Cyprus-Forum.com

[halil]

Article by Ioannis Karalis

Ioannis Karalis is MSc in International Management Candidate at King's College London, University of London. He can be contacted at [email protected]

The Cyprus problem: Reality check; after all it is 2008
Facts

The Greek Junta in 1974 decided that it should attempt to annex Cyprus by imposing a puppet government on the island. Many researchers and people who are interested in the issue conveniently do not point out that dictators and not an elected Greek government made the decision. In 1974 “The Megali Idea” was an idea that existed only in the twisted minds of the colonels.

EOKA B was a terrorist organization that burned down Turkish Cypriot villages and caused great destruction. It is really important to highlight that many Greek Cypriot communists suffered from this group as an indication of the fact that there was no plan for Turkish Cypriot extermination but there was a plan to exterminate any opposition. Therefore, there was no “genocide” agenda as some people have tried and are still trying to support.

The Turkish intervention of 1974 was justified, and every open-minded person can clearly see that not only the Turkish Cypriots but also the whole of Cyprus needed somebody to interfere and stop Sampson and his regime. The problem is that according to the Treaty of Guarantee, Turkey, Greece, or England could interfere in order to protect the constitutional order and the status quo. The Turkish military did not leave after the intervention something that turned the intervention into an invasion according to U.N. resolutions.



Current Situation

Because of the way the Turkish intervention has been perceived by the world, the Turkish Cypriots have been suffering for more than 30 years. Unfortunately for them, the intervention that was supposed to protect them from atrocities has brought them into isolation. An isolation that is unfair for the legitimate Turkish Cypriots who did not choose to be isolated, who did not want a divided country. The only thing they wanted was to be respected as equal citizens and safe.

The South has created a model economy and its development has been outstanding. As a result of that economic development it recently entered the Euro-zone. How can possibly somebody believe that Cyprus is still considering Enosis with Greece? Cyprus does not need Greece to be there as a guarantor anymore. Cyprus is a member of the European Union and that is good enough to guarantee their well-being. Why people are still trying to use the past in order to interpret the current situation? The past is there to teach us about the mistakes that have been made and help us to make the right decisions. People who still talk and write about the possibility of Enosis are clearly outdated. It is important to stress the point that Greece has no influence on Cyprus anymore and a good example is the deals for oil exploration that Cyprus signed with Egypt and Lebanon; deals that Greece was not consulted for and took the Greek government by surprise.

The reality is that the partition of the island is a possibility nowadays. If Papadopoulos or whoever wins the election in the South does not show any willingness to compromise and even accept some of the results of the 1974 events, there is no chance for unification. The reality is that the North has been on its own for more than 30 years and has created its own political and legal institutions. It would be unreasonable to think that the Turkish Cypriots would give any of this away. That being said, it is also really important to have a Turkish side willing to remove its troops from the island in the possibility of a solution. It is unthinkable nowadays to consider the Greek Cypriot side capable of exterminating or even attempting to remove the Turkish Cypriots from the island.

The world is more willing than ever to help the Turkish Cypriots because regardless of what has happened in the past and who is right or not, the Turkish Cypriots are the ones who have been suffering from the sanctions imposed upon them. The world tends to forget the past events when they have not influenced their lives and they focus on the present. That is something that the Greek Cypriots should soon realize. Nobody remembers their suffering because it is the result of events that took place 30 years ago, and regardless of how hard it is for them to accept the reality of the current situation, the world sees only one sufferer nowadays, the Turkish Cypriots.

We should not let the past determine the present and the future. If the Cypriot people are not willing to build a country that will put the past behind, maybe there is no reason to build a country at all. Let's recognize the North and accept what has been going on for 30 years. Having Papadopoulos or Talat saying that they want a solution and not doing anything about it is hypocritical. It is time for real leaders to step up and make difficult decisions. Decisions that might make them unpopular initially but eventually will put them in the books of history as “national heroes.”

[Kifeas]

Article by Ioannis Karalis

Ioannis Karalis is MSc in International Management Candidate at King's College London, University of London. He can be contacted at [email protected]

The Cyprus problem: Reality check; after all it is 2008
Facts

The Greek Junta in 1974 decided that it should attempt to annex Cyprus by imposing a puppet government on the island. Many researchers and people who are interested in the issue conveniently do not point out that dictators and not an elected Greek government made the decision. In 1974 “The Megali Idea” was an idea that existed only in the twisted minds of the colonels.

EOKA B was a terrorist organization that burned down Turkish Cypriot villages and caused great destruction. It is really important to highlight that many Greek Cypriot communists suffered from this group as an indication of the fact that there was no plan for Turkish Cypriot extermination but there was a plan to exterminate any opposition. Therefore, there was no “genocide” agenda as some people have tried and are still trying to support.

The Turkish intervention of 1974 was justified, and every open-minded person can clearly see that not only the Turkish Cypriots but also the whole of Cyprus needed somebody to interfere and stop Sampson and his regime. The problem is that according to the Treaty of Guarantee, Turkey, Greece, or England could interfere in order to protect the constitutional order and the status quo. The Turkish military did not leave after the intervention something that turned the intervention into an invasion according to U.N. resolutions.



Current Situation

Because of the way the Turkish intervention has been perceived by the world, the Turkish Cypriots have been suffering for more than 30 years. Unfortunately for them, the intervention that was supposed to protect them from atrocities has brought them into isolation. An isolation that is unfair for the legitimate Turkish Cypriots who did not choose to be isolated, who did not want a divided country. The only thing they wanted was to be respected as equal citizens and safe.

The South has created a model economy and its development has been outstanding. As a result of that economic development it recently entered the Euro-zone. How can possibly somebody believe that Cyprus is still considering Enosis with Greece? Cyprus does not need Greece to be there as a guarantor anymore. Cyprus is a member of the European Union and that is good enough to guarantee their well-being. Why people are still trying to use the past in order to interpret the current situation? The past is there to teach us about the mistakes that have been made and help us to make the right decisions. People who still talk and write about the possibility of Enosis are clearly outdated. It is important to stress the point that Greece has no influence on Cyprus anymore and a good example is the deals for oil exploration that Cyprus signed with Egypt and Lebanon; deals that Greece was not consulted for and took the Greek government by surprise.

The reality is that the partition of the island is a possibility nowadays. If Papadopoulos or whoever wins the election in the South does not show any willingness to compromise and even accept some of the results of the 1974 events, there is no chance for unification. The reality is that the North has been on its own for more than 30 years and has created its own political and legal institutions. It would be unreasonable to think that the Turkish Cypriots would give any of this away. That being said, it is also really important to have a Turkish side willing to remove its troops from the island in the possibility of a solution. It is unthinkable nowadays to consider the Greek Cypriot side capable of exterminating or even attempting to remove the Turkish Cypriots from the island.

The world is more willing than ever to help the Turkish Cypriots because regardless of what has happened in the past and who is right or not, the Turkish Cypriots are the ones who have been suffering from the sanctions imposed upon them. The world tends to forget the past events when they have not influenced their lives and they focus on the present. That is something that the Greek Cypriots should soon realize. Nobody remembers their suffering because it is the result of events that took place 30 years ago, and regardless of how hard it is for them to accept the reality of the current situation, the world sees only one sufferer nowadays, the Turkish Cypriots.

We should not let the past determine the present and the future. If the Cypriot people are not willing to build a country that will put the past behind, maybe there is no reason to build a country at all. Let's recognize the North and accept what has been going on for 30 years. Having Papadopoulos or Talat saying that they want a solution and not doing anything about it is hypocritical. It is time for real leaders to step up and make difficult decisions. Decisions that might make them unpopular initially but eventually will put them in the books of history as “national heroes.”

Fact 1. Eoka B' did not burn down any TC villages! Eoka B' was set up by Grivas in 1971, with the sole aim of undermining Makarios and facilitating Union with Greece! It's main activity was to organize assassination attempts against Makarios! It did not touch -set aside killed any TC before the 1974 Turkish invasion. Any TC murders committed by Eoka B,' occurred only after the Turkish invasion started, mainly upon or after the second phase of the invasion on the 14th of August 1974. There is absolutely no case in which it burned out any TC village, before or after the Turkish invasion!

Fact 2. The Turkish invasion was neither legal, nor justified! It was illegal by international law because whatever "right" Turkey claimed to have had for a so-called unilateral intervention, was /is nullified by the UN Charter which is a higher in order international treaty, than the treaty of guarantee which Turkey claims to have abided by! Turkish invasion was not justified because the issue of the abortive coup against Makarios had not yet been fully examined by the UN Security council (Makarios had only delivered his initial speech at the UN SC on Friday 19th of July 1974,) and furthermore, during the entire period of the coup -before the commencing of the Turkish invasion, there was absolutely no attack against any TC in Cyprus whatsoever, to claim that the lives of the TCs were under an immanent threat!

Fact 3. The only one that needs a reality check is the author of the above article in the Turkish Daily news, and I would further advice him to concentrate his efforts at gaining his degree in international management and live the Cyprus issue aside for those that know what they are talking about, for the only thing he is capable of achieving is to play like a fool in the hands of the anti-Greek Cypriot Turkish propaganda!

[observer]

Cyprus problem: Reality check; after all, for too many GCs it is still 1974.

[RebelWithoutAPause]

Reality check - Halil's a propaganda spreading mug.

[DT.]

Cyprus problem: Reality check; after all, for too many GCs it is still 1974.

long as my house is on the wrong side of the cease fire line i don't see what other choices i have.

[Pyrpolizer]

Cyprus problem: Reality check; after all, for too many GCs it is still 1974.

In contrast with the TCs who are still in 1963?

[Pyrpolizer]

so halil
a)Did this guy sent YOU his article and if yes why?
b)Did you find the article somewhere else and if yes where?

I am too suspicious on him on calling his country "South"

[halil]

writer of the article has got his mail address as well.
Article by Ioannis Karalis

Ioannis Karalis is MSc in International Management Candidate at King's College London, University of London. He can be contacted at [email protected]

from his name , i can guess he might be Greek or Greek Cypriot.

he is telling truth. ones again anything doesn't suit you .Called propaganda.

[Pyrpolizer]

You are not answering my questions.
The email can prove nothing. I can create an email at google as Kutchuk Mehmet in 5 seconds. Does that mean I am Kutchuk Mehmet???

[Pyrpolizer]

Btw
this
"MSc in International Management Candidate at King's College London, University of London"
is NOT English Syntax,
is NOT Greek Syntax either

Concentrate on the position of the word "candidate"