Lift the TRNC Embargo, Now!

The Greek-Cypriots voted down the last chance to unify the island. They voted “no,” believing that there would be no consequences for their inexplicable lack of vision and foresight.
Perhaps they believed that after becoming a EU member on May 1, they would continue to squeeze the Turkish-Cypriots further towards a solution that gives them everything and the Turkish-Cypriots nothing.
Can we call a spade a spade and call this arrogance?
The last time they miscalculated the consequences of their actions it was back in July 1974 when they tried to unite the island with Greece by force. They ended up splitting the island and creating TRNC. Now the de facto split may very well become a de jury split. But they seem to be totally unaware of the possibility.
What`s different this time around, though, is the total transparency of their intransigence. All European officials and Kofi Annan went on record spelling out what would happen if the Greek-Cypriots dropped the ball.
"The train is coming. If they (the Greek-Cypriots) miss it, they won`t catch it again," warned European Union (EU) High Representative Javier Solana. "Those who think everything will be the same if the U.N. plan is not supported have misevaluated the situation."
After a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Solana indicated that if the Greeks say `No` and the Turks say `Yes` in today`s referenda, the relations with North Cyprus will be different. "The North will not be left out in the cold anymore," he said.
Now is the time for the United Nations, the United States and the European Union to keep their word and lift the crippling embargo on TRNC.
Until now the presumed intransigence of the Turkish-Cypriots was used as an excuse to perpetuate one of the most cruel embargoes on the Turkish-Cypriots. While the whole world watched, a people whose only fault was to defend themselves against a coup and an ethnic-cleansing campaign in process, was crushed under the yoke of this air-tight embargo while the Greek-Cypriot side prospered with generous help and investments from all over the world.
But now that excuse is not valid any more. Now the world has seen which side wanted to keep the two sides separate. It is not the Turkish-Cypriots. So why should they continue to be punished?
Thus it is incumbent on the EU and UN to act immediately to lift the unjust embargo on TRNC.
The whole world is watching to see if the EU and UN officials mean what they say and have the courage to live up to their own moral standards. I hope they won`t fail this historic test.