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Emphasising the growing divisions between Makarios and Grivas 73 , the Cypriot
President had already acted to cut the National Guard's budget and was building up
his own paramilitary force. Makarios had previously responded to UN pressure by
lifting the road blocks in Limassol and Paphos, allowing those residents to buy
products formerly proscribed as "strategie goods". Patrick has argued that during
the period from August 1964 to November 1967, Grivas and Makarios had différent
views on the methods of achieving the same goal. After Kophinou their goals
diverged; for Makarios to what was feasible (independence) rather than what was
desirable (Enosis). 74 There were also economic reasons behind the officiai moves
towards lifting the sanctions and encouraging détente with Turkish-Cypriots. One of
the biggest barriers preventing the implementation of the Second Five Year Plan was
a shortage of labour.
Whilst representing a timely réduction in inter-communal violence, divergent goals
within the Greek-Cypriot community opened the way to an upsurge in intracommunal
violence. Violence escalated in the Greek-Cypriot community between
those who supported independence (either pragmatically, as a way of preventing
Turkish Military intervention or whole-heartedly as AKEL, the Greek-Cypriot
Communist Party, did) and those who continued to favour Enosis by force.
"The years between 1969 and 1974 were a civil war in miniature
between two sets of Greek-Cypriot men about who would govern
Cyprus, and particularly, how the Cyprus problem was to be
managed. " 75
73 There had beeil a long running media debate as to who controls the (Greek) Cypriot armed forces,
and by implication, tactics and strategy concerning the "national issue", beginning in 1966; see
Cyprus Mail 27/2/1966, 4/3/1966, 25/3/1966... etc.
74 Announcing his décision to seek a renewed mandate (Cyprus Mail, 12/1/1968) President Makarios
stated that the failure of Greco-Turkish talks and the withdrawal of Greek troops had brought the
Cyprus question to a criticai stage. In a subsequently much quoted phrase, used to underline the
significance of this as a turning point, from a policy of "self-determination" (Enosis) to a policy of
non-aligned independence, President Makarios stated that: "a solution, by necessity, must be sought
within the limits of what is feasible, which does not always coincide with what is desirable".
75 LoizosP. (Spring) 1994. "Understanding 1974, Understanding 1994", The Cyprus Review. Vol.
6, no. 1, p.11.
148