Cyprus – You can lead a donkey to water but….

By Chris Elliott

All eyes are now being focused on the intended meeting hosted by the UN to be held sometime during October to try and start further negotiations at solving the Cyprus problem and the following comments about this were reported by Boston.com

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — It would be a ‘‘major mistake’’ for the international community to take advantage of Cypriots’ current financial crisis to pressure them into a deal reunifying the ethnically-split island, a United Nations envoy said Thursday.

Alexander Downer told the Associated Press in an interview that making Cypriots feel that they’re being exploited because they’re weak would only elicit an ‘‘extremely negative reaction.’’

So when the meeting takes place, if both sides attending accept that the problems of Cyprus go back further than 1974 then there is a good chance some form of agreement will be reached and harmony re- established.

Those with a skeptical viewpoint of the numerous attempts made by the UN to find a solution, including the Annan Plan, may take the view that  “You can take a donkey to water but you cannot make it drink”, more so when it is well fed and watered!  

To read more of this report from Boston.com click here