BirKibrisli wrote:Kikapu,
I have just had some visitors from the trnc...Old friends who have never left the island,and who still live and work there...A couple in their 50s....
I questioned them at length about life in the trnc. Yes,they are
concerned about the number of
settlers and how that is impacting on the TC society and culture..But they still believe
that without the Turkish soldiers their lives and the lives of their children would be at risk....So,what
Viewpoint says is correct...Most TCs living in Cyprus now would rather assimilate into the Turkish society than risk their physical safety...
You and I can argue from a distance about the virtues of
democracy and European civilisation,but it cuts no ice with these people...They think they need special protection...I think it was
Samarkeolog who put his finger on the problem, perhaps earlier in this thread..In
democracies no one needs special consideration or protection...
The state security forces are capable of protecting everyone....
But if the state and its security forces are dominated and controled by individuals or groups who are hostile to a certain minority,then this minority does need special protection/safeguards...This was the case in Cyprus during 1963-74....At least that was the perception within TC minds....The times have changed,but nothing has been done to convince the TCs during the past 34 years that this is the case...
Old fears are still there almost as fresh as in 1964...This is the
tragedy we are facing...All those years lost,where, as
miltiades says,much could have been done to instal trust and confidence...
Words of reassurance are not enough...
Action is needed to convince the TCs that the present lot of power wielders and controllers of security forces in the RoC are not hostile to the TCs....No action is forthcoming...Only insistance by some that
"Cyprus is Greek"....
Don't you think there is a problem here????
Hi Bir,
There are problems all over the place I'm afraid. The question is, whose do you solve first at the expense of the other, because each one will want theirs to be solved first before protection is given to others. Your friends are no exception to the rule, and there are thousands of cases from both sides I'm sure, since both sides did their very best to harm the other, if not all physically, emotionally. Look at the waitress I met in Ayia Napa, the mother of three children who lives close to the Green Line across from Famagusta, that she is constantly afraid that the Turkish Troops will one day shoot her from a distance. How real is that threat really. To me I did not see any, because I happened to have driven to her town, but to her, it was real. Now, we can argue just to make her feel safe, she would like to see the TT leave first before anything else, so where do we statrt first is the question.
I understand the situation more than some people give me credit for. It was no accident, that when I drew up my "Kofi Kikapu's Peace Plan for Cyprus" for what it was worth (
http://www.cyprus-forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=12055 ) it was to take place over 10 years with gradual changes made. But I'm not in a position of power, and those who are from the TC side are bunch of useless puppets, who really believe they are calling the shots with all the bravado that they spew out with demands that will never be met. Peace is not difficult to achieve. It has been done hundreds of times with wars and atrocities megatons bigger than ours. So the problem is not that we can't put every one's mind at peace eventually, and at some point when all peace starts, it starts with a lot of apprehensions, but we are no longer at the same place where we were in the 60's and 70's when a lot of all this crap happened. Time has moved on, but for some, it really has not.
In all honesty, there is nothing the GC's can do or say to make the TC's feel comfortable with promises. That job lies with the leaders of the TC community, but you watch these idiots, all they talk about negative crap and their unlimited support for Turkey and no peace without guarantors from Turkey, and veto power and 50% power share, and own independent sovereign state just because Talat gives a speech in Turkish somewhere and then says
"you see, the fact that I'm speaking Turkish to you right now, then there must be two people in Cyprus", insinuating there should be two sovereign states built on mostly stolen GC land, so yes my friend, I'm not surprised that your friends are confused and untrusting of the GC's, because their leaders are letting them down big time, because since the days of Denktash when they were all kept isolated, they were well and truly brainwashed, which seems to continue today from what I'm seeing and hearing by our so called leaders.
So what is the answer you may ask.? One thing for certain for me, is not to continue violating any one's Democratic and Human Rights and start the ball rolling in the right direction for a change in this 21st century when we are part of the EU. We are never going to please and address every one's concerns. They too need to become active in peace and help build trust rather than wait and see what others are going to do for them. I was very apprehensive when I visited the RoC 2 years ago, and most of that fear was fed to me by all the propagandist on this forum and as it turned out, they were all dismissed after the first two days. I would like to know whether your friends have ever crossed into the south at all in the last 5 years. If they have, are they at least not able to see things are not what they were told it was. Again, it is not for me to judge others level of fear, but at some point, we all need to
bite the bullet and move forward.
As far as the security forces which may be in the hands of the GC's at the moment and trust is not given to them, we too can have security forces in the northern state once the BBF is established. Unlike before, 95% of the TC's will live in the northern state, so just there, there will be security in numbers unlike before where we were all spread out. This alone will make confidence building easier. The other option is of course, if all the TC's are shit scared, and if that was the case, I'm sorry to hear that, then why have they not demanded to have a formal partition at much reduced land and build a wall 10 meters high and forget about Democracy European style. They won't even get into the EU as a sovereign state and that will suit some just fine, and then we will see just how much they will be able to tolerate the settlers, or shall I say how much the settlers will tolerate the remaining few thousand TC's when the settlers take over the power structure from the TC's who are enjoying it right now. If I was that scared for my life, I will take the smaller land and the 10 meters wall any day of the week, but NO, that has not been the case. So once again, what is real.? We really don't know for sure. Why not take the security with some land and be done with it, assuming the GC's will go for it of course.!
I have been under the weather lately and have not had the energy to discuss True Federation USA style that I promised VP, that will take away most of the TC's concerns when it comes to "safeguards". Perhaps this weekend. This is the job of our puppets to tell our people what needs to be done, but all hear from them is a lot of complaints about what the GC politicians said or did and a lot of Bravado. If Turkey was to pull her troops, you watch these so called politicians get their crap together and find a suitable solution that can address most peoples concerns, because they will not have anyone to hide behind with all their Bravado talk..
) Then both parties began making plans/plots seperately, based on their own national interests. Then can u guess what's happened?
