EDEK quits the government

The Central Committee of EDEK last night voted to quit the government coalition by an overwhelming majority .They were responding to leader Yiannakis Omirou’s call for withdrawal based on the party’s “total disagreement” with President Christiofias’ strategy on the Cyprus problem.

Omirou said that EDEK’s support for Christofias in the second round of the presidential elections in February 2008 had been given “on the basis of specific written commitments on the solution we want and call for”, but “unfortunately, we consider that those commitments have not been kept”.

“The President rescinded the 8 July (2007) agreement in practice,” he said and entered into direct negotiations with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat “without the existence of suitable grounds”, all of which EDEK had disagreed with.

He said Christofias had for the last 17 months been following a mistaken strategy involving unilateral concessions such as the matter of the rotating presidency “which are not acceptable to the overwhelming majority of Cypriot Hellenism”.

“Our disagreement with the President’s strategy on the Cyprus problem is now total… We cannot co-operate over concessions that are unacceptable to us. We cannot endorse a strategy that is harmful. We cannot participate in a course that is leading us into a dead-end, nor hide behind this.”

Omirou confirmed that Agriculture Minister Michalis Polynikis and Communications and Works Minister Nicos Nicolaides would be tendering their resignations to President Christofias, but said that in line with common practice, EDEK will not be giving up its membership of the boards of various semi-governmental organisations.

The Cyprus Mail reports that Omirou ignored a reporter’s question as to why they had chosen to withdraw now and adds that a report in Sunday’s Politis newspaper suggested that the decision may have been driven by the results of an analysis carried out by PR expert and party member, Costas Panagopoulos . According to Politis, EDEK has three main benefits - EDEK would be seen to be acting out of principle over the Cyprus problem; it would enable it to attract disaffected DIKO members and thus gain third place in the 2011 legislative elections ; Omirou would have a good chance of becoming President of the House of Representatives, and his party could play the role of king-maker in the 2013 presidential election.

President Christofias said that he was not surprised by EDEK's decision to withdraw from the government, but that he was saddened that they should do so at this moment in time.

"Unfortunately, throughout our cooperation, despite participating in the government, EDEK has functioned as an opposition party both in the Cyprus problem as well as in many other issues".

He added that while it was public knowledge that they had differences, nevertheless it is not true that these differences were as wide as is being presented.

"There have been no new developments in the talks on the issues on which we disagreed to warrant taking a decision to withdraw from the government", he said.

"It is true that there are problems, and that the prospect for a solution is problematical. But noone should condemn the result in advance, or what's more, claim that we have supposedly become trapped going down a dangerous road", he added. "Such an accusation is unfounded and wrong". Besides, he added, the principle that "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed" on which the talks are based, should not be forgotten.

He also denied that the National Council was being briefed after the fact and called on all the political parties to continue the dialogue in an effort to reach consensus and unity.

"From the moment I was elected, my one concern was to find a solution to the Cyprus problem and put an end to the occupation. My ideology is Cyprus - its reunification and salvation".