Wednesday, December 9/2015

English language daily Cyprus Mail concentrates on the insular - well, the word does come from insula, Latin for island. So pride of place to anything connected to the talks on reunification of the Turkish north and Greek south of the island. Seems to be more serious than in most previous years, and it's possible that President Anastasiades is not in the mold of previous leaders who won elections by telling southerners that no possible solution was as good as they deserved. Still there is a pathological attachment to past grievances and a great deal of denial of any conceivable responsibility. The whole issue even has a familial nickname - Cyprob. So despite posturing, talks, press releases, it's all too easy to believe Anastasiades when he says the thought of a solution by March is "overly optimistic" - or by March of the following year either. There is apparently no agreement yet on the questions of territory, property and guarantees. Which does leave one wondering what has been agreed. The committee's lunch menus?