The position that the deadly explosion at the "Evangelos Florakis" Naval Base in July 2011 was not accidental, is expressed by the former President of the Republic, Dimitris Christofias, in the second part of his interview published today by the newspaper "Phileleftheros", claiming that an expert he analyzed "the opinion that there can be no accidental explosion and fire at 4 in the morning".
Regarding the court dispute with Miltiadis Neophytou, Mr. Christofias states that the businessman "tells tales and slanders" and refers to his own statement in court, which he characterizes as "very clear".
Why was the chapter about Marie the most difficult to write in your book?
You want to say things that you still can not prove beyond any reasonable doubt and this is the most difficult. I would like to refer you to the position of Dr. Takis Fella who made the presentation of my book in London. A man expert on these issues. He said the incident was not accidental. He believes that there is a human hand. My first contact with him was after his placement on Ms. Lupescu's television program after Marie. We met and he substantiated my opinion that at 4 in the morning there can be no accidental explosion and fire.
Even if the temperature was over 40 degrees?
Three hundred degrees are needed to burn the gunpowder. In the morning at 4 o'clock with the beach fog and humidity, can not. This is what the weapons experts in Athens said.
Someone smiled when you said he was a stranger behind Marie.
But I did not say that it is a foreign finger. The mistake is that in my first reactions I talked about an accident, I had to let at least one tip float.
They said I did not apologize to my relatives. They are lies.
Outraged people outside the Presidential Palace insulted the President of the Republic and thought it was an insult to call me "son of the laundry". They were so naive! Where to accept the son of the worker and the washing machine to be at the helm of the Cypriot state? I had to be a child of salons and capital. I was not and I will never be.
In his book, Costas Papakostas attributes personal responsibilities to Marie, he says that he was a scapegoat.
I do not know if what is stated on a page of the book was written by Costas himself. He had a complaint and we discussed it. But to write that I betrayed my friends etc. I do not accept it. The book was published after Kostas left, whom I will honor regardless of what they say. In my book I refer to everything I did to honor our friendship with Costas Papakostas.
What is a sabotage finger?
There are people who were present and know the facts, I am one hundred percent sure of that and I hope at some point they will speak.
To talk about your atonement?
To restore the truth in this place and for Marie.
Why didn't you say "Mea culpa" to Marie?
I said "Mea culpa" because a number of innocent people lost their lives and I apologized. The manipulations were not the sole responsibility of the President. When the experts who at the end of the day assured you as prosecution witnesses assure you that you can keep those boxes next to the Presidential and there is no danger. We had researched how to leave. There was some setback.
In the book do you make an account of your responsibilities and mistakes?
Of course. The only case of a party and leader who admits mistakes and omissions is AKEL and Christofias.
Christofias usually throws the mistakes at the party.
And this is a fairy tale. We work collectively. A comprehensive assessment was made in the Central Committee, which records the huge work of the government and at the same time records mistakes and omissions of both the government and the party.
Was the "no" that cemented the "yes" wrong?
No, it was not wrong and it was proved by the convergences we achieved with Mehmet Ali Talat that the unity of the state, the economy and Cyprus is ensured, which was not guaranteed by the Annan plan.
You say in your book every day and better, the current plan could be worse than the Annan Plan?
Not necessarily. The 4 freedoms greatly improve the Annan plan, but also in matters of governance, the unity of the state and the people is ensured. It remains to be seen what the outcome will be in terms of security, in order to judge the whole effort.
Will you support the solution that Nikos Anastasiadis will bring?
We will see the content. I will say my opinion and the collective bodies of the party will decide. I do not want to prejudge or re-exploit any of my views.
Is Tayyip Erdogan ready to give the green light to Mustafa Akinci for a solution?
I suggested to the National Council that experts and scientists of geopolitics-geostrategy sit down to analyze in depth what is happening in our region, which is full of contradictions with Turkey as a co-star, which with Erdogan opened many fronts, risky and dangerous for the country.
Civil war is raging inside Turkey at the moment. Erdogan, who is considered powerful, should not be happy. Turkey needs a success to show that it is creative, and that could lead Erdogan to a compromise on the Cyprus issue. But he is a very difficult interlocutor. He thinks he is God and we will find it very difficult in the matter of security.
It is up to the President to give the battle and he will be judged. If he does the right thing we will applaud him and support him.
They had excluded us from the markets and were constantly degrading us.
Yes it's true. Did those who criticize me read the reports of the Evaluation Houses? Everyone, but everyone, has talked and still talks until today about the expanded banking sector. Mr. Georgiadis does not want to admit it because he covered the bankers. The tangle unfolds. I hope that the process of the investigation into the economy, which started with the Attorney General's Office, will finally be completed, so that things can fall into place.
Did Vgenopoulos leave early?
Do you think it was so tarpaulin that he did not think about falsifying it?
Did you have a good relationship with him, did you lay red carpets for him?
People's imagination rages. Lying was and remains on the agenda. Andreas Vgenopoulos came to the Presidential Palace 1-2 times and we talked about some things, for which there was no response from me. What is said about red carpets are tales of Halima.
But did he give contributions to the party?
No, he did not give contributions.
Focus?
I want them to bring me a receipt that says that AKEL, or Christofias or his staff took money from Focus or all these bankers.
They paid for students to come. Was there an investigation?
What did he prove? Nothing.
Didn't Miltiadis Neophytou get the money as a Support Committee for your candidacy to bring in the students?
Miltiadis was trying to raise money through business meetings. He tells tales and slanders. The matter is in court, so I will stay here. My statement to the court is very clear.
Why do you insist on asking Nikos Katsouridis to apologize because one of his comrades is in prison for the Cyta and Dromolaxia cases?
The Katsouridis issue is in the Central Committee of the party, let those who are responsible solve it.
With what wish are you looking forward to 2017?
To reach such an agreement on the Cyprus issue that enables both communities to say "yes" in a referendum.
Are you preparing a new book?
I have in mind to write something about the international communist movement, about the Left and its role over time.
The times are bad. The Left offered enormous services to the world with the great October socialist revolution and its creation, the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was the defining factor in the salvation of mankind, crushing Hitler fascism during World War II. The Soviet Union achieved enormous socio-economic achievements and caused the collapse of the colonial system of imperialism, as well as the cause of the workers of the capitalist states to achieve significant socio-economic achievements.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the community of socialist states, all this was nullified by those who found themselves at the head of the world. This is an issue for which great and deep reflection and analysis must be made.
Source: Phileleftheros (Interview with Antigoni Solomonidou Drousiotou)