Cyprus-Forum.com

[Bananiot]

A GROUP of more than 50 Greek and Turkish Cypriot organisations will come together this Thursday to remember the innocent victims of almost 50 years of violence and war on the island. The bicommunal peace movement will gather at the Peace Park in the village of Kontea in the north, along with relatives of the victims of massacres, unionists, teachers, students, artists, peace activists and common people from all walks of life “to remember our violent past and to pledge to build a common peaceful future”.

In a released announcement, the movement acknowledged the contribution of everyday people to the humanitarian issue of the missing, which “has suffered for many years in the hands of politicians”.

Noting the strides forward made on the issue of missing persons since 2005, it said: “This remarkable progress however could never have been made had it not been for the courage and humanity of common people that come forward and give information about possible burial sites, as well as those who help the investigations about the fate of the missing.”

This year’s memorial event at Kontea Peace Park on July 22, 7.30pm, will honour a small number of these “remarkable people and in their name all our compatriots that quietly work to uncover the untold stories buried in the mass graves”.

The location of the peace festival itself is also a story of courage and quiet persistence as it is the result of unique cooperation between Kontea’s original Greek Cypriot inhabitants and the current Turkish Cypriot residents to restore and maintain the village’s monuments and cultural heritage. Both groups of villagers not only share ties to the village but both have also suffered the fate of being displaced from their homes.

The peace festival offers music, documentaries, poetry and other activities to honour the acts of “courage and humanity of Turkish and Greek Cypriots who provide information for the location of places of burial and the fate of the missing”.

The organisers concluded: “Divided we have suffered, together we can build a common peaceful future!”

For people wishing to take a bus, there will be buses at the northern side of the Ledra Palace checkpoint at 6:30 pm. For reservations, e-mail [email protected].

[Bananiot]

July 2010! The Bi-Communal Peace Movement, more than 50 Turkish and Greek Cypriot mass Organizations, come together to remember the innocent victims of almost 50 years of violence and war. We will gather at the Peace Park in the village of Kontea, relatives of the victims of massacres, unionists, teachers, students, artists, peace activists, common people of all walks of life, to remember our violent past and to pledge to build a common peaceful future. Divided we have suffered, but TOGETHER WE CAN build peace!

The humanitarian issue of the missing people has suffered for many years in the hands of politicians. Since 2005 however, within the new agreed framework, mass graves are being located, exhumations and identification of remains take place and the relatives of the missing after 35-45 years of waiting finally are able to bury the remains of their loved ones. The bi-communal dimension of the problem only in recent years has it started to be made known to the wider public. This remarkable progress however could never have been made had it not been for the courage and humanity of common people that come forward and give information about possible burial sites, as well as those who help the investigations about the fate of the “missing”. It is not the work of just the officials, but more so the work of common people who go beyond their leadership, who consider the pain of Turkish and Greek Cypriot relatives of victims as common and come forward to provide information.

In recognition of their courage and humanity, the Bi-Communal Peace movement has decided to honour these people. This year’s memorial event at Kontea Peace Park on the 22 July, 2010 will honour a small number of these remarkable people and in their name all our compatriots that quietly work to uncover the untold stories buried in the mass graves.

At the Kontea Peace Park, itself the outcome of the hard work of experts and common people from both communities, we will come together in a Festival of Peace, to talk and contemplate about our past and our future. On the road to peace:

* We pledge to defend what has been achieved at the negotiating table on governance and other related issues as the first concrete agreed step on power sharing respecting political equality, for a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation.

* We urge our leaders to multiply their efforts to fully exploit the current favourable international climate for a solution. The realities on the ground, the forthcoming elections in Turkey and Cyprus and the constantly changing international climate, leave no options but to work for a solution on a fast track basis.

* We encourage more people to come forward and provide information about the fate of the missing people so that all their families eventually come to know the truth about their loved ones.

Join us at Kontea Peace Park, on Thursday 22nd July, at 7:30pm in a Festival of Peace, with music, documentaries, poetry and other activities to honour the acts of courage and humanity of Turkish and Greek Cypriots that provide information for the location of places of burial and the fate of the “missing”.

Divided we have suffered, TOGETHER WE CAN build a common peaceful future!

Organizers

1 Bicommunal Initiative of Relatives of Missing Persons and Victims of War «Together We Can!»
2 Cyprus Turkish Teachers Trade Union – KTÖS
3 Proodeftiki Primary School Teachers movement
4 Cyprus Turkish Secondary Teachers Trade Union – KTOEÖS
5 Proodeftiki Secondary School Teachers movement
6 Turkish Cypriot Civil Servants Trade Union – KTAMS
7 Kontea (Turkmenkoy) Cultural Association
8 Kontea Heritage Foundation
9 Stop the War Coalition
10 Custom Workers Trade Union – GÜÇ-SEN
11 State Workers Trade Union- ÇAĞ-SEN
12 EMU Unity and Solidarity Trade Union – DAÜ-BİR-SEN
13 Cyprus Publisher’s Association – KIB-Ya Y
14 Limassol Civil İnitiative ‘Solution-Reunification-Peace”
15 United Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot Teachers Platform
16 İskele Citizens Initiative
17 Municipal Workers Trade Union – BES
18 Management Center
19 Republican Turkish Party – CTP
20 Social Democracy Party – TDP
21 United Cyprus Party – BKP
22 Socialist İnitiative
23 New Cyprus Party – YKP
24 Symfiliosi / Uzlaşma / Reconciliation
25 Peace Association
26 New Cyprus Association
27 Left Wing
28 Association of Turkish Cypriot Artists and Authors
29 Federation of Cypriot Organizations in Greece – OKOE
30 Federation of Cypriot Organizations in Greece – Youth OKOE
31 Bicommunal Chorus
32 Cyprus Turkish Physicians Trade Union – TIP-İŞ
33 Publishers Trade Union – BASIN-SEN
34 BARAKA Cultural Group
35 Cooperative Workers Trade Union – KOOP-SEN
36 Cyprus Turkish Association for Democracy – KTDD
37 Cypriot Science Education Health and Solidarity Association – KIBES
38 KGP
39 Cyprus Youth Platform
40 Bi-Communal Peace Initiative
41 Cyprus Reunification Movement
42 German-Cypriot Forum
43 Workers Democracy
44 Youth Against Nationalism
45 NGO Support Centre
46 Hands Across the Divide
47 IKME Sociopolitical Studies Institute
48 Peace Centre
49 Women Into Action (B-communal group)
50 DAU-SEN

[CopperLine]

July 2010! The Bi-Communal Peace Movement, more than 50 Turkish and Greek Cypriot mass Organizations, come together to remember the innocent victims of almost 50 years of violence and war. We will gather at the Peace Park in the village of Kontea, relatives of the victims of massacres, unionists, teachers, students, artists, peace activists, common people of all walks of life, to remember our violent past and to pledge to build a common peaceful future. Divided we have suffered, but TOGETHER WE CAN build peace!

The humanitarian issue of the missing people has suffered for many years in the hands of politicians. Since 2005 however, within the new agreed framework, mass graves are being located, exhumations and identification of remains take place and the relatives of the missing after 35-45 years of waiting finally are able to bury the remains of their loved ones. The bi-communal dimension of the problem only in recent years has it started to be made known to the wider public. This remarkable progress however could never have been made had it not been for the courage and humanity of common people that come forward and give information about possible burial sites, as well as those who help the investigations about the fate of the “missing”. It is not the work of just the officials, but more so the work of common people who go beyond their leadership, who consider the pain of Turkish and Greek Cypriot relatives of victims as common and come forward to provide information.

In recognition of their courage and humanity, the Bi-Communal Peace movement has decided to honour these people. This year’s memorial event at Kontea Peace Park on the 22 July, 2010 will honour a small number of these remarkable people and in their name all our compatriots that quietly work to uncover the untold stories buried in the mass graves.

At the Kontea Peace Park, itself the outcome of the hard work of experts and common people from both communities, we will come together in a Festival of Peace, to talk and contemplate about our past and our future. On the road to peace:

* We pledge to defend what has been achieved at the negotiating table on governance and other related issues as the first concrete agreed step on power sharing respecting political equality, for a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation.

* We urge our leaders to multiply their efforts to fully exploit the current favourable international climate for a solution. The realities on the ground, the forthcoming elections in Turkey and Cyprus and the constantly changing international climate, leave no options but to work for a solution on a fast track basis.

* We encourage more people to come forward and provide information about the fate of the missing people so that all their families eventually come to know the truth about their loved ones.

Join us at Kontea Peace Park, on Thursday 22nd July, at 7:30pm in a Festival of Peace, with music, documentaries, poetry and other activities to honour the acts of courage and humanity of Turkish and Greek Cypriots that provide information for the location of places of burial and the fate of the “missing”.

Divided we have suffered, TOGETHER WE CAN build a common peaceful future!

Organizers

1 Bicommunal Initiative of Relatives of Missing Persons and Victims of War «Together We Can!»
2 Cyprus Turkish Teachers Trade Union – KTÖS
3 Proodeftiki Primary School Teachers movement
4 Cyprus Turkish Secondary Teachers Trade Union – KTOEÖS
5 Proodeftiki Secondary School Teachers movement
6 Turkish Cypriot Civil Servants Trade Union – KTAMS
7 Kontea (Turkmenkoy) Cultural Association
8 Kontea Heritage Foundation
9 Stop the War Coalition
10 Custom Workers Trade Union – GÜÇ-SEN
11 State Workers Trade Union- ÇAĞ-SEN
12 EMU Unity and Solidarity Trade Union – DAÜ-BİR-SEN
13 Cyprus Publisher’s Association – KIB-Ya Y
14 Limassol Civil İnitiative ‘Solution-Reunification-Peace”
15 United Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot Teachers Platform
16 İskele Citizens Initiative
17 Municipal Workers Trade Union – BES
18 Management Center
19 Republican Turkish Party – CTP
20 Social Democracy Party – TDP
21 United Cyprus Party – BKP
22 Socialist İnitiative
23 New Cyprus Party – YKP
24 Symfiliosi / Uzlaşma / Reconciliation
25 Peace Association
26 New Cyprus Association
27 Left Wing
28 Association of Turkish Cypriot Artists and Authors
29 Federation of Cypriot Organizations in Greece – OKOE
30 Federation of Cypriot Organizations in Greece – Youth OKOE
31 Bicommunal Chorus
32 Cyprus Turkish Physicians Trade Union – TIP-İŞ
33 Publishers Trade Union – BASIN-SEN
34 BARAKA Cultural Group
35 Cooperative Workers Trade Union – KOOP-SEN
36 Cyprus Turkish Association for Democracy – KTDD
37 Cypriot Science Education Health and Solidarity Association – KIBES
38 KGP
39 Cyprus Youth Platform
40 Bi-Communal Peace Initiative
41 Cyprus Reunification Movement
42 German-Cypriot Forum
43 Workers Democracy
44 Youth Against Nationalism
45 NGO Support Centre
46 Hands Across the Divide
47 IKME Sociopolitical Studies Institute
48 Peace Centre
49 Women Into Action (B-communal group)
50 DAU-SEN

Excellent. Let's see (and support) more of this kind of thing

[optimistic]

Well done guys, I wish I could be there to support you all, these forums were getting me down reading people talking about who did what to who and passing blame left right, north and south ! and I have a sneaky suspision that a few of the commentors are from neither North or South ! I was starting to think there was no light to this problem, you give me new hope, THANK YOU !!! BRAVO !

[Viewpoint]

But nothing comes of the bicommunal events..lots of hot air.

[halil]

But nothing comes of the bicommunal events..lots of hot air.

I am not with u on this one VP. It takes time and time.... it goes slowly and slowly. Young groups coming togethers might help better.

VP why don't u come to buyukhan for a cup of coffee ? to see even different ideas can sit and talk together and can find common way to understand eachother better.

[Viewpoint]

But nothing comes of the bicommunal events..lots of hot air.

I am not with u on this one VP. It takes time and time.... it goes slowly and slowly. Young groups coming togethers might help better.

VP why don't u come to buyukhan for a cup of coffee ? to see even different ideas can sit and talk together and can find common way to understand eachother better.

halil i used to take part in these events when i was optimistic but found these gatherings to be a waste of time very superficial and unproductive.

[Get Real!]

So VP, did you attend this bi-communal festival and did you learn to dance the Zorba?

It’s another collaboration between the US, Greece and Turkey for double union I presume right?

[Viewpoint]

So VP, did you attend this bi-communal festival and did you learn to dance the Zorba?

It’s another collaboration between the US, Greece and Turkey for double union I presume right?

as i said i no longer attend as i think they are a waste of time.

[Bananiot]

GR agrees with you on this one viwepoint. However, you do realise that we are not trying to find solution during this meetings. We go there to meet our friends, valued friends, we do not see every day. We are all basically like minded people and enjoy the company of each other. GR and other cynics are probably more jealous than anything. His kind have just one alternative proposition. War, massacres, loss of life, misery. We are the future viwepoint, they are the past.