By Kyriacos Jacovides*
President Christodoulides: Do not consent to Cyprus being led into situations worse than those of Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union, and Lebanon.
If media reports are true that the UN Secretary-General’s envoy, María Angela Holguín, is promoting the idea of a loose federation, “which the Greek Cypriots will interpret as a federation and the Turkish Cypriots as a confederation,” President Christodoulides must put a stop to this immediately.
The practice of “constructive ambiguities”—which in essence amounts to concealing the truth, with each side saying and defending whatever suits its interests—will lead with mathematical certainty to conflict, which will plunge the country into an even worse tragedy and permanent division. This is because the Greek Cypriot side will argue one thing regarding an issue within the framework of a “federation,” while the Turkish Cypriot side will argue something else within the framework of a “confederation.” If Ms. Holguin believes that a confederation is the best option for resolving the Cyprus problem, she should say so directly and clearly, rather than resorting to misleading statements and misinformation.
In essence, what Ms. Holguin is advocating—based on the media reports—is the creation of two independent states, under the guise of a single state with a loose relationship between the two constituent states. These two “constituent states” will, in reality, have all the political powers of a normal state, except for those primarily related to foreign relations.
Further evidence that what Ms. Holguin is proposing is a two-state solution is the fact that her ideas call for two legislatures for the two “constituent states,” but not an elected federal legislature. Instead of a federal parliament, she proposes a body composed of members of parliament from the two “constituent states,” modeled after the Council of Europe, in which representatives of states participate. Here, too, she is promoting—indirectly but clearly—a two-state solution, since these members of the “federal parliament” would represent the “constituent states” and not the citizens.
Ms. Holguin and her colleagues must realize that proposals and ideas that are open to different and diametrically opposed interpretations do not lead to a solution. On the contrary, they are a multi-megaton time bomb at the very foundations of the state, and the countdown has already begun.
I’ll repeat something I say all the time, and perhaps the country’s political leadership will finally get it: the allocation of political authority based on religious or ethnic criteria IS RACISM. Take that to heart and stop burying your heads in the sand. Unless, of course, you believe there is such a thing as “good” and “bad” racism.
I will emphasize again and again that a bizonal, bicommunal federation—or even a confederation—where ethnic or religious communities live separately, leads, with mathematical certainty, to the dissolution of the state. Where is Czechoslovakia today? Where is Yugoslavia? Where is the Soviet Union? What is the situation in Lebanon, where power was allocated along religious lines? Don’t we learn from history? Is our country’s leadership so politically naive as to believe that such ambiguous ideas will resolve the Cyprus issue? Does it not realize that adopting and implementing ambiguous proposals and ideas leads to disaster?
I was an eyewitness to conversations among U.S. senators who were wondering why the Greek Cypriots are engaging in discussions about a bizonal, bicommunal federation, since such a solution would be disastrous for Cyprus and have painful consequences.
President Christodoulides: You studied political science in the United States and experienced the federal system and its problems firsthand. You are familiar with the fate of Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and the Soviet Union; the situation in Lebanon; the problems in Belgium; and the persistent calls for independence from Quebec and Scotland. Would you agree to let Cyprus be led into similar—or even worse—situations?
*Kyriacos Jacovides is a political scientist and journalist
