Cyprus-Forum.com

by **zan** » Tue May 19, 2009 5:27 pm

Murray Rowlands: Cyprus’ long division and barriers to unity
May 10, 2009 12:00 am admin comment
THE Turkish federal state of North Cyprus is a fairly new country, but it looks like one from an earlier time. Whereas the rest of Cyprus has been buoyed by prosperity based on tourism and a huge investment in real estate from Russian sources, North Cyprus has areas of dereliction and decay around properties left by their Greek occupants when they fled from the Turkish troops who invaded the island in 1974.

If you look closely in the south, you can see Turkish houses that are suffering the same fate, yet around them are villas selling for millions of euros.

This prosperity could make it more difficult to reconcile the innate hostility between the two communities, which is much more apparent on the Greek side than on the Turkish. In the south, division has resulted in corruption and control by vested interests, which would have little to gain from unification.

The first move of the Ankara government in 1974 was to bring in immigrants from Anatolia to replace those who left the country abruptly at the time of the Turkish invasion. What happens to these people is one of the stumbling blocks to discussion about reunification. The Greeks want the immigrants repatriated to Turkey. After 35 years, this is hardly reasonable. But this unrealistic demand was one of the reasons why Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly rejected then United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan’s proposals for unification in 2004.

Greek refugees from the north of the island continue to agitate about the way in which those running North Cyprus allow the wealth of archaeological sites into be ravaged while some of the most fertile areas remain uncultivated.

The fact that Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat have been talking seriously to each other under the auspices of the UN is not necessarily a reason for unbridled optimism. Their dialogue may achieve some limited goals, such as the opening of the Limnitis Gate between the north and south of the island, but any agreement still seems some way off.

Having joined the European Union in 2004, Greek Cypriots have an ultimate veto over Turkish membership. And Turkey joining the EU is something that many believe would promote the unification of Cyprus.

Any way forward must involve the departure of the Turkish army from the island. Demands for Turkish troops to leave have been backed by a number of UN resolutions. However, if there is a withdrawal, the Turks will feel vulnerable to extremist elements among the Greek population. If there is demilitarisation on both sides, the Greeks are likely to feel at the mercy of the Turks who are their very near neighbours.

There are other factors adding to the problematic nature of the situation. If Turkey became a EU member, it would be difficult to call on other members to come to the aid of one element of the population of a fellow EU country. And strengthening the central government on Cyprus would involve the Greeks giving up some of the power they enjoy as the majority population.

Belatedly, the government of Turkey, led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is making serious conciliatory overtures in search of an end to the impasse. The ball is now in the Greeks’ court.

http://www.tribunemagazine.co.uk/2009/0 ... -to-unity/

by **Tim Drayton** » Tue May 19, 2009 5:45 pm

"THE Turkish federal state of North Cyprus is a fairly new country ..."

I should say so given that it is merely a hypothetical entity that may well come into existence following a federal solution.

by **Oracle** » Tue May 19, 2009 5:52 pm

This article has already been debated:

http://www.cyprus-forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=23971

by **The Cypriot** » Tue May 19, 2009 6:44 pm

And Murray Rowlands has already had his knuckles rapped.

by **DT.** » Tue May 19, 2009 6:50 pm

The Cypriot wrote:And Murray Rowlands has already had his knuckles rapped.

Murray the lamb-curry as he's now known.

by **The Cypriot** » Tue May 19, 2009 7:39 pm

DT. wrote:
The Cypriot wrote:And Murray Rowlands has already had his knuckles rapped.

Murray the lamb-curry as he's now known.

by **EPSILON** » Tue May 19, 2009 8:14 pm

zan wrote:Murray Rowlands: Cyprus’ long division and barriers to unity
May 10, 2009 12:00 am admin comment
THE Turkish federal state of North Cyprus is a fairly new country, but it looks like one from an earlier time. Whereas the rest of Cyprus has been buoyed by prosperity based on tourism and a huge investment in real estate from Russian sources, North Cyprus has areas of dereliction and decay around properties left by their Greek occupants when they fled from the Turkish troops who invaded the island in 1974.

If you look closely in the south, you can see Turkish houses that are suffering the same fate, yet around them are villas selling for millions of euros.

This prosperity could make it more difficult to reconcile the innate hostility between the two communities, which is much more apparent on the Greek side than on the Turkish. In the south, division has resulted in corruption and control by vested interests, which would have little to gain from unification.

The first move of the Ankara government in 1974 was to bring in immigrants from Anatolia to replace those who left the country abruptly at the time of the Turkish invasion. What happens to these people is one of the stumbling blocks to discussion about reunification. The Greeks want the immigrants repatriated to Turkey. After 35 years, this is hardly reasonable. But this unrealistic demand was one of the reasons why Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly rejected then United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan’s proposals for unification in 2004.

Greek refugees from the north of the island continue to agitate about the way in which those running North Cyprus allow the wealth of archaeological sites into be ravaged while some of the most fertile areas remain uncultivated.

The fact that Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat have been talking seriously to each other under the auspices of the UN is not necessarily a reason for unbridled optimism. Their dialogue may achieve some limited goals, such as the opening of the Limnitis Gate between the north and south of the island, but any agreement still seems some way off.

Having joined the European Union in 2004, Greek Cypriots have an ultimate veto over Turkish membership. And Turkey joining the EU is something that many believe would promote the unification of Cyprus.

Any way forward must involve the departure of the Turkish army from the island. Demands for Turkish troops to leave have been backed by a number of UN resolutions. However, if there is a withdrawal, the Turks will feel vulnerable to extremist elements among the Greek population. If there is demilitarisation on both sides, the Greeks are likely to feel at the mercy of the Turks who are their very near neighbours.

There are other factors adding to the problematic nature of the situation. If Turkey became a EU member, it would be difficult to call on other members to come to the aid of one element of the population of a fellow EU country. And strengthening the central government on Cyprus would involve the Greeks giving up some of the power they enjoy as the majority population.

Belatedly, the government of Turkey, led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is making serious conciliatory overtures in search of an end to the impasse. The ball is now in the Greeks’ court.

http://www.tribunemagazine.co.uk/2009/0 ... -to-unity/

ZAN, Firstly welcome back after so long time.

Now in our usual fight!!!Pls read the history of all NATIONS. You will never find an invator to succeed -always at th end he initial victims are the winners- unfortunatetly your race choosed to be invators, destroyers and therefore always -loossers...