umit07 wrote:observer wrote:Miltiades is correct, up to a point. Instead of trying to force Enosis by killing TCs, which hadn’t worked in 63, the GC leadership tried to reduce the TC population of Cyprus by stealth, making life in Cyprus as difficult as possible using economic and political means. Anyone who doubts this has only to read the Akritas plan, co-written at the request of the first GC President by the current GC President, ‘the defender of the frontier of Hellenism’.
But this was too slow for some Greeks and GCs, who carried out the coup in 74.
Sampson’s ‘If Turkey had not intervened, I would not only have proclaimed ENOSIS (annexation to Greece) - I would have annihilated the Turks in Cyprus’ is often used to claim that TCs would have been killed. The speed with which some massacres took place is an indicator that he would probably have done that, so Turkey would have had that as a justification for intervening,
Less attention, however, is paid to the first part, ‘If Turkey had not intervened, I would ... have proclaimed ENOSIS’. Both the junta in Greece and Sampson fell from power only after, and as a result of, Turkey’s intervention. It is a reasonable supposition that in 74 a declaration of enosis would have succeeded. All GC politicians had been calling for it for years, receiving popular support, and being voted into office. Whatever GCs may say now, Turkey certainly had every reason to fear that it would happen.
If that were the case, Turkey would then have the option of doing nothing, and a reasonable fear of TCs being killed or at least driven off Cyprus, or going to war with what would have then been Greece. Faced with an attack by Turkey on part of Greece, it is reasonable to expect the Greek public to be overcome with patriotism. The result would have been a much bigger war, perhaps spreading to the Aegean, and with a much worse outcome for all Cypriots.
Much of the above is hypothetical since history can not be re-run. But you can not deny that all significant GC politicians were demanding enosis prior to 74 (and I can’t think of one who has publicly recanted to this day) so the above scenario is a very realistic one.
Mil. What are you trying to prove? I found "Observer's" observation to be a very good one. Yes you can say that there weren't many mass killings leading to the year 74. Why? because most of it had been already be done 100 TC villages had already been abandoned . TC's who had left thier villages found refuge at completely TC villages or ones which had a larger TC population. TC's were living in ghetto like conditions on 3 % of island, people had to go through checkpoints where they were searched by Greeks. Form time to time TC's would vanish after stopping at a checkpoint. Red Cresent donations of food and medical supplies were subjected to tax and duty by GC port authorities. Makarios was a smarter man he knew any sudden moves would get a reaction from Turkey so he had to take it slow, but sampson and the junta lot wanted to speed things up. It was the GC's who DESTROYED the CYPRIOTNESS with all the acts they put foward. GC's have to stand up and take the blame for what they did.
Umit , my point is that T/Cs and G/Cs lived together in peace for many years until the ugly head of "Motherland aspirations " rose up and split the people of Cyprus. There many on this forum who have posted that Turkey's "intervention " was to put a stop to the killing of T/Cs , this is not true and every one knows this. As our friend LB74 posted , its what might have happened had the coup succeeded and Samson was to become a permanent "president" I agreed with him , LB74 , that given the complexity such a possibility of renewed conflict could happen.
I also try to silence those propaganda pundits who are saying that Turkeys "intervention " was to put an end to a perceived massacre that simply was not happening.
The killing of even one T/C or G/C by fanatics is one too many.
Promoting the idea that a massacre was taking place is counter productive and only serves the interests of those Cypriots who want our island divided for ever. I stand by my principles and I reiterate that my ambition is to see a Turkish Cypriot head of a united Cyprus working for the people of Cyprus in exclusion of all other agendas.
Any promotion instigated by whoever has sinister plans for the future of our island must be challenged.Those that believe that the future of our people is dependant on the extinction of the Cypriot identity and the annexation of Cyprus by foreign powers must be challenged.Our island must remain as Cypriot.
