Robin’s Snippets – 14/8/2010

$400m Turnover in the North’s Casinos.

The association of Casino (Casino İşletmecileri Birliği – CIB) owners in North Cyprus have announced, in their annual report, figures showing that in excess of $400 million. Thus making a major contribution the the North’s economy. In addition they say they have donated the sum of 270,000 TL to various social causes and charities. Gambling is only allowed in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and this only for tourists. According to reports from Southern Cypriot sources RoC Citizens have spent €3.7m in the Casinos on credit card transactions alone and the actual sum including cash and cheques is estimated to be much higher.

New weapons systems for RoC bargain at only €220m

It is anticipated that the restructuring of the Cypriot National Guard (RoC) will be completed by the end of November. The plans for the modernisation of the armed forces in the south include the purchase of 400 Military vehicles, 41 main battle tanks, 3 ultra modern attack helicopters and new small arms sytems. The total value of this package is estimated to be around €220m. In the light of one of the agreements reached at the negotiating table between the two heads of state last year, Dimitris Christofias and Mehmet Ali Talat (now voted out), in one of the few concrete descisions made public, they both agreed that the island should become demilitarised. One could say that someone speaks with forked tongue.

50th Anniversary of the Republic that never happened

It is almost 50 years to the day that the documents forming the Republic of Cyprus were signed by the then head of State, Makarios, and the Commonwealth Secretary, Duncan Sandys. This will doubtless be celebrated in great style in the South, but this state is no longer the state that was in 1960. Those responsible in the south are fostering the idea that the Republic has existed for 50 years, and are not willing or able to admit that the fledgling state, left to an uncertain future by the departing British, disintegrated in the short 3 years thereafter. President Makarios III didn’t have the slightest interest in honouring the partnership agreements, ending colonial rule, that he had signed. According to many sources he stated “he had only signed them to get rid of the British.”

His aim and the aim of the Greek Cypriot leadership was to push through at all costs the union of Cyprus with Athens (Enosis), which the Hellenic elements had been fighting for since 1955 in their armed struggle against anyone and everyone who held opposing views.

The constitution originally foresaw the division of power between the ethnic Turks and Greeks in the number of ministers in the administration that party each had (based on the population distribution.) This was to guarantee that the interests of the numerically smaller group could not be ignored. But in just three short years after the founding of this Partner Republic the façade began to crumble. The island’s Greek leadership began putting its secret “Akritas Plan” into operation. The rest is history, or not if you want to take a different view. The 50th anniversary of a state that doesn’t exist any more; a hollow celebration.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Comments are closed.