The constitution arising from the London Accord provided for a bi-communal
society, with safeguards to prevent the majority Greek Cypriots from dominating
the Turkish Cypriots.
Greece, Turkey, and Great Britain were assigned the guarantor powers, with
the right to intervene militarily if the London Accord was breached. The
president was to be from the Greek, and the vice-president from the Turkish
community, each with the power of veto. In the government and the civil service,
the communities were represented in the ratio of 70% to 30%, whilst in the
police and army, the ratio was 60% to 40%. Failure to agree on the structure
of the army resulted in Makarios, the first president of Cyprus, declaring
that Cyprus would have no armed forces. This led to the formation of private
armies, supplied clandestinely by Greece and Turkey.
In legislative matters, separate majorities were required from the Greek
and Turkish members of the Cyprus House of Representatives. The major towns
had separate municipalities, and in the law courts, the accused were tried
by members of their own community
This complicated system proved to be unworkable in practice, owing to inherent
suspicions between the two communities. However, a straightforward democracy,
or majority rule, was not applicable to Cyprus as it would have resulted
in the Turkish community having no effective say in the government, and would
have almost certainly have led to a declaration of enosis, or union with
Greece.
In November 1963, Makarios submitted a plan to Dr. Kucuk, the vice-president,
aimed at simplifying the constitution. The changes proposed removed most
of the checks and balances which had been built into the constitution to
protect the minority Turkish community, and were of course unacceptable to
the Turks.
To some extent Makarios was under pressure from EQKA, which, having achieved
its initial goal of independence for Cyprus, was now pursuing what they regarded
as the next logical step - enosis. From Athens, General Grivas, the terrorist
chief of BOKA, fulminated against Makarios and incited his fanatical supporters
to seize the initiative.
Matters came to a head on Christmas eve, when armed Greeks aflacked a suburb
of Nicosia, Kuguk Kaymakl (Omorphita), killing or capturing those Turkish
Cypriots inhabitants who were unable to escape. Armed conflict spread, with
the Turkish Cypriots withdrawing into enclaves to defend themselves.
A buffer zone was set up and manned by British troops in a largely unsuccessful
attempt to stop the fighting. These were later replaced by United Nations
troops in March 1964.
Makarios revealed his true colours when on January 1 st 1964 he announced
the abrogation of the treaties signed in London, intending to establish self
determination for Cypriots, which, as the Greeks were in the majority, would
almost certainly lead to a proclamation ot enosis. Under pressure from Britain
and Turkey, Makarios repealed his announcement.
In August 1964, well armed Greek forces attempted to crush the Turks at Erenkdy
(kokkina) on the north coast, in order to interrupt the flow of munitions
from the Turkish mainland: they would undoubtedly have succeeded had not
the Turkish air force intervened. This act added a new dimension to the conflict.
Fear of Turkish intervention sobered the Greeks somewhat, and they settled
down to systematic economic blockade of the Turkish enclaves. This situation
amounted to partition, especially as the Turks were no longer able to participate
in the government or civil service.
Further armed conflict in 1967 provoked Turkey to threaten military intervention,
but with the takeover by the colonels in Greece, and the economic boom in
Cyprus, the concept of enosis grew less attractive.
In January 1974, Grivas, who had returned to Cyprus earlier to take charge
of the armed forces and head the terrorist group EOKA-B, died of a heart
attack near Limassol. During the presidential elections of that year, Makarios
clearly renounced the cause of enosis, and was re-elected with 95% of the
cast votes. He subsequently ordered the withdrawal of mainland Greek officers,
whereupon the National Guard, which was under the command of Greek officers,
stormed the presidential palace in Nicosia. Makarios escaped, but this attempted
coup, sponsored by the military junta in Greece, persuaded Turkey to intervene,
as a guarantor power. On 20th July 1974, Turkish forces landed and occupied
40% of the island in the north. 150,000 Greek Cypriots fled to the south,
and 50,000 Turkish Cypriots escaped to the north. Substantial Turkish forces
remained in the north, and the civilian population increased after considerable
migration from the Turkish mainland.
Intercommunal negotiations since 1974 have been fruitless1 and in November
1983, Northern Cyprus declared itself independent as the Turkish Republic
Of Northern Cyprus. Recognised only by Turkey, the TRNC is hampered economically
and has not prospered as much as the south.
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North Cyprus
