Cyprus-Forum.com

[Nikitas]

The idea was not to kill the communists. In Greece after teh end of the Civil War there were no mass executions. What followed was a repressive system where communists and their families were excluded from the economic and political life of the country- ie no government jobs, no full political rights, nor right to contest elected office etc. The only way out of this was for the alleged communist to sign a formal statement of renunciation.

Having in mind the slogan (not widely known among TCs for obvious reasons) "better Turk than Red" and the above it is obvious that the Junta would have welcomed double union. There was no intention to kill the TCs, or the GC communists, just to prevent what they saw as the communist danger in Cyprus. Control not extermination was the goal. IF that entailed ceding part of the island to Turkey, then it was acceptable. From the purely nationalist point of view three quarters, two thirds, half of Cyprus would still be a net territorial gain for the motherland and thus cancel out the charge of yielding national territory.

This is how the Junta thought. The local Cypriot Enosis fanatics knew nothing of this. They were in another planet.

[Nikitas]

A personal experience re the meaning of Enosis as it was understood back in the 70s.

In the early 70s Cyprus was making strides in telecommunications and was ranked among the world's top 5 nations in installation of new telephone and telex (remember telex?) lines.

By contrast in Greece it took a wait of anything from 3 to 17 years wait to get a phone.

In a talk about Enosis I naively asked if the telephone system of the new entity, the union of Greece and Cyprus would apply the Cypriot system of telecommunications, ie the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority would take over the Greek OTE company.

My companions, the majority leftist and anti Junta, looked at me horrified. "What do you mean take over OTE, of course that cannot happen. Who ever heard of Cypriots being allowed to head a public corporation".

The story illustrates that the Greeks never saw Enosis as a union of two EQUALS which would work for the advancement of Hellenism. To them, even the left, it was a form of territorial gain and nothing else. The more efficient administrations of Cyprus would not be copied for the benefit of all Greeks. It would be swallowed up by the antique, semi Ottoman system of Greece.

GCs had a a very costly close shave with this fate in 1974. TCs fell for it and are now experiencing the joys of Enosis. I do not envy them. Like Gerald Durrel (brother of Lawrence) said: "There is a lot to be said for being small and independent".

[YFred]

A personal experience re the meaning of Enosis as it was understood back in the 70s.

In the early 70s Cyprus was making strides in telecommunications and was ranked among the world's top 5 nations in installation of new telephone and telex (remember telex?) lines.

By contrast in Greece it took a wait of anything from 3 to 17 years wait to get a phone.

In a talk about Enosis I naively asked if the telephone system of the new entity, the union of Greece and Cyprus would apply the Cypriot system of telecommunications, ie the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority would take over the Greek OTE company.

My companions, the majority leftist and anti Junta, looked at me horrified. "What do you mean take over OTE, of course that cannot happen. Who ever heard of Cypriots being allowed to head a public corporation".

The story illustrates that the Greeks never saw Enosis as a union of two EQUALS which would work for the advancement of Hellenism. To them, even the left, it was a form of territorial gain and nothing else. The more efficient administrations of Cyprus would not be copied for the benefit of all Greeks. It would be swallowed up by the antique, semi Ottoman system of Greece.

GCs had a a very costly close shave with this fate in 1974. TCs fell for it and are now experiencing the joys of Enosis. I do not envy them. Like Gerald Durrel (brother of Lawrence) said: "There is a lot to be said for being small and independent".

The irony of all ironies is that the Enosis of TCs and Turkey is not imposed by Turkey but by the RoC. They are playing right into the hands of Turkey. If TCs were free to trade with EU, they would have a chance of freeing themselves. As is, not possible to do this.

[yialousa1971]

"The only good Turks are the ones that live in Mongolia"

[Nikitas]

YFered,

TCs can trade with the EU anytime they want, but they cannot do it through the port of Famagusta. And one detail regarding shipping details which you might not know- even if Famagusta were opened to TC-EU trade the TCs would still have to use Limassol for their container carried goods, ie the majority of their goods because Limasson is the only container capable port on the island which meets modern standards. Ask any shipping expert and they will tell you the same thing. A container ship can be turned around in Limassol in less than a day, it is one of the fastest turn around times in the Mediterranean. Days cost money for shipowners.

The RoC was forced by the EU to accept TC chamber of commerve documentation as sufficient for shipping goods to EU. The Green Line trade regulations were implemented precisely inorder to allow TCs to trade.

But the point is not the trade. The point is to force the EU to accept the TRNC as a legal authority and thus bypass the declarations of the UN as to its illegal status. And that manouver is obviously not going to stick.

[YFred]

YFered,

TCs can trade with the EU anytime they want, but they cannot do it through the port of Famagusta. And one detail regarding shipping details which you might not know- even if Famagusta were opened to TC-EU trade the TCs would still have to use Limassol for their container carried goods, ie the majority of their goods because Limasson is the only container capable port on the island which meets modern standards. Ask any shipping expert and they will tell you the same thing. A container ship can be turned around in Limassol in less than a day, it is one of the fastest turn around times in the Mediterranean. Days cost money for shipowners.

The RoC was forced by the EU to accept TC chamber of commerve documentation as sufficient for shipping goods to EU. The Green Line trade regulations were implemented precisely inorder to allow TCs to trade.

But the point is not the trade. The point is to force the EU to accept the TRNC as a legal authority and thus bypass the declarations of the UN as to its illegal status. And that manouver is obviously not going to stick.

The real issue is not Famagusta port, its Ercan and direct flights. It is suffocating the TC economy and pushes them further in to the clutches of Turkey. To cap it all, it is all RoC generated. The trade TCs will do regarding the the south is with the south and not through the south. But the GCs are not ready for that either.

Its a bit like saying to people in Glasgow, you can't trade through your own port, you have to trade via London. I think the scotts may have alternative ideas. It did not lead to recognising them as an independant authority. Its a matter of trust and here there is very little of it in Cyprus.

Regarding Limasol, when containers are required, I have no doubt that TCs will use Limasol to do that.

[Get Real!]

The real issue is not Famagusta port, its Ercan and direct flights. It is suffocating the TC economy and pushes them further in to the clutches of Turkey. To cap it all, it is all RoC generated. The trade TCs will do regarding the the south is with the south and not through the south. But the GCs are not ready for that either.

The “TRNC” is officially an illegally occupied territory of the RoC and as such suspended from any formal contact with the outside world.

That your people still choose to parlay there with the illegal invader/occupier of Cyprus is your foolish choice as it will never be allowed to see the light of day for as long as Turkey is there.