Anyone who hasn't lived in Cyprus will find the following pretty hard to believe. But I can assure you it is all true.
In 2009, the government of Cyprus confiscated a cargo from a vessel that was breaking UN sanctions by transporting high explosives from Iran to Syria.
If you were left with 98 shipping containers of military grade explosives would you
a Store them all closely packed together in an open area where the summer temperatures often reach the high 30s Celsius for three years?
b Put them next to the biggest power station the area that supplies 60% of your nation's electricity?
c Totally ignore warnings that the situation is getting dangerous?
d Think it sufficient, when minor explosions occur, to get two 18 year old conscripts (twins in this case) to spray water onto the containers in the hope of stopping them going off?
No?
Well that is what happened here and we are at present seeing the unedifying spectacle of everyone who had anything to do with this trying to pass the buck to someone else following a massive explosion that cost 13 brave men their lives, destroyed the power station and with the resulting power cuts plunged the island into darkness causing chaos for business and industry and pulling the carpet from underneath an already shaky economy.
A government coalition collapsed and thousands demonstrate on an almost daily basis calling for the president to resign.
Yet no-one is admitting any responsibility at all for what is one of the biggest non-nuclear peace time explosions to have taken place anywhere.
The 13 men who died knew the dangers they were facing when they attended the scene on July 11. The head of the navy, the base commander, the two young conscripts, the firemen and other military personnel stood their ground and suffered the terrible consequences.
I will not go into the politics of this situation but it would be wonderful if just one person could stick up his hand and say: "Sorry I was wrong."
Some hope?
