Cyprus-Forum.com

[Kifeas]

Here is another interesting map:



You can see from the map that there is an overlap in plots 4, 5 and 6 and thus parts of these plots are also contested by Turkey (red line) because according to the Law of the Sea Convention, continental states have an EEZ that extends to 200 nautical miles from their shores. The same is true for inhabited islands. Turkey also says that the "TRNC" has claims on plot 3.

True the Texan based, Jewish interests "Noble Energy Ltd" expressed interest for only one plot, that is, plot 12, which is facing Israel and Turkey will not contest it. This company is lookng for hydrocarbons in the Israeli seas and plot 12 may be useful to them in the event they find considerable amounts of hydrocarbons.

In January 2007 we asked companies to express interest in our plots. Besides the afore mentioned company, nobody else responded. Our friends the Russians, the French and the Chinese shyed away. There are political reasons for this and even a toddler could have predicted their indiference. Turkey intervened (looking after her own interests) to pass on the message to both Russia and France to stay away. Not surprising, they did.

No serious company will get involved in business dealings at this moment when Turkey is an important player in the area and a dynamic energy factor in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Understanding the above will not hurt us. It will only make us become more wise in our actions and furthermore make us realise how important solution to the Cyprob is.

Nikitas, when you look at matters with a legalistic perspective and completely ignore the political aspect, you will be the laughing stock of eveybody. If you love Cyprus you should be looking critically at all decisions that can effect this island which for so many years now does not have the leaders that can make it a serious state but it has only populist leaders and politicians that are only interested in making useless, dangerous but palatable gestures which get the loud applaude of the unbeatable nationalists.

Where is Bananiot's map? Why can we not see it?

[Bananiot]

It was there until about 5 minutes ago ...

[Kifeas]

Bananiot, allow me to once more tell you that you again talk rubbish! What you have said about “continental states have an EEZ that extends to 200 nautical miles from their shores,” is total bullshit, and this is not what Turkey claims in order to dispute Cyprus’s Continental shelf rights! The Sea Convention says that all countries have such a EEZ that extents to 200 miles, including island nation states, but in case the distance between them is less than that, then the mid-point is taken. If it was any different, then half of UK’s continental shelf should have belonged to France, because the UK is an island and France is a continental country. What a garbage theory indeed!

You talk rubbish, and half of what is marked in red in your map, i.e. the area that Turkey disputes, is part of Cyprus’s continental shelf. What Turkey states as the reason to dispute Cyprus’s rights, is because it claims the Eastern Mediterranean is a “closed” sea, in which case, it says, all the countries surrounding such a “closed” sea must first come together and agree among themselves, in which way to share it. Of course, this is also another Turkish nonsense, because Eastern Mediterranean sea is (a.) not a closed sea, and (b.) even if it was, is too large to be regarded as such!

[Bananiot]

If you look on the map (where is it, by the way?) to the north of Cyprus, Turkey has only a small strip of EEZ, which is approximately half the distance between Cyprus and Turkey. To the West, one finds a tiny, inhabited Greek island, called Castellorizo. The EEZ of Castellorizo almost borders with the EEZ of Cyprus. Thus, to the West of Cyprus, Turkey is also left with an insignificant strip of EEZ. Similarly, to the West of Turkey there are numerous scattered inhabited Greek islands and this leaves Turkey with practically no EEZ in the Aegian or the Eastern Mediterranean.

If Kifeas was a Turk he would be fuming furiously at this "injustice" but of course he is not a Turk but he thinks he is a Greek and he furthermore he thinks he serves Greek interests by hurling abuse here and there. Greece, because she realises that this is a hot issue, has not proceeded to mark plots because she is only too aware of the political and military clout of Turkey. Yet, Papadopoulos, despite being advised to the contrary by the Greek government, went ahead and marked the plots, only to get a cold shoulder from Greece when push came to shove last week.

Kifeas, grow up and stop playing the tough guy. Especially when you do not have the credentials for such an act.

[Kifeas]

This is what THE LAW OF THE SEA CONVENTION (BP-322E) states about the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ.)

Code: Select all

The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is perhaps the greatest immediate advance in international law stemming from the LOSC. An EEZ is an up to 200-mile-wide band that extends seaward from the baseline and may be claimed by the adjacent coastal State. Most States have claimed the maximum permissible. In almost all cases, the TS and the CZ are within the EEZ. Most CSs are less than 200 miles in width, so the waters above them (which include the vast majority of all economically exploitable fish stocks) are also within the EEZ. Rocks incapable of sustaining life do not create an EEZ about them, although they do create a TS.

Within the EEZ, the coastal State has two basic rights: one economic, one jurisdictional. Economically, the coastal State has sovereign rights(13) for the purpose of exploring, exploiting, conserving and managing the living and non-living resources of the water column, sea-bed and subsea strata and other activities of economic exploitation. Jurisdictionally, the coastal State has jurisdiction over artificial structures, marine research and marine environmental protection. One could also read this environmental protection right as a duty, as this would be consistent with the title in the relevant provision of the LOSC. In total, these rights are very far from outright sovereignty.

Contrary to general opinion, Canada has not claimed an EEZ, but rather a 200-mile Exclusive Fishing Zone (EFZ), although the terms are loosely used almost interchangeably. EFZs have their origin prior to the LOSC, which Canada's EFZ claim predates, but now many States have claimed an EFZ as wide as the permissible EEZ.

A claim to an EFZ, when combined with rights to the CS, gives the coastal State all the economic rights to the area (except "other activities," such as energy generation from waves), without taking on any duties beyond those imposed on all States. In return for claiming the lesser right of an EFZ rather than an EEZ, the coastal State gives up jurisdiction over artificial structures and marine research that may be built or undertaken within the area.

http://dsp-psd.tpsgc.gc.ca/Collection-R ... p322-e.htm

What Bananiot obviously confused is the acronym CS, which he translated to mean Continental State, instead of the actual meaning which is Coastal State. Probably Turkey does also make the same mistake, to come up with such an EEZ map that comes as close as 12 miles to Cyprus (Akamas peninsula for example,) when the nearest Turkish coast from that point is more than 70 miles.

[Bananiot]

I did not confuse anything. Turkey completely ignored Cyprus as though it does not exist and nobody has done anything about it. Perhaps Turkey is not aware of your gym antics and the shooting capabilities, for she would have run away at the sight of the Norwegian ship. What a bloody fool.

[Oracle]

I did not confuse anything. Turkey completely ignored Cyprus as though it does not exist and nobody has done anything about it. Perhaps Turkey is not aware of your gym antics and the shooting capabilities, for she would have run away at the sight of the Norwegian ship. What a bloody fool.

Now do you deem that fair Bananiot ... for Turkey to threaten a commercial ship with two WARSHIPS?

Is that a fair way to behave or is that an act of provocation ... not by Cyprus, but by TURKEY! ... those gunship-toting, threateners of civilians!

[DT.]

Here is another interesting map:



You can see from the map that there is an overlap in plots 4, 5 and 6 and thus parts of these plots are also contested by Turkey (red line) because according to the Law of the Sea Convention, continental states have an EEZ that extends to 200 nautical miles from their shores. The same is true for inhabited islands. Turkey also says that the "TRNC" has claims on plot 3.

Explain to me why turkey has plots a few miles of akamas and the difference is not split down the middle?

sorry, not happy with your response Bananiot. Explain it to me again.

[Bananiot]

DT, you are asking about Akamas, sorry I responded on the northern shores of Cyprus where the situation is straight forward. To the West of Cyprus, as I told Kifeas, Turkey does not consider Cyprus at all. It is as if Cyprus does not exist.

You see, Cyprus came to an agreement with Egypt and Lebanon but left Greece out of it and did not mark any plots to the west. Papadopoulos tried but Greece wanted to have nothing to do with his micromegalism. These are dangerous games which we played before and we burnt more than our fingers. We do not seem to learn from the mistakes of the past. We need solution to get out of this mess because the Turkish Cypriots can easily claim that they are founding member of the RoC and any exploitation of these resources by the RoC will leave them out. Besides, they can back their claims with the military, economic and strategic clout of Turkey and even our so called friends will lend a helpful ear to them. We need to be serious with this staff and the herculean attitude we want to display will not help us but it will land us in more trouble.

[Kifeas]

DT, you are asking about Akamas, sorry I responded on the northern shores of Cyprus where the situation is straight forward. To the West of Cyprus, as I told Kifeas, Turkey does not consider Cyprus at all. It is as if Cyprus does not exist.

You see, Cyprus came to an agreement with Egypt and Lebanon but left Greece out of it and did not mark any plots to the west. Papadopoulos tried but Greece wanted to have nothing to do with his micromegalism. These are dangerous games which we played before and we burnt more than our fingers. We do not seem to learn from the mistakes of the past. We need solution to get out of this mess because the Turkish Cypriots can easily claim that they are founding member of the RoC and any exploitation of these resources by the RoC will leave them out. Besides, they can back their claims with the military, economic and strategic clout of Turkey and even our so called friends will lend a helpful ear to them. We need to be serious with this staff and the herculean attitude we want to display will not help us but it will land us in more trouble.

Oh, oh, what a “good boy” you are Bananiot! Oh, how “good,” “politic” and “wise” you are! Oh, what a pacifist “good boy!”