A poisonous insight into the Cyprus talks

Was it indeed an effort aimed at arresting the decline in the share of his Movement for Social Democracy's (EDEK) votes or was he really concerned about the Cyprus talks process? For whatever reason, EDEK leader Marinos Sizopoulos initiated something far bigger than he might have aimed to with his decision to disclose confidential Greek Cypriot National Council meeting minutes containing discussions on the Cyprus talks.

There are of course good and bad aspects of every move. On the good side, what Sizopoulos did allowed people to get some first-hand information for the first time in many months about the serious, fallacious tales of progress in the Cyprus talks. It also helped to explain to the international community how greedy and carnivorous the political animal in the Greek Cypriot sector of the island has always been. On the bad side of the move, on the other hand, I am afraid a very important source of leakage of news on not only the Cyprus talks but regarding many important developments on the Greek Cypriot side might now be stifled. Though nothing can be left secret under the hot Cyprus sun and there have always been some other back channels for Greek Cypriot politics which let people learn of the issues in the context it wanted, monthly meetings of the National Council were indeed a constant and reliable outlet. Particularly at times, like nowadays, when political leaders are mum and secondary figures either cannot talk or know little of substance.

In Greek Cyprus many commentators underlined Sizopoulos' revelations were an issue for Greek Cypriots, a problem for Greek Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiades, but none of the business of Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Ak?nc?. They just could not understand, perhaps, how big a Pandora's Box...