Cyprus-Forum.com

[Alexandros Lordos]

Lets hope that the people that matter will take note of these results and hopefully they will start formulating a solution that we can all accept.

I think this is where "the power of the press" comes in. The decision makers were already aware of the survey results through private presentations, but once something is made public in the press, it becomes "politically costly" to ignore it. This is how the process worked in Northern Ireland as well. First, the surveys would go to the negotiators themselves, in private, and then a few days later they would go to the media, as banner headlines. The effect was very strong indeed.

If you wish to find out more about how Peace Polls were used to support the negotiating process in Northern Ireland, you can check out their website at:

http://www.PeacePolls.org

[cannedmoose]

I suppose the key question Alexandros is this... beyond the banner headlines, how can the momentum be continued for weeks and months into the future? Polls are a good way of generating interest, but keeping it will prove far more difficult amid the plethora or articles and opinion pieces that discuss the Cyprus problem every day.

In order to build up momentum behind this survey, you have to be prepared to force it into the public domain (which you have done admirably) and keep it there, otherwise in a few days the argument will have moved on to the same old debates. Are there any plans for you and your TC collaborator (in the non-partisan sense of the word) to appear on GC and TC political discussion programmes? That would be a major way to get public opinion mobilised and refute some of the extreme arguments that tend to fly around. Newspapers are a great start, but if you get TV discussing the issues, then you're really going to make some waves.

[Viewpoint]

Kibris states what I have been saying all along that although there are positive results via the poll there is;

NO TRUST


between our communites and imo that will hinder progress being made.

[Alexandros Lordos]

Kibris states what I have been saying all along that although there are positive results via the poll there is;

NO TRUST


between our communites and imo that will hinder progress being made.

Viewpoint,

I wanted to ask you, is that what "Guven Yok" means, no trust?

I do acknowledge that there is a huge trust problem, and it's a pity, because on the issues of substance we could probably agree on almost everything if we gave each other a chance.

Perhaps we need to agree on some confidence building measures first, before we can proceed to negotiations for a Comprehensive Settlement. The fact that the Talat administration has been doing some progress on the missing persons issue will help a lot to increase trust of GCs towards TCs.

I am not sure what the GCs could do to increase trust of TCs towards them though.

[Alexandros Lordos]

I suppose the key question Alexandros is this... beyond the banner headlines, how can the momentum be continued for weeks and months into the future? Polls are a good way of generating interest, but keeping it will prove far more difficult amid the plethora or articles and opinion pieces that discuss the Cyprus problem every day.

In order to build up momentum behind this survey, you have to be prepared to force it into the public domain (which you have done admirably) and keep it there, otherwise in a few days the argument will have moved on to the same old debates. Are there any plans for you and your TC collaborator (in the non-partisan sense of the word) to appear on GC and TC political discussion programmes? That would be a major way to get public opinion mobilised and refute some of the extreme arguments that tend to fly around. Newspapers are a great start, but if you get TV discussing the issues, then you're really going to make some waves.

I know that my TC colleague will be appearing on TV discussions, but as for myself, it is rather difficult to do that from Crete. I hope various others (politicians, journalists etc.) will use the results as an arguing point in TV debates etc.

[Viewpoint]

Alexandros yes Guven Yok means no trust, if you recall from mprevious posts this is an issue I have raised time and time again and the key to any progress to me mand on the Cyprus issue. If we could build trust then the polls you conduct would even mbe more positive and acomodating but unless each sides take these imperiative steps i feel we will be in the same poistion in many years to come.
The missing persons issue is a disgrace for both sides and should have been concluded many years ago but at least now some progres sis being made.
Do you know what would impact on TCs as sign of goodwill and building trust, if the GC admimistration were to allow direct flights, this would effect every TC. But I would like to warn that Gcs should take the initiative and be seen as wanting this not being forced to give up on this issue as it would not work in their favour.
We should reduce the army and return parts of Maras, GCs shoudl allow our ports to operate to EU and so on until we have built Trust..then other issues would be much easier to resolve.

[magikthrill]

my cousins came from cyprus today but she forget to bring me a copy of politis. then i went and bought a copy from the airport only to realize it was yesterdays. thanks for the link. reading the article now.

[Alexandros Lordos]

The new website has only been up for a few hours, and already there have been about 350 downloads of the various reports.

[cannedmoose]

The new website has only been up for a few hours, and already there have been about 350 downloads of the various reports.

Congrats... hope you signed up for plenty of bandwidth...

If you can trace the IP addresses, see if a certain Presidential Palace computer has been hooked in...

[Alexandros Lordos]

If you can trace the IP addresses, see if a certain Presidential Palace computer has been hooked in...

You keep making this joke and I keep failing to respond

The "guys at the presidential palace" have had my reports well before they were made publicly available, as have the guys at the "little palace" - or "the office of the Vice President of the RoC" as Mr Talat would say , a couple of miles to the north ...