Cypriot President of the island, Tassos Papadopoulos, “the plan did not give us guarantees”, and this is the result. Even the Greek-Orthodox Church had adopted a stance opposing the plan”. According to Father Barato, “the Greek population of the island failed to properly understand the Annan plan and only latched on to its negative aspects”. “No one – he adds – ever claimed that the UN plan was perfect. Both sides were called to renounce something; politics teaches us that compromise is necessary, and I believe that the plan worked out by the UNO was the best solution. Greater political willingness ought to have been shown to Europe and to the UNO. A great opportunity has been lost. Now Greece risks diplomatic isolation, while Turkey’s negotiations for membership of the European Union risks being put on hold. 65% of Turkish Cypriots voted “yes” to EU membership”. THE DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS. Of the same view are all the major European and international authorities. The EU Commission expressed its “deep regret that the Greek-Cypriot community failed to approve the plan for resolving the conflict”, but at the same time “respects the democratic decision taken by the people”. It congratulates the Turkish-Cypriot community because “their “yes” vote underlines the clear wish of this community to solve the problem of the divided island”. EU Commissioner for enlargement Guenter Verheugen spoke of the “political damage”, while Javier Solana, senior representative for EU external policy, declared that the Greek Cypriots “have lost the occasion to solve a problem that has been dragging on for too many years”. “The stage of frustration needs to be overcome,” adds Walter Schwimmer, secretary general of the Council of Europe. “Substantial progress – he notes – has been made over the last few months, from the opening of the green line to the holding of concerted negotiations”. The EU Council of foreign ministers, for its part, “regrets that the entry into the Union of a united Cyprus was not possible on 1st May, and expresses its deep appreciation for the determined and sustained efforts of the UN secretary general Kofi Annan“. Annan himself does not disguise his deep disappointment about the result of the referendum, declaring that the efforts of the UNO have ended for the time being. “I hope that the Cypriots, after a period of reflection, will reach the conclusion that reunification is in everyone’s interests”, added Annan. He also expressed “the hope that both communities would take the necessary measures to return to the negotiating table”. Fact File Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when the northern part of the island was invaded by 40,000 Turkish troops. Their Republic is only recognized by Turkey. If the Annan plan had been accepted, the Turkish zone of influence (inhabited by 180,000 people) would have been reduced in favour of Greece (643,000 inhabitants), even though the Greeks have always maintained that the advantages would have been reaped by the other side. Negotiations between the European Union and the Government of Cyprus (Greek-Cypriot) began in 1998. Brussels accepted Turkey as a EU candidate country in 1999. The search for a compromise solution brokered by the UNO between 1999 and 2000 failed. New attempts to solve the conflict were begun in 2002, when the UNO presented a plan that provided for the return of former Greek-Cypriot territories. The deadline for the acceptance of the plan expired in 2003. In the referendum on the Annan plan in 2004 the Greek Cypriots voted “no”. So only the Greek half of the island entered the EU on 1st May.