Cyprus-Forum.com

[Nikitas]

Once again the GCs are entering negotiations withoug having explaine clearly to the public the meaning of BBF.

Earlier this week RIK had a boradcast in which leading journalists bemoaned how the public is not informed of the exact nature of a federation. But if journalists are not explaining it, by citing examples of daily lifein other feerations around the world, then who will do it?

Someone has to tell GCs that the federation envisage in their case is nothing like the US, Switzerland, Belgium, etc. In Cyprus the federation will have strong elements of partition embodied and these will be evident in daily life. This was the case in the Annan plan which put a limit of the number of residents of one community in the territory of the other.

It is time to speak plainly and explain to everyone the meaning of BBF, the exact interpretation of BBF as intended for Cyprus, and how that differs from official and agreed partition. What is the exact meaning of reunification and how that is achieved with BBF. And also explain the ramifications of each choice.

Slogans are not good enough anymore.

[turkkan]

Has the above letter been published anywhere or is this a letter to the forum?

[humanist]

My Fellow Compatriots,

I am sorry Mr Talat, but I can hardly feel as a compatriot if you are willing to build a country based on separation and of my exclussion from living in my country as a free person to exercise my right to purchase a property and reside freely with choice based on the fact that I speak Greek.

I assure you that I will be voting against a prejudiced, discriminatory and racist regime proposed by you and Turkey.

[halil]

Has the above letter been published anywhere or is this a letter to the forum?

turkkan ,
above speech is broadcast from Bayrak Radio and Corporation live true the world . It was broadcast via local TV transmitters also via Turksat 3A .

you cand find full version of the speech from TRNC presidency web page.

in Turkish :
http://www.kktcb.eu/

İn English:
http://www.kktcb.eu/index.php

[BC Numismatics]

Halil,
You've got one thing wrong - Talat's not a President! He'd be a Vice-President of Cyprus under the federal constitution.

Aidan.

[denizaksulu]

My Fellow Compatriots,

Today, we have launched a new process to find a solution for the Cyprus problem.

I will maintain this process with the full responsibility of being aware of the fact what a solution means for the Turkish Cypriot people and for the world peace.

As a result of the Cyprus problem, Turkish Cypriot people have been subjected to lots of suffering and have had to endure poverty and deprivation. Even during the recent years we have economically been relaxed, we have been forced to live isolated from the rest of the world.

We want to find a solution for the Cyprus problem and we will work for it. However, this solution should be a solution which will be able to safeguard the vested rights of the Turkish Cypriot people. During this new process I will work to produce “a good settlement plan” which will help us safeguard and further develop our rights and interests.

It has already been established that a solution that is to be found for the Cyprus problem will be submitted to the vote of the Turkish Cypriot people and Greek Cypriot people via simultaneous and separate referenda. Therefore, it will be my primary aim to come before my people with an optimum agreement they will approve with satisfaction.

My Fellow People,

We are all aware of the issues that will be undertaken during this new process we have launched today as well as the whole world. There is no issue that is not negotiated in detail during the negotiations that have been continuing for forty years. Therefore, our approach regarding the issues is well known by everyone.

So as to reach a positive result by the end of this newly commencing process, we need to work with a constructive spirit respecting the rights of the two peoples.

It should be well known by everyone that the Turkish Cypriot people have no intention of giving up their rights over the island of Cyprus. We know that these rights of ours can be safeguarded by “the political equality of the two peoples and the equal status of the two constituent states”.

Political equality and the equal status of Turkish Cypriot Constituent State and Greek Cypriot Constituent State will be the concrete reflection of our right to self determination which we have achieved as a result of the struggle that has been maintained since 1950s.

Fellow Turkish Cypriot people;

Since the first days the Cyprus problem has come into being, the most important and primary supporter of the Turkish Cypriots has been the Republic of Turkey.

Even though the conditions and difficulties, and the kind of support Turkey provides have changed over the years, Turkey’s support remained unchanged.

Turkey’s political and economic support is our primary power.

Our most important supporter in this quest to find a just and lasting solution for the Cyprus problem is the Republic of Turkey as well.

Allegations that the Turkish Cypriot people do not have their own will and that we are being directed by Turkey will not be a threat for our solidarity or will not make us ignore this solidarity and cooperation.

Being aware of the significance of the support of the Republic of Turkey, we have worked and cooperated in harmony with Turkey during the whole preparatory period. We will maintain the same cooperation and solidarity during the negotiation process as well.

Our relations with Turkey will also be maintained as closely as possible after a solution. We have already reiterated many times that the guarantee of the Republic of Turkey is one of the fundamental principles of a solution.

Turkey’s support in political and economic fields will also be maintained.

My Fellow Compatriots;

A solution that will be found for the Cyprus problem must be lasting and functional.

All the measures required to prevent a new conflict between Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot peoples should be adopted and shed a light to the future for long years.

The basic condition for this is a solution which will grant the possibility of self determination to both peoples and establish the necessary conditions for making the island of Cyprus a common home of these two peoples.

I will give all my attention and spend all my efforts for these conditions to be established.

All the problems regarding the Cyprus problem should be settled in a way facilitating the implementation of a solution that will be reached. For the solution to have a humanitarian character and to be approved by the two peoples in separate referenda willingly it should not only propose concrete solutions for concrete problems but it should also suggest applicable solutions.

It will be our primary duty during this process to reach at applicable, practical and realistic solutions.

My fellow people;

Whatever our prior position regarding the Cyprus problem was, we have to learn lessons from the developments of the day, try to better understand the world under the light shed by these lessons and establish our efforts for a settlement upon the information we derive from them.

We cannot derive such information from only the relations of the two peoples in Cyprus. Developments concerning the relations between different people in various places in the world should also be informative for us.

It is clear that the peoples of different characters, who have been forced to live together, have, later or some time in history or at the earliest opportunity they have, experienced or are experiencing conflicts to establish their separate administration.

The settlement that is to be reached for the Cyprus problem shall be of a nature that will not lead the Turkish Cypriot people and the Greek Cypriot people into a conflict again and will not allow any one of the two peoples exercise power over the other.

Fellow Turkish Cypriots,

During this period the efforts of finding a just, lasting and comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem have been increased, I call upon you to actively participate in the process.

I do not demand your unreasoning support. The best support you can provide for me is to state your feelings and ideas clearly through realistic and constructive evaluations.

My objective is to reach a solution that the Turkish Cypriot people will approve willingly. Therefore, I would like to know simply what you think and what your plans are for the future.

Turkish Cypriot people should participate in this process as a whole. Our differences cannot and should not harm our integrity.

Make use of the democratic rules to the very end. Democracy is our most important power. An accession process in accordance with the democratic rules will make our different ideas our wealth and become our primary strength in the said process.

My fellow people,

We all know that a just and lasting solution that will be found to the Cyprus problem will contribute to a happier and more peaceful life on this beautiful island.

However, whether it is before or after a solution, it depends on us to have a much more developed country and live in a fair and just order.

The solution that will be found to the Cyprus problem will not be the final solution to all our problems. The solution of our problems is to establish a sustainable, productive and just order of life.

We know that there is an economically competitive order in the world. In order to be able to maintain our presence within this competitive order we have to work harder and more productively.

Therefore, we have to establish an economic order which will be the road map for the economic and social development of the Turkish Cypriots and will enable us to sustain our efforts efficiently either before or after a solution.

The decisions that will be taken to that end should be shared with all the sectors of the society and should be adopted particularly by the business world and the NGOs.

The NGOs should not be prejudiced against these decisions but evaluate them under the scope of an economic mind and in line with the vision to create a sustainable economic structure.

Not all the solutions to the problems lie with the public sector. On the contrary, most of the problems originate from unproductive public sector and the bureaucracy. The government with its decisions and the NGOs with their demands should both refrain from contributing the growth of this unproductive sector.

We are aware that a competitive economic order prevails in the world. We cannot change this order by ourselves. On the contrary; as long as we refrain from adopting the regulations this order requires, we find ourselves in deeper problems. Being aware of the fact that we have to adapt to and live by this order, we have to make good use of our comparative advantages, focus on the fields where our capacity to compete is higher and should not hesitate to act in line with the requirements of global or regional cooperation.

It is acknowledged that Cyprus will be in the EU as a whole after a settlement. Since this is our objective, not all the rules of the EU but the fundamental principles, one of which is to be able to survive in a competitive economic environment, should be acknowledged. We should prepare ourselves to exist within a competitive order.

My fellow people,

I would like you to be confident that the steps that will be taken to that end will increase our power in the negotiation process.

You are all aware that the power of people who are capable of supporting themselves and can take steps to that direction, and the power of people who are in need of foreign aid to survive is not equal. It is not even necessary to reiterate that an agreement that is to be reached concerning the Cyprus problem will be closely related with our power.

Esteemed Greek Cypriot people,

Turkish Cypriot people have proven before that they want a solution to be reached. We want a solution.

However, the Turkish Cypriots do not want to live under your administration. Even though you have been spending efforts to introduce the Cyprus problem to the world as a problem which originated in 1974, at least you, yourselves, know the truth.

The Cyprus problem originated and has been continuing since you, as the Greek Cypriots, did not want to accept the political identity of the Turkish Cypriots.

Turkish Cypriot people would like to be their own masters.

We can discuss many issues regarding the Cyprus problem with you. The only and most important thing we cannot discuss is the will of the Turkish Cypriots for self determination and their struggle to that end.

You have to accept this fact.

In spite all the problems the Turkish Cypriots experience, even if the others are not, you are aware that the Turkish Cypriots will not accept the rule of other people.

So as to make Cyprus our common home, you must be ready to share the sovereignty of this island with us.

The world has been going through quite eventful days. I am aware that the recent developments in the Balkans and the Caucasian are causing concern on your part. You perceive these examples as “bad examples”. Unless we reach a just, viable and comprehensive solution for the Cyprus problem, you will continue to observe these “bad examples” with concern.

Instead of dreading the bad examples, let us be “good examples” for other peoples.

Setting a good example of being able to live together despite our different cultures, let us take our positive position in history…

This is the objective we spend efforts for. Instead of being frightened of us, be ready to live and work with us to achieve this objective.

I also would like to call upon the leading countries of the world and the leaders of the international institutions.

Support our efforts in search of a solution.

What the world needs is a stable, untroubled and peaceful Cyprus.

Support us to make the island of Cyprus a heaven of peace.

Turkish Cypriot people are working for settlement and peace. Do not allow the efforts to isolate these people who have been spending efforts to integrate into the world.

You should know that the support you provide for the isolations imposed by the Greek Cypriot side are being exploited to eliminate the hopes for peace and settlement.

Various factors in the Greek Cypriot side have been consoling themselves with the delusion that the Turkish Cypriot people who have been forced to survive under the isolations imposed may accept the rule of the Greek Cypriot side and they strive to render the efforts for a settlement futile.

Stop encouraging them.

Turkish Cypriot people have proved that they will not give up their right to self determination even if they suffer under the heaviest isolations. Respect the Turkish Cypriots’ right to determine their fate. Feel confident that the Turkish Cypriots will make use of this right of theirs in favor of a settlement that will contribute to the world peace.

My fellow compatriots,

We have stepped into a new period.

We will start working to find a just, lasting and comprehensive settlement for the Cyprus problem.

We want settlement. We have started to work for an agreement which will stabilize our rights in Cyprus. Our preparation is complete. During this process, we will make use of all the contributions that will be provided in accordance with the vision of a settlement.

Our objective is to reach an agreement that will bear beneficial results for us and the whole world. We will maintain our efforts to that end. (rg)

03 September, 2008.

What a contradictory speech. What a politician. He talk with fork tongue.

Thank God I am not a politician. I hate them all. Why is he sitting at a negotiating table?

[zan]

The president of the TRNC is a reflection of how the TC people are feeling and it is great to hear him acknowledging that. At worst we can claim that the Cyprob was a product of its time and we must now act in our present time. The isolation imposed on us has resulted in todays separate states so we must think along those lines. Kifeas mentions the fait accompli of 1974 but does not mention the one in 1964 in which they took power....I wonder why? as for president Lincoln Kikapu.....Just like America, only knows to talk about true democracy but fails to deliver in the same way. true democracy, my friend, is the representation of all the people and not just the majority. Provisions are always made and that is all we are asking for. these include some unpalatable things for the GCs but they can't have it all their own way. They are going to have to lump some of them as we do. Sign of the times.

[zan]

Dear Ms Kifeas,

I understand your agony, frustration and anger. It is the agony, frustration and anger of someone going through a cognitive dissonance shock. It is the agony, frustration and anger of someone in complete conflict between what his subconscious logic tells him, and what his subconscious emotions, feelings and desires do. Deep down, you do not want reunification, Ms Kifeas. Deep down, all you care about is to secure and solidify for your side what you believe was a very favorable fait accompli in 1964. I do not blame you Mr. Talat. All greedy mortals would feel and think the same!


I am glad that the Greek culture has survived on the island for 4000 years but please spare a thought for the TC culture that survived for a mere 400 years but was nearly wiped off the face of the island by an aggressive Greek one that has not allowed any other culture to survive and be recognised as part of Cyprus culture, no matter how many times the buggers invaded. It is a well known fact that Greece has never owned Cyprus so it is a testament of good will to all those that have of their tolerance and respect to it. I find it a great shame that the Turkish culture was so abhorrent to you that you tried, and are trying, to eradicate it from the island in spite of the Zurich agreement in which it was recognised that the significant minority had every right to determine the future of the island and ensure their participation in the day to day administration. In the face of such hostility, we can but demand security in any future plans for our people without any detrimental effects to you now that Cyprus, or part of it, is in the EU. You can apply logic, any time you like, to your way of thinking and admit to yourself that it is in name only that you find yourself objecting to Turkish guarantees. Whilst they have great significance to us they pose you no threat at all as long as past events are not repeated by yourselves. It is time to let your prejudices go and embrace logic that you value so much in other instances.

Yours (with an relative amount of respect)

Zan

[humanist]

The president of the TRNC is a reflection of how the TC people are feeling and it is great to hear him acknowledging that.

I doubt that they would all like to be grouped together as racists and discriminatory towards the people the want to supposedly live together with.


Deniz, I find it all bizarre too, but I do appreciate it more when it comes from a level headed man from that side in lack of a better word

[denizaksulu]

The president of the TRNC is a reflection of how the TC people are feeling and it is great to hear him acknowledging that.

I doubt that they would all like to be grouped together as racists and discriminatory towards the people the want to supposedly live together with.


Deniz, I find it all bizarre too, but I do appreciate it more when it comes from a level headed man from that side in lack of a better word

I will read the original in due course. I dont know if there is something lost in translation but the contradictions are embarassing.