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The atmosphere of insecurity and mutual hatred makes an armistice unlikely. Both sides are heavily armed, partly through the periodic rotation of army units from Greece and Turkey: arriving units carry sidearms, departing units return unarmed, having left their weapons behind with their island partisans. Hence the melancholy jokes about the "overkill capacity" of both sides. One tired and disenchanted British officer commented: "What this island really needs is a disarmament conference."