ANKARA, Turkey, May 7 (UPI) -- Turkey's political situation stepped further into turmoil as the only candidate for the presidency withdrew from the race.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul announced his decision Sunday after Parliament failed to reach the quorum needed to elect a new president, as members of the opposition boycotted the second vote on his candidacy.
Gul has been viewed with caution among more secular lawmakers as he is a member of the Islamic-based, ruling Justice and Development Party headed by Prime Minister Recep Erdogan.
"Parliament is deadlocked. The correct thing now is for the people to elect," Gul said.
While the ruling party has denied it would impose religious law in Turkey, which continues to seek membership of the European Union, there is growing concern among secular legislators that the current leadership will increase Islamic influence in government.
Gul Withdraws Presedential Bid
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Gul Withdraws Presedential Bid
by T_C » Mon May 07, 2007 4:34 pm
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by Piratis » Tue May 08, 2007 1:21 am
Just another event that proves who really rules Turkey. Democracy in that country is just in the name, not in practice. This is why for me words and phrases like "democracy", "human rights", "unity" etc should be actually applied as they should, otherwise they just remain meaningless words.
As far as Cyprus is concerned, this is just another evidence that Turkish (and TC) politicians are powerless compared to the army. They are allowed to do what they want, as long as they have the approval of the army. No important decision can be taken without army's approval.
So imagine a "united" in Annan way Cyprus , with the Turkish army having the right to intervene. Our "partners" would not be the TCs, but the Turkish army, and the whole Cyprus would then be their hostage and convicted to never having democracy and human rights again.
As far as Cyprus is concerned, this is just another evidence that Turkish (and TC) politicians are powerless compared to the army. They are allowed to do what they want, as long as they have the approval of the army. No important decision can be taken without army's approval.
So imagine a "united" in Annan way Cyprus , with the Turkish army having the right to intervene. Our "partners" would not be the TCs, but the Turkish army, and the whole Cyprus would then be their hostage and convicted to never having democracy and human rights again.
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by zan » Tue May 08, 2007 1:24 am
Piratis wrote:Just another event that proves who really rules Turkey. Democracy in that country is just in the name, not in practice. This is why for me words and phrases like "democracy", "human rights", "unity" etc should be actually applied as they should, otherwise they just remain meaningless words.
As far as Cyprus is concerned, this is just another evidence that Turkish (and TC) politicians are powerless compared to the army. They are allowed to do what they want, as long as they have the approval of the army. No important decision can be taken without army's approval.
So imagine a "united" in Annan way Cyprus , with the Turkish army having the right to intervene. Our "partners" would not be the TCs, but the Turkish army, and the whole Cyprus would then be their hostage and convicted to never having democracy and human rights again.
Wasn't there a problem within Greece a while back that involved a war of some sorts and the army. Did that happen in a democratic country as well????
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by zan » Tue May 08, 2007 1:58 am
Piratis wrote:When is this "while back" you refer to?? I don't remember any such thing.
Knock yourself out Kid!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greece
I will obviously await the excuses
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by Piratis » Tue May 08, 2007 2:09 am
you don't know what to say do you?
Greeks invented democracy, and today Greece has a democratic system of European standards.
This is opposed to Turkey which never had a democracy in anything but in the name.
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Turkish Democracy!
by Kypriotiki » Mon Aug 20, 2007 5:58 am
Piratis, Turkey is not truly "democratic" it is Kemalist. Criticizing Ataturk carries a jail sentence, so does publicly recognizing the Armenian Genocide. If you are Armenian in Turkey, it carries a "death sentence" as it did in the case of Hrant Dink, an Armenian who was a Turkish citizen, murdered in cold blood with Turkish government complicity.
In "democratic" Turkey, religious Muslim women are not allowed to wear the head-covering in government buildings, government-run institutions, or public institutions funded by the government. In America, a non-Muslim country, the American Constitution (much of which is based on Greek principles of democracy and freedom) protects a Muslim woman's rights to wear the head-covering wherever she wants, and if anyone dare confront her, she can file a lawsuit for violation of her civil rights.
Turks are a real paradox I must say. On one hand they try to throw their Islamic identity in the face of Greeks and Armenians, boasting that historically they made their conquests not only in the name of Turkicness, but also Islam. Yet they espouse Kemalist ideology, much of which is secular and anti-Islamic. It is a well known fact that Ataturk died of cirrhosis of the liver, caused by his excessive consumption of alcohol (which is against Islamic principle), and that he hated Islam and hated Muslim "hocas" ("imams"). He banned the veil, and Latinized the alphabet, and tried to "Europeanize" his people. Even here there is a paradox. Modern-day Turk chauvinists have Ataturk's picture (the man who wanted Turkey to be "European") next to their depictions of the Gray Wolf, a well revered symbol of Central Asian Turks, which also symbolizes the unity of all Turkic peoples from the Yakuts of Siberia to the Uygurs of China, to the Turkic peoples of Transoxania, with a "proud" reminder that Turkey's language and culture emanates from the very heart of Asia, and that Turks must be proud of their "Bozkurt" ("Gray Wolf") heritage. All this next to Kemal's picture!
It is obvious Turks have been struggling with their own identity, yet they never hesitate to disseminate (and dispense) their institutionalized form of ethnocentrism and chauvinism, and ethnic fascism via the internet, government-sponsored propaganda, and government-sponsored public events like " Turkic World Children's Day" (sponsored by Turk Dunyasi Arastirmalari Vakfi) which is meant to extend pan-Turanist and pan-Turkist propaganda to other far reaches of the Turkic-speaking world (hoping they will become part of Turkey's orbit). Unfortunately, occupied northern Cyprus has been host to such events on a few occasions. Northern Cyprus has become a de-facto province of Turkey, and at the same time another Western extension of the "Turkic world". With the continuous influx of Turkish settlers from Anatolia, (only 40 miles away), this is becoming more of a reality. It is no longer a joke that indigenous Cypriot Turks living as expats in the U.K. and Australia far outnumber those in northern Cyprus, and that settlers from Turkey now outnumber Turkish Cypriots. Settler children born in northern Cyprus are now thinking of themselves as "native" Cypriots of course. For an outsider, it would be hard to distinguish between an actual Turkish Cypriot, and one who'se origins are from mainland Turkey, since the once Turkish Cypriot identity, which before 1974 maintained its subtle yet distinct and peculiar differences with that of mainland Turkey, has now been subsumed by a Kemalist-inspired "common and united Turkish identity", stressing a common language, culture, and origin. Turkish migrations into northern Cyprus have cemented this ideology, and tributes to Ataturk, such as his statue in the very center of "Lefkosa" (Turks' name for northern Lefkosia) are a testimony to this. Add to this demographic reality, the British expats who are buying large tracts of land from the TRNC administration, with no knowledge of who the prior owners were, i.e. Greeks (and many do arrive from the U.K., seeking a Mediterranean residence, encouraged by Turkish Cypriot real estate brokers who have no scruples about staking out what was once Greek-owned land, with no regard as to the legality of it all).
The continued occupation of Northern Cyprus by Turkish troops is illegal, so is doling out land by a self-designated auto-created government that is itself illegal and not recognized by the international community. Israel's illegal occupation and settlement of the West Bank has been high on the U.N. agenda, pushing the issue of Turkey's illegal occupation and settlement of Northern Cyprus into the background, where it is almost forgotten.
As for Varosha, there is still no explanation as to why Turkish troops insist on occupying what is a ghost-town where there are no Turkish Cypriots (nor Greek Cypriots for that matter) living. Perhaps this is Turkey's big bargaining chip, and in fact that is exactly what it was in the Annan plan, where Turks tried to extract more concessions from Greek Cypriots, by dangling it in front of Greek Cypriot eyes as a tasty morsel they will be rewarded with for capitulating and accepting peace on their terms. Turkey seeks a carrot-and-stick approach in her negotiations with Greek Cypriots, since we should not kid ourselves, any deal with the TRNC is actually a deal with Turkey.
Which comes to the final chapter of E.U. membership for Turkey. There are two impediments here, Turkey's failure to own up to her past (the Armenian Genocide) and the issue of illegally occupying Cyprus, and supporting an illegal entity that exists only because might makes right, and one that has disproportionately and disparately (disproportionately considering the actual demographic make-up of the entire island) divided the island into 40 percent (Northern Cyprus) and 60 percent (the Republic of Cyprus, which again is in reality somewhat less than 60 percent, considering two sovereign British bases and a large corridor which Turks have maintained as a buffer between the two halves of the island). Turkey has tried very hard to use her clout with U.S. politicians who lobby on her behalf, including those who traditionally support Israel, of which Turkey is a staunch and vehement ally. Who can forget Bush's speech in Istanbul, where he actually urged the European Community to grant Turkey its wish of becoming a full-fledged member (never mind Turkey's fluctuating economy, and her other human-rights issues, i.e. the Kurds). Under the current U.S. Administration, this has come rather close to actually materializing. Turkey's pleas for lifting the blockade against the TRNC of course, have coincided with her blockade of Armenia over the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh. And of course, it is ironic that Turkey would occupy a sovereign country where her ethnic kin are a MINORITY, and then complain about its occupied half being blockaded, yet use an entirely different criteria when Armenia absorbs an area where her ethnic kin are a MAJORITY (which would give Armenia every right to carrying out a "Peace Operation"), and insists on a blockade of a landlocked republic that does not enjoy the geographic advantages of northern Cyprus. But this too, should be put in the context of Turkish ethnocentrism. Turks apply a different set of standards to others, as if they were inferior and were not given a birthright to claim what is theirs.
Bottom line, Greek Cypriots need to campaign hard and not simply rely on an alignment of allies such as Russia, Armenia, Serbia, Greece, etc. The international community needs to bring the Cyprus issue into the forefront once again, and this can be achieved by Greek Cypriots using the European media and also aggressively bringing it to the table at the U.N. The time is now.
In "democratic" Turkey, religious Muslim women are not allowed to wear the head-covering in government buildings, government-run institutions, or public institutions funded by the government. In America, a non-Muslim country, the American Constitution (much of which is based on Greek principles of democracy and freedom) protects a Muslim woman's rights to wear the head-covering wherever she wants, and if anyone dare confront her, she can file a lawsuit for violation of her civil rights.
Turks are a real paradox I must say. On one hand they try to throw their Islamic identity in the face of Greeks and Armenians, boasting that historically they made their conquests not only in the name of Turkicness, but also Islam. Yet they espouse Kemalist ideology, much of which is secular and anti-Islamic. It is a well known fact that Ataturk died of cirrhosis of the liver, caused by his excessive consumption of alcohol (which is against Islamic principle), and that he hated Islam and hated Muslim "hocas" ("imams"). He banned the veil, and Latinized the alphabet, and tried to "Europeanize" his people. Even here there is a paradox. Modern-day Turk chauvinists have Ataturk's picture (the man who wanted Turkey to be "European") next to their depictions of the Gray Wolf, a well revered symbol of Central Asian Turks, which also symbolizes the unity of all Turkic peoples from the Yakuts of Siberia to the Uygurs of China, to the Turkic peoples of Transoxania, with a "proud" reminder that Turkey's language and culture emanates from the very heart of Asia, and that Turks must be proud of their "Bozkurt" ("Gray Wolf") heritage. All this next to Kemal's picture!
It is obvious Turks have been struggling with their own identity, yet they never hesitate to disseminate (and dispense) their institutionalized form of ethnocentrism and chauvinism, and ethnic fascism via the internet, government-sponsored propaganda, and government-sponsored public events like " Turkic World Children's Day" (sponsored by Turk Dunyasi Arastirmalari Vakfi) which is meant to extend pan-Turanist and pan-Turkist propaganda to other far reaches of the Turkic-speaking world (hoping they will become part of Turkey's orbit). Unfortunately, occupied northern Cyprus has been host to such events on a few occasions. Northern Cyprus has become a de-facto province of Turkey, and at the same time another Western extension of the "Turkic world". With the continuous influx of Turkish settlers from Anatolia, (only 40 miles away), this is becoming more of a reality. It is no longer a joke that indigenous Cypriot Turks living as expats in the U.K. and Australia far outnumber those in northern Cyprus, and that settlers from Turkey now outnumber Turkish Cypriots. Settler children born in northern Cyprus are now thinking of themselves as "native" Cypriots of course. For an outsider, it would be hard to distinguish between an actual Turkish Cypriot, and one who'se origins are from mainland Turkey, since the once Turkish Cypriot identity, which before 1974 maintained its subtle yet distinct and peculiar differences with that of mainland Turkey, has now been subsumed by a Kemalist-inspired "common and united Turkish identity", stressing a common language, culture, and origin. Turkish migrations into northern Cyprus have cemented this ideology, and tributes to Ataturk, such as his statue in the very center of "Lefkosa" (Turks' name for northern Lefkosia) are a testimony to this. Add to this demographic reality, the British expats who are buying large tracts of land from the TRNC administration, with no knowledge of who the prior owners were, i.e. Greeks (and many do arrive from the U.K., seeking a Mediterranean residence, encouraged by Turkish Cypriot real estate brokers who have no scruples about staking out what was once Greek-owned land, with no regard as to the legality of it all).
The continued occupation of Northern Cyprus by Turkish troops is illegal, so is doling out land by a self-designated auto-created government that is itself illegal and not recognized by the international community. Israel's illegal occupation and settlement of the West Bank has been high on the U.N. agenda, pushing the issue of Turkey's illegal occupation and settlement of Northern Cyprus into the background, where it is almost forgotten.
As for Varosha, there is still no explanation as to why Turkish troops insist on occupying what is a ghost-town where there are no Turkish Cypriots (nor Greek Cypriots for that matter) living. Perhaps this is Turkey's big bargaining chip, and in fact that is exactly what it was in the Annan plan, where Turks tried to extract more concessions from Greek Cypriots, by dangling it in front of Greek Cypriot eyes as a tasty morsel they will be rewarded with for capitulating and accepting peace on their terms. Turkey seeks a carrot-and-stick approach in her negotiations with Greek Cypriots, since we should not kid ourselves, any deal with the TRNC is actually a deal with Turkey.
Which comes to the final chapter of E.U. membership for Turkey. There are two impediments here, Turkey's failure to own up to her past (the Armenian Genocide) and the issue of illegally occupying Cyprus, and supporting an illegal entity that exists only because might makes right, and one that has disproportionately and disparately (disproportionately considering the actual demographic make-up of the entire island) divided the island into 40 percent (Northern Cyprus) and 60 percent (the Republic of Cyprus, which again is in reality somewhat less than 60 percent, considering two sovereign British bases and a large corridor which Turks have maintained as a buffer between the two halves of the island). Turkey has tried very hard to use her clout with U.S. politicians who lobby on her behalf, including those who traditionally support Israel, of which Turkey is a staunch and vehement ally. Who can forget Bush's speech in Istanbul, where he actually urged the European Community to grant Turkey its wish of becoming a full-fledged member (never mind Turkey's fluctuating economy, and her other human-rights issues, i.e. the Kurds). Under the current U.S. Administration, this has come rather close to actually materializing. Turkey's pleas for lifting the blockade against the TRNC of course, have coincided with her blockade of Armenia over the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh. And of course, it is ironic that Turkey would occupy a sovereign country where her ethnic kin are a MINORITY, and then complain about its occupied half being blockaded, yet use an entirely different criteria when Armenia absorbs an area where her ethnic kin are a MAJORITY (which would give Armenia every right to carrying out a "Peace Operation"), and insists on a blockade of a landlocked republic that does not enjoy the geographic advantages of northern Cyprus. But this too, should be put in the context of Turkish ethnocentrism. Turks apply a different set of standards to others, as if they were inferior and were not given a birthright to claim what is theirs.
Bottom line, Greek Cypriots need to campaign hard and not simply rely on an alignment of allies such as Russia, Armenia, Serbia, Greece, etc. The international community needs to bring the Cyprus issue into the forefront once again, and this can be achieved by Greek Cypriots using the European media and also aggressively bringing it to the table at the U.N. The time is now.
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by Nikitas » Mon Aug 20, 2007 9:59 am
Campaigning in the West to make our case involves understanding our audience. My experience is that issues must be put in terms that can be understood by the mostly uninformed public. One example is the issue of territory, most do not see the problem with the present situation, yet the Guardian newspaper put it across in a short and sweet way: "18 per cent of the population occupy 37 per cent of theland". Everyone can understand that kind of short soundbite sized argument. All our positions must be put in such short and easily understood formulas. In contrast during the talks in Switzerlan for the Annan plan, we were asked for our final demands and handed over a 44 page document which was not read!
Also it helps if you can put your overall solution plan in a short form. The Greek Cypriot side relies on dialectic and long explanations, the technique does not work. As for Greece, it is glad to be rid of the Cyprus problem, safe behind the slogan "Cyprus decides, Greece stands in solidarity".
As for Famagusta. It is the key! The rebuilding of Famagusta is a goldrush waiting to happen and you can be sure that many people from both sides of the national divide are lining up to strike it rich. When the cards are dealt out the city will be returned to "its rightful owners" ie the dumb bastards who will pay the price of the rebuild. The decision to return the town will, in my opinion, mark the first phase of the eventual solution regardless of whether a formal agreement has been drawn up or not.
Also it helps if you can put your overall solution plan in a short form. The Greek Cypriot side relies on dialectic and long explanations, the technique does not work. As for Greece, it is glad to be rid of the Cyprus problem, safe behind the slogan "Cyprus decides, Greece stands in solidarity".
As for Famagusta. It is the key! The rebuilding of Famagusta is a goldrush waiting to happen and you can be sure that many people from both sides of the national divide are lining up to strike it rich. When the cards are dealt out the city will be returned to "its rightful owners" ie the dumb bastards who will pay the price of the rebuild. The decision to return the town will, in my opinion, mark the first phase of the eventual solution regardless of whether a formal agreement has been drawn up or not.
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by humanist » Mon Aug 20, 2007 10:47 am
Wow Nikitas, that is certainly a new look at Famagusta. Your right the righful owners will re-build it, who else will. I doubt that Turkey can or will. It infact will be in their best interest if they handed it back a couple of years prior to a soolution cause then they may get away with compensation.
God that is a profit making opportunity. Households for 50 000 people, wasn't it.
God that is a profit making opportunity. Households for 50 000 people, wasn't it.
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