Cyprus-Forum.com

[zan]

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Vision of a solution

Monday, September 8, 2008


Sylvia TİRYAKİ
Having been engaged for some time in various initiatives seeking and promoting a just and fair solution to the Cyprus problem, I recently adopted a feeling that the decision making Greek Cypriots deem everyone else stupid.

It somehow looks as if they believe that “playing the Cyprus game properly and long enough” would in the end get everyone accepting their vision of the solution. Unfortunately, there have been few – if any – indicators showing that there is a fully equal status for both Greek and Turkish Cypriots envisaged in such a picture. On the other hand, there have been too many occasions on which the Greek Cypriot representatives didn't “forget” to mention the numerical inequality, when “briefing” about the situation.

“Playing the game properly” includes perhaps also using all means to regain an upper hand in the negotiations. That can be achieved only by winning the international image of the reconciliatory party, while showing the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey as intransigents.

The 2004 fiasco:

This part posed difficulties after the fiasco of April 24, 2004 as the referenda results were easy for everyone to read. Therefore the whole blame was put on Papadopoulos -- that was not particularly difficult -- and the Annan Plan's provisions and everything about it was demonized. Besides, the Greek Cypriots have behaved as if no referenda took place whatsoever, speaking as little as possible about the historical event in which the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots separately exercised their respective political wills.

Conceivably encouraged by the relative success in diverting the world's attention from the referenda and their results, as well as by the Greek Cypriot President Demetris Christofias being able to keep the stance of Papadopoulos' presidential predecessors, the Greek Cypriots continue using “slightly modified” facts.

Many times it has been asserted that the Annan Plan was an imposed plan that's why it was refused in the south. However, the Plan is a result of the decades-long negotiations and suggestions of numerous rows of Greek Cypriot diplomats and politicians. Thus it is odd to hear Christofias, when at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, saying that it would be the Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat who would insist on bringing some provisions of the Annan Plan to the new round of negotiations. Well, it might be interesting to see what kind of a proposal that is different from the provisions of the Annan Plan the Greek Cypriots would bring.

Likewise it is perplexing that the Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou finds Mehmet Ali Talat's position to maintain the 1960's treaties and to have a new Cyprus state established inconsistent. Whereas it sounds like a very logical suggestion in comparison to the Greek Cypriot idea to have a Treaty of Guarantee-- that is one of the three mutually inseparable constitutional treaties establishing the 1960 Republic -- abolished, and at the same time preserving the original Republic of Cyprus.

'Invasion and occupation'?:

Yet the most bizarre comments -- at least for me -- are those made on the nature of the Cyprus problem. It has been repeated by the Greek Cypriots and occasionally by Greece, lately by the Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis, that it is an issue of “invasion and occupation” and that the entire problem started in 1974. In other words the facts that the Republic of Cyprus, established as a partnership state, collapsed in 1963 since when the Turkish Cypriots couldn't participate on the governance at all and the majority of them sought refugee in the enclaves consisting of only three percent of the island's territory, apparently don't qualify for being a problem.

If this is so, if the Greek Cypriots don't look upon more than 11 years of the breaches of human rights and even humanitarian law before 1974 as problematic or as a part of the “Cyprus problem” then they would likely be prone to seek a settlement that remedies only the situation from 1974 onwards.

But I sincerely hope to be wrong with these presumptions. Also I am sure that when the Greek Cypriot leader Christofias last week expressed his hope in the Turkish Cypriot leader Talat's ability to “overcome his problems” he didn't mean that he had already overcome his own.

[roseandchan]

zan
maybe if everyone involved look at themselves as europeans rather than tc or gc this could move forward. A country where all europeans had rights. with european rules and laws. then cyprus would be a european democracy, with the amount of other people here, other than tc's or gc's there would be a balance. the tit for tat attitude between both sides has to stop, unless there is forgiveness how will cyprus ever move on? blaming each other won't help. cyprus needs to put the past behind and learn from previous mistakes for the sake of the future generations.
in the uk tc's and gc's manage to get along. why not here in cyprus?

[Nikitas]

"A country where all europeans had rights. with european rules and laws. then cyprus would be a european democracy"

Refer to Talat's speech in Brussels posted on this forum,, and look for the part where he requests deviation from EU law precisely so that GCs will not enjoy European rights in Cyprus, and moreover how he wants this deviation from the norm to become basic EU law. In the same breath he talks about "equality" and partnership.

Talat: "Turkish Cypriots demand particularly that the deviations, if there will be any, become primary law in the European legal order"

The meaning of primary law is technical and far reaching. The devil is often in the details.

[roseandchan]

he says one thing one minute and something else the next.

its not personal to gc's that he doesn't want to give people european rights, it also includes us brits. something which is clear he has no intention of doing. but if he wants e.u money he will have to tow the line.

talking of equality thats something he needs to give us brits right here, right now. anymore of his racist policys he is going to find his country all alone as most expats are now leaving fed up with the shit his goverment is dishing out.
the turkish only stay for the work, when the construction industry can't sell houses to the brits anymore , that will be over. they will return to turkey.

hows is he alone going to change eu law or policy? hes talking from his backside. he needs to wake up and smell that turkish coffee!

[Nikitas]

The EU works in ways which are unpredictable and focuses on some totally unexpected details. To give an example, any licensing system which discriminates between citizens and non citizens of a state. Sounds OK, till the EU takes hold of it and forces the state to apply the SAME standards for EU citizens as it applies to its own. Greece has had it hand smacked several times over such details.

[roseandchan]

i agree, this is why loads of us have left the uk. it was the worst thing the uk ever did joining the e.u.
we used to run a business there but the rules and regs became so much that we were spending an extra 5 days a month just dealing with the extra paperwork. we sold up and left, the best thing we ever did.
i do belive that all countries should put their own people first to some extent like housing, but when it comes to jobs markets i think it should be the best person for the job. rules hsould be made by the country not by brussels.

[zan]

zan
maybe if everyone involved look at themselves as europeans rather than tc or gc this could move forward. A country where all europeans had rights. with european rules and laws. then cyprus would be a european democracy, with the amount of other people here, other than tc's or gc's there would be a balance. the tit for tat attitude between both sides has to stop, unless there is forgiveness how will cyprus ever move on? blaming each other won't help. cyprus needs to put the past behind and learn from previous mistakes for the sake of the future generations.
in the uk tc's and gc's manage to get along. why not here in cyprus?

We are trying roseandchan........We also seemed to get along under British rule in Cyprus until one of us wanted ENOSIS

I agree with the European thing.....We should all give up all sovereignty and have a central government but who is going to agree to that. Then there would be just local councils to deal with.

[Viewpoint]

zan
maybe if everyone involved look at themselves as europeans rather than tc or gc this could move forward. A country where all europeans had rights. with european rules and laws. then cyprus would be a european democracy, with the amount of other people here, other than tc's or gc's there would be a balance. the tit for tat attitude between both sides has to stop, unless there is forgiveness how will cyprus ever move on? blaming each other won't help. cyprus needs to put the past behind and learn from previous mistakes for the sake of the future generations.
in the uk tc's and gc's manage to get along. why not here in cyprus?

For starters Cyprus is not the UK, and just adopting the notion that we are all European therefore allowing GCs the freedom to manipulate EU laws to rule Cyprus will not work, we not be left to the mercy of GCs without safeguards and guarantees that will protect our future.

[bill cobbett]

zan
maybe if everyone involved look at themselves as europeans rather than tc or gc this could move forward. A country where all europeans had rights. with european rules and laws. then cyprus would be a european democracy, with the amount of other people here, other than tc's or gc's there would be a balance. the tit for tat attitude between both sides has to stop, unless there is forgiveness how will cyprus ever move on? blaming each other won't help. cyprus needs to put the past behind and learn from previous mistakes for the sake of the future generations.
in the uk tc's and gc's manage to get along. why not here in cyprus?

For starters Cyprus is not the UK, and just adopting the notion that we are all European therefore allowing GCs the freedom to manipulate EU laws to rule Cyprus will not work, we not be left to the mercy of GCs without safeguards and guarantees that will protect our future.

Any-one for life-jackets?

[Viewpoint]

zan
maybe if everyone involved look at themselves as europeans rather than tc or gc this could move forward. A country where all europeans had rights. with european rules and laws. then cyprus would be a european democracy, with the amount of other people here, other than tc's or gc's there would be a balance. the tit for tat attitude between both sides has to stop, unless there is forgiveness how will cyprus ever move on? blaming each other won't help. cyprus needs to put the past behind and learn from previous mistakes for the sake of the future generations.
in the uk tc's and gc's manage to get along. why not here in cyprus?

For starters Cyprus is not the UK, and just adopting the notion that we are all European therefore allowing GCs the freedom to manipulate EU laws to rule Cyprus will not work, we not be left to the mercy of GCs without safeguards and guarantees that will protect our future.

Any-one for life-jackets?

without one in GC trecherous waters you are sure to drown, you are free to go it without one but dont drag me with you.