Ethnarch Makarios was a bigger man than his enemies

"Έλληνες Κύπριοι, νενικήκαμεν!" ("Greek Cypriots, we have won!") - Makarios, March 1, 1959.
Like a new marathon runner, a new Pheidippides, 2450 years later, he believed victory meant peace, finally. The end of the armed struggle and a period of prosperity for all Cypriots.
His speeches to enthusiastic crowds waving the blue and white stripes of Greece's flag, are full of optimism for the future of the island. He was aiming for a state that is governed with morality as its guiding principle, "Kratos Theou". This was the moment of triumph for the Archbishop, and for all Cypriots. The Republic of Cyprus was a reality, at last.
True, union with Greece, the main goal of the liberation struggle was not achieved. And the legendary Grivas Digenis' battles and the EOKA heroes, some as young as 15 years old, died for enosis not independence. Grivas, in his memoirs is very critical of the agreements.
One could argue, independence was a better deal than the Macmillan plan of 1957 or the subsequent Acheson 1 and 2 plans. A great exchange between then Prime Minister Georgios Papandreou and Dean Acheson can be found here: http://www.cyprus-conflict.net/acheson_plan.htm The threat of imposition of the Macmillan Plan along with a cold calculation of the forces against union with Greece, namely Turkey and Britain primarily, and the US secondarily, caused the Archbishop to change his mind and accept independence, as the lesser of two evils.
It is also true, that Makarios as time went on and especially after 1967 when the Greek Junta took power in Athens, he moved to the left closer to AKEL. Viewed today, it was clearly a mistake. Not taking Grivas with him at the negotiations, when the fate of Cyprus was at stake, was clearly a mistake. Grivas was bitter about it and rightly so.
Nobody can seriously suggest, today, that he was pro-Soviet or the menace that Henry Kissinger, painted him out to be. However, back then, Kissinger tried to make this very case.
The Archbishop's November 1974 interview with Oriana Fallacci, one of the best journalists of the 70s, is a classic: http://www.cyprus-conflict.net/www.cyprus-conflict.net/makarios%20-%20intervi...
Makarios was a much bigger man than his detractors, especially Henry Kissinger, who appears so small and petty today, in comparison to the Ethnarch Makarios. We remember Kissinger's comment from the early 80s: "At last things were discussed in his small island, equal to his view of his talents", referring to the Kissinger Gromyko meeting of May 7,1974 in Nicosia; to which we respond by saying: "Kissinger's views of his own talents was wildly exaggerated."
Kissinger, the diplomat who mistakenly thought, the obsequious "praises" of the various sycophants, the servile flatterers, were for the "recognition" of his "oriental wisdom" nuggets.
Perhaps the Archbishop's greatest flaw was his insistence, in seeing the best side of everyone. He had that "60s idealism" in him. True to his faith, he pardoned them and they crucified him. He carried that cross, quietly, for the last three years. He was only 64 when he died.
Michael Christodoulou Mouskos came a long way, from Ano Panagia, Paphos. From exile in Seychelles, to London, New York and Jakarta. He traveled a lot of miles chasing that dream of a free and democratic Cyprus, free from British colonial rule. In memory of Ethnarch Makarios III, 30 years from his death.

Henry Kissinger is a liar. He writes in 1999, referring to an August 5, 1974 assessment he gave to "senior colleagues in the State Department": "If we had had our preference, there would not have been the coup, and we could have coexisted with him very well." Years of Renewal p.199.
This quote comes from the author of the 1974 memo: "Proceed to the final "cure" ("therapeia") of the Archbishop Makarios". Clearly in May 1974, he was considering the Archbishop as an "illness", that required a "cure" and the Sonnenfeldt memo was addressed to Kissinger also.
Kissinger and Sonnenfeldt are alive, both "prominent" Neocons, Luns is dead. They are free to deny that the memos are true, but as long as they do not, we can draw only one conclusion from them: Henry Kissinger is a war criminal and responsible for the Cyprus tragedy, along with the fool Ioannidis, that Kissinger outsmarted and Turkey that executed Kissinger's plan. Henry Kissinger's subsequent, oriental sophisties and verbalism, do not convince anyone.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Makarios
• Ethnarch
• Ethnarhis
• Kissinger
• Luns
• Sonnenfeldt
• Cyprus
• Kypros

[fraizer57]

EllinikiKardia, Thank you for this informative clip. Keep up the fight.

[EllinikiKardia]

You are welcome.

[ISB]

Makarios was so cool. Greetz from Serbia.

[EllinikiKardia]

Brother greetings to you.

[euridike88]

"Henry Kissinger is a liar".

We all agree I am sure!

However, as someone who is critical on your lack of objectivity elsewhere, I'll have to censure your statement, and say allow us to make up our own mind. I wouldn't have done so if I knew you write from a particular political position - which you never gave, regardless of your asking ours in another forum.

[EllinikiKardia]

Fair comment. The viewer is free to evaluate Dr. Kissinger. I believe my characterization is warranted from the evidence I produced in the clip.

[lykauges]

@dinoaxd - Υποθέτω ότι χαράσετ[ε] απο τα δικά σου γραφόμενα, που απο την ορθογραφία σου είναι χέστα-χέστα. Τα διαβάζει κι ο Κόκος και θα λέει: "Ρε πού πέσαμε!"

Μή φοβάσαι τίποτα dino! Άντε και είναι ώρα να μαζέψεις τα γίδια στη στάνη.

[lykauges]

@dinoaxd - It is fortunate that we all know people who fought for ΕΝΩΣΙΣ. The events that preceded the signing of the Zurich Agreement are extremely well documented - to the minutest detail: e.g. the pressure exerted on Makarios by Karamanlis, as well as Frederica Glücksburg who kept phoning the Cyprus Delegation till morning urging Makarios to sign because Greece had already did so.

Since Greece withdrew her support, and MacMillan was ready to go ahead with particion what could Makarios do?

[itachiitachi1946]

@EllinikiKardia papas ise?

[Maylardim]

legendary stupid friend's wife fucker general Grivas who is only a bullshit did nothing but killed many innocent Turkish Cypriots.

[epameinondas13]

@Alexander29854 - The junta was not only Makarios' enemy but everybody's. The junta was the tool the dark forces in the Whitehouse which was to partition Cyprus.

Makarios prevented the partition of the island by reluctantly signing the Zurich Treaty in 1959. In the early 1970s the US was desperate for alternative home-porting for the 6th Fleet after they were kicked out of Smyrna. At the same time they also lost their airfields in Libya. The traitors of the junta gave them what they wanted.