Bi-communal NGO takes a stand - January 19, 2003

(Published in the 'Cyprus Mail')

GREEK Cypriot members of the bi-communal women's group Hands Across the Divide gathered in Nicosia's Eleftheria Square yesterday to show their solidarity with Turkish Cypriots and promote an end to the island's division.

The group said activities to promote solidarity will continue until February 28, the deadline for the acceptance of the Annan plan by both sides.

Greek Cypriot member Anthoulla Papadopoullou said she was encouraged by the success of the initiative so far.

“The move for solidarity started in Kyrenia in the north in early January, when Turkish Cypriot members of our bi-communal organisation went on hunger strike. And the momentum of the movement is growing,” she said.

The organisation was set up in London last February and is currently the only bi-communal Non Governmental Organisation in Cyprus.

“We liaise with fellow Turkish Cypriot members in the north via a mailing list and we meet every now and then at Pyla. But it's not easy,” Papadopoullou said.

Hands Across the Divide hopes to collect 'sentences for peace' over the next six weeks. This is in support of an initiative started in the north whereby people are asked to write a message for peace which is then put inside a plastic bottle and given to the organisers. The bottles will then be collected and used to form a 'Mountain of Peace' outside the house of Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.

“We are also collecting signatures from passers-by who support our campaign and we give them a white ribbon to wear as a symbol of peace.”

Papadopoullou said signatures have been collected “from all sorts of people, Cypriots and foreigners”.

“We believe that the recent demonstrations in the north will only strengthen our cause,” she added.

Belgian visitor Roger Simon expressed his support for the solidarity campaign yesterday.

He said he sees similarities between the situation in Cyprus and Belgium.

“We have a similar problem on a smaller scale, between the Flemish and French speaking communities,” he said. “The divide keeps growing. I think we should be bilingual and speak both languages in Belgium. Speaking each other's language can help bring people together.

“Of course, there is a world of difference between what the people want and what the politicians decide,” he added.

Tina Adamidou of Hands Across the Divide said she was pleased with the public's response to the campaign.

“We've collected over a hundred messages today, and hundreds of signatures,” she said. “People are beginning to open up and express their desire for peace. The first batch of messages will be taken over to Pyla tomorrow where our associates in the north will place them in bottles.”

“As a bi-communal organisation it's important to be positive right now,” Adamidou said when asked about the possibility of a solution by February 28. “We have to do something tangible to show the Turkish Cypriots they are not alone.

“We will be here in Eleftheria Square every Saturday for the next six weeks to promote our cause, and on February 28 we hope for a spectacular event here in Nicosia involving both communities, with or without a solution.”

Meanwhile more than a hundred Turkish Cypriots protested in Limassol yesterday against Denktash's opposition to the Annan Plan.

The demonstrators, from the 'Cyprus Belongs to the Cypriots' organisation, marched through the town centre chanting slogans and holding banners demanding Denktash's resignation.