Property issue and educational reforms

Politis' front page article says that the property issue will be next up for discussion when the two leaders meet again on 11 September. The G/C side's main thrust is that refugees be given the first choice as to whether or not they want to return to the areas under T/C rule. The dual aim is not to uproot people who have been living in homes for decades while at the same time avoiding having to pay out large amounts of compensation. The article says that Christofias considers the property issue one of the most complicated aspects of the Cyprus problem, but wants to ensure that displaced people have the right to decide for themselves whether they want to return. However, the belief is that only a very small number will do so. The proposal the G/C side will put forward includes a system of renting out the property in both federated states for a period of time to be negotiated, the initial proposal being for about 20 years, and at the end of this time the property will be given back to the owner. Diplomatic circles believe this will keep the cost of the solution down and will be feasible provided that the number of people wanting to return has been correctly estimated.


DIKO has lashed out at government plans to foster bicommunal reconciliation in schools, outlined in a circular from Education Minister Andreas Demetriou, the Cyprus Mail reports. The circular, which was presented to teachers on Monday, proposes action to help the unification of Cyprus through the application of new teaching schemes. It aims at changes to the history curriculum and the development of mutual respect between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

At a news conference on Thursday, deputy president of DIKO Giorgos Kolokasides said the Ministry’s initiative gave his party serious reason to be concerned. “The impression given by the Minister’s circular is that our education system so far has been chauvinistic,” said Kolokasides, “and the suggestion that we should rewrite our history books causes us to doubt the Ministry’s priorities.” His outrage was echoed by DISY deputy Andreas Themistocleous, who described the aims set out in the Ministry’s circular as the “self-castration of our Hellenic heritage”.

The Education Minister himself expressed surprise at the criticisms, saying it was important to teach today’s youth a rounded, balanced view of the island’s history. Demetriou said history school books had remained virtually unchanged since 1950 and that the new approach to the subject would be drawn up a by number of experts with different approaches to provide historical truth and accuracy. Nevertheless, the minister said the discussions under way were fruitful and indicated that society was ready to discuss its reorientation towards a modern, European community capable of discussing the problems of its past and how to solve them in the best possible way. He added that by changing the approach to teaching, “we would be sending the Turkish Cypriot community a very powerful, political message that we were ready to co-operate and that an end to the occupation was possible”.

In an editorial the Mail says we should be applauding the Education Minister. His aims are not just worthy, they are absolutely critical if we are the slightest bit serious about ever wanting to live side by side with the Turkish Cypriots in a reunited Cyprus – a broad aim for which there is supposedly consensus across the political spectrum, irrespective of the form that reunification might take. Yes, our schools have actively bred the worst kind of chauvinism. Yes, it must be changed. But are we willing to make that change, and can it be effective overnight? The government is facing a very steep uphill struggle.

The Mail's column Coffeeshop says the Education Minister's circular to schools, the column says this has sparked a wave of self-righteous indignation among the guardians of patriotic correctness. What if we teachers and students were invited to reconciliation conference at a Greek gymnasium in occupied Lapithos that was being used as a Turkish school? What if students and teachers refused to cross the line to attend reconciliation events; would they be punished by the ministry? What will happen to Den Xechno (I do not forget), the official slogan shoved down the throats of our students? Perhaps it could be used to refer to other things affecting students like not forgetting handing in homework on time. A greater danger was that it could destroy our victim culture. What if through a mistaken handling of the problem we created feelings of guilt in our students, when in fact they were victims of invasion and occupation, asked Mrs Semelidou. Surely the victim culture must not only be preserved, but celebrated because it is one of the values we share with our Turkish Cypriot brothers and sisters, who are also pretty good at playing the victims. Coffeeshop sees no reason to oppose the introduction of these new measures in the schools. If the distortion of history reduces the number of teenage, flag-waving fanatics on our streets during national protest days then it cannot be that bad.

Regarding the talks the column says gloom and despair set in this week as the eagerly-awaited direct talks to solve the Cyprob got off to a spectacularly bad start, before the two leaders had even begun negotiating. The positions expressed by comrades Talat and Christofias in their respective opening statements on Wednesday suggested that they were too far apart to strike a deal, causing many of our sensitive politicians to go into a deep depression. The pessimism is totally unjustified. We should be patient for just 10 more days because then Anorthosis will play the first match in the group stages of the Champions League and we will be able to “transmit national and political messages” that will definitely strengthen our negotiating position.

An opinion poll in Simerini says that 60% of G/C are pessimistic that the Cyprus problem will be solved. The majority believe that Turkey is the main obstacle to a solution. Half prefer a unitary state as the best solution, their main concern being that the solution will collapse and that there will be disagreements and clashes.