Changing Trains

New UN Site

A quick update to report that the UN in Cyprus have revamped their website devoted to the Annan Plan. At first glance this appears a well ordered and user-friendly site with numerous links. Of particular interest are links to recent interviews with key UN personel including Didier Pfirter.

Site Reviews: The European Union and Turkey

The accession of Cyprus to the European Union marks a turning point in the history of the island. In the process, accession has also changed fundamentally the rules by which the Cyprus problem is ‘played’ out. It is highly unlikely that the current negotiations process would be underway if Brussels had not made plain that its overwhelming desire is to see a united Cyprus join on May 1st. Further, the apparent change in Turkey’s conception of where its “national interests” lie couples the desire to eventually enter the European Union with the recognition that in order to achieve this a resolution of the Cyprus problem must be secured. In this sense both the prospect and potential outcome of the accession process has been felt at a much more profound level here than amongst the other acceding countries.

Given this context, Changing Trains would like to draw its reader’s attention to a couple of sites which directly relate to the complex issues raised at this conjuncture.

A Fistful of Euros is a vitally important site for those of us who not only seek information about the European Union but also wish to engage in debate and discussion with a roster of well informed of contributors. This is a eurocentric site with a strap line which disavows eurocentrism – “Purity of race does not exist. Europe is a continent of energetic mongrels.’ It is a pity that specific content relating to Cyprus is limited, but the general themes and specific issues which receive prominence here are of real importance for the citizens of this island engaging with the European project for the first time. We will be returning to this site on a regular basis and urge our readers to do so as well.

Turkish Torque is an attractive and well designed blog site produced by the Turkish commentator Ugur Akinci. Why “Torque”? As he helpfully explains this is defined as: ‘A turning or twisting force’ which, I assume he perceives, characterises contemporary Turkish society. Ugur appears to be a reliable guide for the outsider who wishes to gain an informed insider’s perspective on such a heterodox society. Unlike Changing Trains, his attention is not only directed towards heavy political issues but includes a much wider range of subjects for discussion. Particularly praiseworthy are an attractive collection of photographs which serve to convey a sense of place which text alone fails to illuminate. This really is one of the best entre points into Turkish society currently available on the web. And while the specific content which is directly related to Cyprus is relatively low let us not forget that you cannot approach a rounded perspective on the Cyprus problem without understanding that complex, intriguing, confusing and frequently exasperating country – Turkey.

Site Reviews: The Annan Plan

A quick roundup of sources of information available on the web which relate directly to the Annan Plan.

The "official" site where the Plan is housed, www.cyprus-un-plan.org, is a comprehensive collection of documents, including a range of detailed maps relating to proposed territorial adjustment. As you would expect, despite the clean and straightforward design of the site, the complexity of the information presented means that you have to spend some time digging out what is relevent for your purpose. Dispite wholly inaccurate claims by some people in Cyprus, recently echoed here by an academic commentator who should know better, the Plan is also available to access in both the turkish and greek languages. As an authoratitive source of information the site is an invaluable reference point and has been added to the link bar on the right.

If the Plan still remains mystifying, difficult to take in or simply beyond comprehension then this website Cyprus Decides, is what you need. The mission of the group who have produced it, and the means through which this was achieved, are laudable:

This site has been developed by both Greek and Turkish Cypriots who have a wide range of political views. Our purpose is to help people make an informed assessment of the Annan Plan which proposes a particular solution to the Cyprus Problem. We do not advocate accepting or rejecting the Plan's contents. Rather, our concern is to provide objective, verifiable and easily understood summaries of its principal provisions in order to facilitate informed debate.

The information presented clearly does not aim to be comprehensive but user friendly. Perhaps all those politicians who insist that the Plan remains beyond understanding should start clicking around here - they are likely to learn something. The only downside - while the site is easy to use and clearly presented it does have an 'unfinished' quality about it.

The Plan is also available at http unannanplan.agrino.org. A single page presentation of information with multiple links, it could do with adopting a more user-friendly design. The saving grace of this site is a set of links to important documents which are not always easy to access. The Swiss Constitution is there as are a series of legal papers debating the Plan. Of particular note is the inclusion of two important economic studies of the costs of potential reunification. One undertaken by Dr. George Vassiliou and the other by Constantinos Lordos. The downside? The page gives the impression that it has been designed by a committee of lawyers. People who are clearly fond of legalistic detail - this is unlikely to be of interest to the general reader. Finally, the page does not appear to have been updated for at least a month. Recommended nonetheless.

Site Review - Cyprus Media Net

Cyprus Media Net is, perhaps, one of the most important sites related to Cyprus on the Web. A recent addition to the range of resources available, it provides swift translations of articles published in the newspapers are both communities. Importantly, the articles are then translated into either greek or turkish or the english language. Funded through UNOPS and developed by the Cambridge Foundation for Peace the site provides an important service in developing a practical basis upon which to understand the contending perspectives present in both major communities. We wholeheartedly recommend readers of this blog to refer back to this site on a regular basis during the period ahead.

There are a small number of improvements which could be made to the service. It is difficult to understand why the three principal english-language newspapers on the island - the daily Cyprus Mail, the Cyprus Weekly and the northern based Cyprus Today have no presence on the site. In their own way these newspapers are a significant presence on the island - not least because they exert influence within the diplomatic community. Their absence on the web site diminishes the comprehensive information and opinion available to site visitors.

Sometimes the quality of translation leaves a lot to be desired. This is particularly true when scrutinising articles translated from turkish into english, but is also apparent in translations from turkish into greek and vice versa. Given the sensitivities which attach themselves to key words and phrases this is an unfortunate deficiency which can lead to serious misunderstandings.

Finally, there is frequently an underrepresentation of Turkish Cypriot news sources. At the time of writing, 4:30 p.m. on the 28/02/04, of the 18 articles recently translated only one originates from the north. The lone article from Kibris also happens to be two day old news . This represents a serious imbalance.