Cyprus-Forum.com

[zan]

Cyprus
Conflict Within the Greek Cypriot Community, 1967-74
During the next seven years, events in Cyprus were shaped by the differences over enosis that arose between Makarios and the military government that was installed in Greece after a coup d'état in 1967. Convinced of Turkey's willingness to use its superior force to prevent enosis, Makarios began to seek support among Greek Cypriots--especially those in the communist party--who rejected enosis, at least for the near future, in favor of an independent, nonaligned Cyprus (see Political Dynamics , ch. 4). Because Makarios had decided enosis was no longer possible in the short term, more adamant pro-enosis Cypriot groups and anticommunist Greek officers, both of which infiltrated the National Guard during the late 1960s and early 1970s, would subvert his government increasingly after 1967 and finally overthrow him in 1974.

Makarios failed in his efforts to limit the autonomy of the National Guard, which, under the influence of right-wing Greek officers, remained attached to enosis and bitterly opposed to Makarios's political association with the communist party. Compulsory military service for all Greek Cypriot males--for a period that increased from six months to two years during the 1960s--allowed the arming and training of a great number of men, many of whom subsequently took up arms against the government. Between 1969 and 1971, several groups embarked on a renewed terrorist campaign for enosis. Grivas returned clandestinely to Cyprus sometime in the late summer or early fall of 1971 and set up a new guerilla organization, the national Organizaiton of Cypriot Fighters (Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agonistm B--EOKA B). Most members of the terrorist movement held regular jobs in the Greek Cypriot community; half were police officials and members of the National Guard.

There was also considerable evidence of support of EOKA B activities by the Greek junta, whose hostility to Makarios became increasingly apparent during the early 1970s. The junta was believed to be involved in several attempts on the life of President Makarios. In March 1970, Makarios narrowly escaped death when his helicopter was shot down. Makarios walked away from the crash, but his pilot was killed. Former minister of the interior Polykarpos Georkajis, in contact with local right-wing groups and the junta in Athens, was thought to be implicated, and was assassinated shortly afterward. A paramilitary presidential guard loyal to Makarios, called the Tactical Police Reserve, was organized in 1972. Consisting of fewer than 1,000 men, the Tactical Police Reserve succeeded in arresting large numbers of EOKA B guerrillas. In a further attempt to bring subversive forces under control, Makarios dismissed many National Guard and police officers suspected of EOKA B activity.

With the death of Grivas from a heart attack in January 1974, EOKA B came more directly under the control of the military junta in Athens, which, after a change of leadership, was even more hostile to Makarios. The archbishop, however, saw the Greekofficered National Guard as a more serious threat to his government than EOKA B. In a letter to the Greek president in early July, he accused the junta of attempting to subvert the government of Cyprus through the Greek officers of the National Guard, who in turn supported the terrorist activities of EOKA B. Makarion demanded immediate removal of the 650 Greek officers staffing the National Guard and their replacement by 100 instructors who would help reorganize the Greek Cypriot force.

The reply to the Makarios challenge came on July 15 in the form of a coup d'état led by Greek officers in the National Guard, under orders from Athens. The fierce fighting that broke out resulted in casualties estimated at over 500, but the lightly armed Tactical Police Reserve and irregular pro-Makarios units were no match for the heavily armed National Guardsmen and the EOKA B irregulars. Narrowly escaping capture when the presidential palace was bombarded, Makarios was flown to London from the Sovereyn Base Area at Akrotiri. Former EOKA gunman and convicted murderer Nicos Sampson, notorious for his brutality in the 1950s and 1960s, was proclaimed president. As Makarios had foreseen, but the Greek military leaders did not, Turkey reacted forcibly to the coup by landing a large number of troops on the northern coast of Cyprus. As a result, both the insurrectionary government in Cyprus and the military dictatorship in Greece fell from power.

[Get Real!]

You should always quote your source...

http://www.photius.com/countries/cyprus ... ~1475.html

[zan]

Sorry I thought I did.

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?f ... CID+cy0149)

[Piratis]

Sorry I thought I did.

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?f ... CID+cy0149)

Here are some more from your source:

First Greeks in Cyprus:

After 1400 B.C., Mycenaean and Mycenaean-Achaean traders from the northeastern Peloponnesus began regular commercial visits to the island. Settlers from the same areas arrived in large numbers toward the end of the Trojan War (traditionally dated about 1184 B.C.). Even in modern times, a strip of the northern coast was known as the Achaean Coast in commemoration of those early settlers. The newcomers spread the use of their spoken language and introduced a script that greatly facilitated commerce. They also introduced the potter's wheel and began producing pottery that eventually was carried by traders to many mainland markets. By the end of the second millennium B.C., a distinctive culture had developed on Cyprus. The island's culture was tempered and enriched by its position as a crossroads for the commerce of three continents, but in essence it was distinctively Hellenic.

First Turks in Cyprus:

Throughout the period of Venetian rule, Ottoman Turks raided and attacked at will. In 1489, the first year of Venetian control, Turks attacked the Karpas Peninsula, pillaging and taking captives to be sold into slavery. In 1539 the Turkish fleet attacked and destroyed Limassol. Fearing the ever-expanding Ottoman Empire, the Venetians had fortified Famagusta, Nicosia, and Kyrenia, but most other cities were easy prey.

In the summer of 1570, the Turks struck again, but this time with a full-scale invasion rather than a raid. About 60,000 troops, including cavalry and artillery, under the command of Lala Mustafa Pasha landed unopposed near Limassol on July 2, 1570, and laid siege to Nicosia. In an orgy of victory on the day that the city fell--September 9, 1570--20,000 Nicosians were put to death, and every church, public building, and palace was looted.

Today in the 21st century and we still wonder when the Turks will decide to finally join the civilized world. Today they are still trying to give excuses for their crimes and illegalities and trying to get their way by brute force instead of democracy.

Nobody is a saint and we all have our share in guild. But the Turks have the largest share not only in our past history but in present as well. Whats worst, is that while others (Greece - Cyprus) have recognized their mistakes (and people were send to jail) on the contrary the Turks not only they keep denying them but they promise they will continue in the same criminal way.

My suggestion: Stop the illegalities and crimes by using lame excuses that expired decades ago. It will be beneficial for everybody in the region including Turkey and TCs.

[Murataga]

Piratis-

Whats worst, is that while others (Greece - Cyprus) have recognized their mistakes (and people were send to jail) on the contrary the Turks not only they keep denying them but they promise they will continue in the same criminal way.

Send Tasos Papaodopulos for his illegal effots to achieve ENOSIS at the expense of innocent TC lives, than the TCs will be believe that you recognized your mistake.

As far as you quote goes; I have another one for you...

From The Cyprus Imbroglio by Clement H. Dodd (Professor at the University of London), 1998

"The last Greek Byzantine ruler was Isaac Commensus, who was defeated in 1191 by the Crusaders under Richard Lionheart of England. Ruled thereafter by the hated Franks and Latins the Cypriot population was kept in a state of serfdom, their church completely subordinated to that of Rome. In 1571, when the Ottomans took Cyprus from the Venetions, they abolished the serf status of the Greek Cypriots, and restored their church."

[Piratis]

Send Tasos Papaodopulos for his illegal effots to achieve ENOSIS at the expense of innocent TC lives, than the TCs will be believe that you recognized your mistake.

Murtaga, enosis was not illegal at all. In fact it was one of the three legitimate options for an area being decolonized.
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpi/decolonizat ... ration.htm

Those TCs that were killed during the liberation struggle were those that collaborated with the colonialists to deny to the majority of Cypriots this perfectly legitimate option. We didn't turn against TCs, we turned against the colonialists. You are the ones who choose to side with the colonialists and murder 100s of GCs so you can not complain that you had losses as well due to this choice of yours.

Papadopoulos was in the political brunch of EOKA and was not involved in the armed struggle.

"The last Greek Byzantine ruler was Isaac Commensus, who was defeated in 1191 by the Crusaders under Richard Lionheart of England. Ruled thereafter by the hated Franks and Latins the Cypriot population was kept in a state of serfdom, their church completely subordinated to that of Rome. In 1571, when the Ottomans took Cyprus from the Venetions, they abolished the serf status of the Greek Cypriots, and restored their church."

No foreign ruler was a good one of course. Now tell me what is worst: To try to impose to the population the Latin church, or to butcher 1000s of Cypriots at a time?
The Ottomans restored the Cyprus church because this was part of how they were running their empire. They had the local religious leadership being their subordinates in order to collect taxes. Whenever that leadership did something that was not according to what the Ottomans wanted they were cutting their heads off.

[Piratis]

Also here is a quote from a British anti-EOKA website:

The Turkish community was whipped into a frenzy by broadcasts from Turkey calling for the partition of Cyprus. Violence between the turks and Cypriots broke out in early June and climaxed when eight Greeks were massacred in a cornfield near the Turkish village of Geunyeli.
http://www.britains-smallwars.com/cyprus/war.html

As I said we accept our share of guild, but the truth is that our share is the smallest. We condemned the illegal actions of EOKA-B, Samson was sent to jail, and the same happened with the Generals that made the coup. Your share of guild is the biggest and it keeps getting bigger for every day you continue your illegal occupation and not only you do not recognize it but you are looking for excuses so you can continue in the same way that has not changed much since the day the first Turks set their foot on Cyprus.

[Pyrpolizer]

Piratis-

Whats worst, is that while others (Greece - Cyprus) have recognized their mistakes (and people were send to jail) on the contrary the Turks not only they keep denying them but they promise they will continue in the same criminal way.

Send Tasos Papaodopulos for his illegal effots to achieve ENOSIS at the expense of innocent TC lives, than the TCs will be believe that you recognized your mistake.

As far as you quote goes; I have another one for you...

From The Cyprus Imbroglio by Clement H. Dodd (Professor at the University of London), 1998

"The last Greek Byzantine ruler was Isaac Commensus, who was defeated in 1191 by the Crusaders under Richard Lionheart of England. Ruled thereafter by the hated Franks and Latins the Cypriot population was kept in a state of serfdom, their church completely subordinated to that of Rome. In 1571, when the Ottomans took Cyprus from the Venetions, they abolished the serf status of the Greek Cypriots, and restored their church."

So you think that after the Ottomans slaughtered thousands of people and installed pashas who grabbed whole cities for their own and set the priests to collect taxes for them they did us a favor?

This reminds be of your current day benevolnce of allowing us to operate 2 of our churches in the occupied. You were always so goood to us, thank you, than you, thank you,

Murat Aga mou, please cut my head so I go to heaven and become a Saint. Thank you Aga mou, thank you, thank you, thank you. You were always good to me.

[Pyrpolizer]

Btw "sfakse me Aga mou n'ayiaso" was A FACT during the ottoman times.

(Cut my head Aga mou so I become a saint)

[humanist]

People, we know the history of Cyprus' settlement, lets just agree that we both have a right to co-exist on Cyprus the Island of Love..... What we need to be concentrating on now is how do we actually co-exist. Given that a large portion of the population will never accept partition, given that we have more than the Turkish Speaking Cypriots involved in this game, given that we have a cutlural group in our communty that is fast disapearing we need to act now before we loose part of our identity, large portion of so called greek cypriot customs and traditions and part of our unique dialect that makes us cypriots has turkish influence to this end Cyprus is built on two primary cultures so lets keep cyprus alive by coming together for unity and peace.

piss the turks and greeks out and lets start the dialogue, Papadopoulos needs to urge Talat to talk and Talat needs to enter into discussions asap.