Minority Greek Cypriot party EDEK party stated on Sunday that it rejects a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation as a solution to the Cyprus problem.
In a press release, demonstrating a hard-line stance, EDEK lists a number of points it considers negative in a bi-zonal solution. Among others, they claimed that the solution was “..racist, it promotes ethnic and communal partition, it is undemocratic because it equates the minority with the majority, it deprives citizens of their right to be elected at their place of residence.”
Moreover, “it introduces restrictions to the establishment and the purchase of property, it makes Cypriot citizens second-class EU citizens, it legalises and reinforces illegal settling and the distortion of the demographic character, it establishes a state under guarantee, it is defined by a complex decision-making process and by complicated international representation, which leads to deadlock and intractable problems and provides for the presence of foreign troops.”
EDEK claims that Turkish Cypriot progressive movements can take hold only after the Turkish military withdraws from Cyprus. Until then, according to their statement, a bi-zonal and bi-communal federation would mean that foreign troops would remain on the island.
The statement also says that a bi-zonal and bi-communal federal solution looks more like a confederation than a federation.
“A federation cannot coexist with bi-zonality let alone bi-communalism”, the press release said.
However, EDEK does acknowledge that the election of Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci is a positive step, and they call for a common struggle where Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots will move together against occupation.
Today Greek Cypriot House President and former leader of EDEK, Yiannakis Omirou slammed the party’s decision to reject a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation as a solution to the Cyprus problem, saying that it was nothing but “dangerous acrobatics”.
in-Cyprus, Cyprus Mail
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