The Cyprus Problem and the perspective for the solution

What is the Cyprus Problem?

Is it a problem between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots?
Is it a problem between Cyprus and Turkey?
Is it a problem between Turkey and Greece?
What is known as the Cyprus Problem is in fact a national question. In other words, it is a problem of relations of nations. Are the relations between the nations going to be based upon the oppression and domination or are these relations going to be based upon the voluntary cooperation for a joint development of nations?
Where are the relations between the nations based on today?
We live in an imperialist world, a chain formed by bourgeois states. When we look at the relations between the nations under these bourgeois-imperialist conditions we witness the following:

All the dependent and "independent" (in reality totally dependent) national states are being oppressed and exploited by a small number of "great" states. We witness the war waged among these "great" states for the monopoly of exploitation of these national states and towards these national states.
A struggle of these dependent and "independent" states against the unbearable oppression of the "great" powers.
The struggle among the national states for the expansion of their territory.
A war waged against their national minority of each "great" and national state and the counter struggle of these oppressed nationalities, individually.

What we witness is a relationship based on the exploitation and oppression among the nations. So long as the private ownership of lands, factories, etc. exists, so long as there is a struggle among these bourgeois for the ownership, control and management of these the relationship between the nations will have to be based on the oppression and the exploitation. As a result of this, the relationships between the nations will have to continue on those bases.
The bourgeoisie cannot organise any other type of relationship among the nations. Any other approach is impossible for the bourgeoisie. It is impossible for the bourgeoisie to organise a voluntary cooperation among the nations. The history and what we witness every day very clearly expose these relationships.
What we have been experiencing in Cyprus is nothing less than what we see all over the world. The history of Cyprus is a struggle for the domination, exploitation, oppression of various nations/nationalities and the struggle against this domination and oppression.
The struggle for ENOSIS and TAKSIM has to be seen in this perspective. Who will control Cyprus and its people...
This history of Cyprus is a proof of the utter bankruptcy in solving the national question of the British, American, Turkish, Greek, Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot bourgeoisie.
Cyprus is a perfect model of the bourgeois mode of handling and solving the national question. The bourgeoisie is incapable of solving the national question.
Whoever wants to solve the national question must also solve the question of the bourgeoisie.

Alternative Approach

The relationships between the nations do not have to be based on oppression and exploitation of course....
The utter bankruptcy of the bourgeoisie in solving the national problem, gives rise to an alternative political movement: the movement of the proletariat and of the revolutionary sections of the petty bourgeoisie led by the proletariat, against imperialism (against the world bourgeoisie, including the native big bourgeoisie) to form a Soviet state that will organise the relationships of nations based on voluntary unity and co-operative development.
Either this approach will be victorious, or the relation amongst the nations will become one of further barbarism. What we witness today is the weakness of this approach and as a result these relationships are assuming barbarous forms right in front of our eyes.

The Anti-Imperialist United Front Government

"The working class of Cyprus is too small" we are told to wage the emancipation struggle against the bourgeoisie. "The peoples of Cyprus is too small to wage the independence struggle against imperialism" we are told.
It is true that even if you take the whole population of Cyprus, it is too small compared to its neighbours who have imperialist interests in Cyprus. It is also true that Cyprus is too small compared to the might of the imperialist powers that have interest in Cyprus.
However, weakness is a relative definition. We do not see the struggle in Cyprus completely isolated from the movement of the working class of its neighbours and that of the imperialist powers -i.e. Greece, Turkey, Great Britain, EU- that have interest in Cyprus.
Does not the bourgeoisie of Cyprus seek alliances outside of Cyprus for their own interest? The bourgeoisie of Cyprus is part and parcel of the world monopoly capital; it is employing every method to strengthen the domination of world imperialism.
We, the proletariat of Cyprus believe that without the joint active mass support of the proletariat and the toilers of Greece, Turkey and Great Britain it is impossible for the proletariat and the toiling masses of Cyprus to succeed in establishing a voluntary cooperation of nations/nationalities in Cyprus, to solve the Cyprus problem.
The immediate task that has to be fulfilled by the working class of Cyprus is therefore not the confiscation of bourgeois property, is not to put an end to the bourgeois relations of production.
The immediate task is to put an end to Cyprus being a nest of weapons and military bases, to save the Cypriot people from the bourgeois-imperialist barbarians, from their genocide and wars. This problem is not a problem of Cypriot proletarians only; it is a problem of the people of Cyprus as a whole.
The immediate task of the workers and people of Cyprus, the task of the day, is to put an end to the imperialist interference of Turkey, Greece, England and their collaborators in Cyprus. It is this interference that is turning Cyprus into an arms depot, ready to explode at any moment.
This task can only be resolved by the overthrow of the rule of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot bourgeoisie who feel "obliged" to invite these imperialist forces to interfere in the affairs of Cyprus, which feels "obliged" to form alliances with these imperialists against the independence of Cyprus, and against the Greek and Turkish Cypriot people.
To defeat all the imperialist forces active in Cyprus, to defeat their Cypriot allies and thus to establish a unified and independent Cyprus is the task of this anti-imperialist united front. Only this organisation can fulfil this task.
There is no other way forward for Cyprus, but to wage an anti-imperialist struggle that shall be crowned with the formation of an anti-imperialist front government.
We propose the following as the program of the anti-imperialist front government:

Annulment of all the rights and the negation of all the demands of Turkey, Greece and England (and all the other imperialists that may get involved in Cyprus later on). Independence of Cyprus.
Nationalisation without compensation of all the properties of the big bourgeoisie who, through their alliance with the above mentioned imperialist powers, have betrayed the Greek and Turkish people of Cyprus.
Nationalisation without compensation of all the land and the properties on such land of the big landowners, including the Church and the Mosques. Nationalisation without compensation of all the land and the properties on such land of the military bases of Turkey, Greece and England. Give for use all these lands and properties to the Greek and Turkish people of Cyprus who have lost their personal property as a result of wars and genocides in Cyprus, to the landless peasants and homeless workers and state employees.
To guarantee the national rights of Turkish Cypriots, if needed, be in a federal state structure. The prohibition of all the organisations and activities that ferment national and religious enmities between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
To take all measures needed to improve the living and working conditions of the workers and the labouring masses of Cyprus, who shall win and preserve the anti-imperialist united front government.
All nationalist and religious organizations that try to divide the community will be closed down
The foreign workers that will struggle for the program will have the right to be citizens of the new country.

Anan Plan Period

Cyprus captured the headlines during the past few years. The growing resentment of the Turkish Cypriots against the oppression and the domination of Turkey resulted in a mass movement and the formation of "This Country is Ours Platform", a broad alliance of trade unions and so called left political parties.
The majority of the organisations believed that a bourgeois-imperialist solution was possible in Cyprus. They followed a strategy of solution of the Cyprus problem under the auspices of the United Nations, a Federal Cyprus that is a member of the European Union.
We define this strategy as one of the proposal for a bourgeois-imperialist solution to the Cyprus problem, as a bourgeois-imperialist strategy. And we describe the parties that base their activities on this strategy as the parties in the bourgeois-imperialist camp.
Because of this conclusion of ours, the parties defending this strategy are very angry with us. There are even those who use our conclusions to prove the impossibility of collaboration with us.
The concrete form of this strategy is the Anan Plan.
The British bases are protected. The military bases of Turkey and Greece are protected. The guarantorship of Turkey, Greece and Britain is protected. Whose plan is this? Of the United Nations! Who accepted to keep the areas of the British bases “outside the EU acquisition”? European Union! Who declares that the Anan Plan, that includes all these elements, is a solution? European Union! And does someone have to be an astrologer to determine that the European Union is a union of the states that is ruled by the imperialists and bourgeoisies?
This is a strategy that proposes to solve the Cyprus problem by keeping Cyprus as a consistent part of the imperialist world system. It is a bourgeois-imperialist strategy.
While this proposal is a strategic proposal from the point of the so called left parties, from our point of view it is a means for a tactic. We have utilised this period to educate the masses about the impossibility of a bourgeois-imperialist solution to the Cyprus problem. We utilised this period to propagate our Anti-Imperialist United Front Government Program to the masses.
Initially, it was the right-wing parties in the north that were against the imperialist peace agreement that was proposed as Anan Plan. Although we are neutral to any type of imperialist plans we fought for the realisation of a bourgeois peace, as this would have weakened this right-wing influence. However, as time went by it was clear that these left parties did not need our support, that they have found new alliances in Turkey, as well as in the United Nations.
While the bourgeois left parties formed all sort of alliances in the bourgeois-imperialist world, we failed to organise and forge the necessary alliances with the proletarian and toiling masses of Greece, Turkey and Britain to raise the consciousness of the masses not only in Cyprus but in Greece, Turkey and Britain as well.
As the referendum approached it was very clear that AKEL and the Greek Cypriot bourgeoisie were going against the Anan Plan. Rather than changing our tactics, we continued to follow the same -now old- tactic. This has been our major error. We allowed the bourgeois-imperialists to dictate their solution to the masses (no solution - NO in the south and YES in the north) and use it to further drive a wedge of nationalism among the working masses.
One of our weaknesses was that we faltered in organising the working class and the toilers independently during that period, as we were taking part in different organisational alliances. Although our party was new at that time the movement was not.

Lessons for the Future: Mass support from Greece, Turkey and Britain is absolute necessity

It is very clear that the bourgeois-imperialist solution in Cyprus is virtually impossible for unforeseeable time. That our strategy is the only solution that will not only eliminate the national enmity and remove the imperialism from Cyprus, it will also pave the way for socialism.
Our strategy of Anti-Imperialist United Front Government relies on the mass support of the working class of Greece, Turkey and Britain. It is self evident that without such mass support we will not be able to liberate Cyprus from the imperialist yoke and the bourgeois barbarians will continue to rule on the island.
One of the lessons of the past few years is that we did not have a coordinated strategy and tactics that would have drawn the trade unions and political parties on the left of Turkey, Greece and Britain towards the support of Anti-Imperialist United Front Government. Instead, what we have seen was opportunist politics employed by these political parties.