In July 1974, Colin Smithwas the Observer’s correspondent in Cyprus. Five decades on, he recalls paratroopers dropping from the skies and a grand hotel under siege
Free Paphos Radio broadcast it in both Greek and English. “Greetings Greek Cypriots,” he began. “You know the voice you hear. You know who is speaking. I am Makarios. The coup of the junta has failed. I was the junta’s target, and as long as I am alive the junta will not succeed … Put up resistance in every way. Don’t be afraid.”
Fifty years ago this month, Athens’s military junta, a colonels’ cabal bent on the union with Cyprus they called enosis, briefly believed that, after three failed attempts, they had finally assassinated Archbishop Makarios, Greek Cypriot president since 1960, when Britain granted Cyprus and its Turkish Cypriot minority independence.
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Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/14/turkish-troops-fired-on-our-hotel-the-invasion-had-begun-50-years-after-cyprus-was-torn-apart
Author : Colin Smith
Publish date : 2024-07-14 04:00:39
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