Clerides, Glafkos John
Glafkos John Clerides (gläf´kōs, klārē´ŧħēs), 1919–2013, Greek Cypriot political leader. A pilot in Britain's Royal Air Force in World War II, Clerides was shot down (1942) and held in Nazi prison camps. After the war, he finished law studies at King's College London (grad. 1948) and then joined the Greek Cypriot resistence to British rule. He accompanied Archbishop Makarios III to the talks that led to a cease-fire and independence (1960), and subsequently served in Cyprus's house of representatives (1960–76, when he also was the body's president; and 1981–93). When Makarios was deposed (1974) by a Greek-inspired coup that led to a Turkish invasion, Clerides served as acting president after Nikos Sampson, the coup leader, was forced to resign and before Makarios returned. After unsuccessfully running for president three times (1978, 1983, 1988), he won two terms (1993–2003) in the office. His attempts to achieve Cyprus's reunification were unsuccessful, but he did succeed in easing Greek-Turkish Cypriot tensions and assuring Cyprus's entry into the European Union.
See his memoir (4 vol., 1988–91) and Negotiating for Cyprus, 1993–2003 (2009); N. Kizilyurik, Glafkos Clerides: The Path of a Country (2010).