Akritas plan

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The Akritas plan was created in 1963 by the Greek Cypriot part of the government in Cyprus with the ultimate aim of weakening the Turkish Cypriot wing of the Cypriot government and then uniting Cyprus with Greece.^[1] The desired union of Cyprus with Greece was referred to as Enosis.

Background to the plan

Up until 1960, Cyprus was a British colony. In 1955, a Greek Cypriot army called EOKA declared officially a revolution of the entire greek population (except for the communist) to stop the plans for the division of the 82% Greek island and expel the British forces (who were dening the right for greek education) from the island and unite with Greece on the ground of self-determination of the inhabitans. The Turkish Cypriots at this time were greatly concerned and appealed to the British to keep control of the island.^[2] The Greek cypriots were also concerned that a plan for independence instead of self determination was forwarded, that would be the first step for the 18% minority Turks to take over the Island forming an apparheit regime on the native christian population. But in 1960, the British gave in and turned power over to the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. A power sharing constitution was created for the new Republic of Cyprus which included both Turkish and Greek Cypriots holding power in Government. Three Treaties were written up to guarantee the integrity and security of the new republic: The Treaty of Establishment, the Treaty of Guarantee, and the Treaty of Alliance. According to constitution, Cyprus was to become an independent republic with a Greek Cypriot president and a Turkish Cypriot vice-president with full power sharing between Turkish and Greek Cypriots^{[citation needed]}.

Formation of the Akritas Plan

Leaders of the Greek Cypriots had expressed their disapproval with the constitution and of their failure to achieve Enosis (union with Greece)^{[citation needed]}. A plan of action was required to firstly alter regime (where power and government positions were given on the criteria of religion, instead of qualifications), to declare a referendum, and according to the result to achieve Enosis^{[citation needed]}. It was called the Akritas plan.

The Akritas plan was drawn by the minister of the interior who was a close associate of the Greek Cypriot leader Archbishop Makarios, although there is no evidence that Makarios advocated the Akritas plan. The plan’s course of action was to firstly persuade the world community that too many rights had been given to the Turkish Cypriots and the constitution had to be re-written if the government was to be workable. Britain and the USA had to be convinced that the Turkish Cypriots need have nothing to fear from Greek Cypriot political dominance of the island. The next step of the plan was to cancel international treaties that existed to safeguard the republic. If a way could be found to legally dissolve the treaties, then Union with Greece would be possible. The Treaties and Guarantees had been put into place by Britain, Greece and Turkey, they existed to safeguard the Republic and to protect the rights of the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. The plan stated that if the Turkish Cypriots objected the changes and "attempted to block them by force," then they should be ‘’violently subjugated before foreign powers could intervene’’.^[3]

In November 1963, the Greek Cypriot leader Makarios made a 13 point proposal to make the constitution more workable, these were rejected by the Turkish Cypriot Leadership on December the 16, 1963, which said that the proposed amendments would undermine the constitution and weaken the Turkish Cypriot wing of the government^{[citation needed]}.

By the end of December, violence had erupted on the island. Many Turkish Cypriots fled their homes and lands and moved into enclaves where "by far the majority fled to safer areas because of the treatment they had received from Greek irregulars".^[4]

See also

• Cyprus
• History of Cyprus
• Modern history of Cyprus
• Timeline of Cypriot history
• Cyprus dispute
• Turkish Cypriot enclaves
• Kokkina exclave
• Cypriot refugees
• Cypriot intercommunal violence

References

1. ^ Cyprus – The Republic of Cyprus (http://countrystudies.us/cyprus/12.htm), U.S. Library of Congress
2. ^ Cyprus: The Search for a Solution by David Hannay
3. ^ Cyprus – The Republic of Cyprus (http://countrystudies.us/cyprus/12.htm), U.S. Library of Congress
4. ^ Historical, Tactical, and Strategic Lessons from the Partition of Cyprus, Dan Lindley, University of Notre Dame, p223

External links

• The Akritas Plan