Cyprus-Forum.com

[Piratis]

Hello,

This is a question to TCs.

Without applying double standards, can you please tell me what would be the ideal system for a country with 2 communities that do not own separate parts of land but have different cultures, language and religion and that in the past they had conflicts between them with many victims?

If you are a citizen of such a country, what do you think it would be the best, most just and most fair system for this country to have for both communities. Be as detailed as possible.

[metecyp]

Piratis, I think your question is too vague to answer. I can tell your reasoning behind asking such a question though. You probably want to start from a hypothetical scenario and conclude that we're being greedy by asking these "extra" rights.

You have to understand that Cyprus problem is a unique problem and you cannot simply draw parallels from other real/unreal scenarios. I'd rather talk about specifics of what we have today than talk about unreal scenarios.

But if you really want to get a discussion going, why don't you answer your own question first?

[cypezokyli]

piratis
we dont have a hypothetical situation but a real one. and far more complicated. killing was involved, agreements that were not kept, armies, settlers, embargos and all kinds of other stuff.

if u really interested in a discussion for a solution u could rank the first five or ten of your priorities regarding a solution. then hopefully a tc would rank his own. and then you could bargain. how about i give u sth for your first priority and u give me sth of my first priority.

dont try to solve it as a matter of principles or justice bc everyone has his own ideas of what justice actually means.

so what is it going to be? refugees or democracy? settlers or armies? if u start by saying all refugees should return, all settlers should leave, all should have equal vote, all turkish army should leave and none of them is under discussion as a matter of principle then there is going to be no solution.

have u notice lately that our leaders r not promising anymore a just solution but rather a well-functioning one?

so the question is, how ready are we to bargain.
what r u ready to give in order to get?

[Piratis]

But if you really want to get a discussion going, why don't you answer your own question first?

I answered this question many times.
Unlike some others in here, I don't choose a position depending on what suits me better. This is what I am trying to get from you, but basically what you will tell me is: "We will change our position to what suits us"

But anyways, since you asked here is the ideal for me in a country with 2 communities with different religion, language and culture:

1) All human rights (http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html) should be respected without excuses.

2) One person one vote

3) If both communities are relatively big (i.e more than 8%) Both religions,languages and cultures to be treated in exactly the same way by the state and agreement from both communities should be needed to make any changes that affect this matters. If a community is small, this might not be possible, but everything should be done in order to minimize any possible disadvantage that this people might have due to their differences.

4) Affirmative actions should be taken wherever the percentage of a community in some sector is bellow the population percentage of the community. (this should be done whenever the community requests)

In general all people should be equal and the community in which they belong should not cause to them any kind of disadvantage.

Ok, your turn now.
If you don't want to talk in general fine. Tell me what you think the ideal for your country should be.

[gabaston]

Piratis better ask an easier question

The combined brain power of the govts of Britain, Greece, Turkey together with leaders of the gc and tc community could not answer that then later the considerable efforts of the UN, could not find that answer.

why you asking tc's?

[insan]

All TCs answered the question of Piratis at least one thousand times.... I think Piratis likes to hear the same things several thousand times.

[MicAtCyp]

Insan do you mind repeating your answer one more time then? Whats 1001 compared to 1000?

[Piratis]

no answer yet? Why nobody has the guts to give this answer?

[Khan]

You want to mix GC and TC's together and cement GC's authority on the island with one person one vote. That is how your plan looks to me.

My ideal solution is Turks in north, Greeks in south. Turks look after their business, Greeks look after theirs.

[Realist]

Khan, easy to say when your business will be conducted through the assets of GC that were expelled.

Funny I always thought one person one vote was somehow a generally fair way of doing things. I imagine in Turkey they also opperate a one person one vote method, but I guess this method only applies when the situation suits us right?

How would Turkish citizens feel if tomorrow they were told by their government that all minorities within Turkey will now have a equal weighted vote as well?

If Turkey proper feels so strongly about this method of government, why doesn't it get trailed on the mainland. Or is it a case of "do as I say not as I do"?

Let me guess the response to this 'Cyprus is a 'special' situation'. Special in the sense that the minority happens to have a Turkish ethnicity?