Cyprus-Forum.com

[Bananiot]

Another outstanding article by Loucas Charalambous:

Eroglu missed a chance to make fools of us

THE RESPONSE given by Dervis Eroglu in last Sunday’s interview in the Sunday Mail, about the return of refugees to their homes provoked, as would have been expected, a knee-jerk reaction by the government, the political parties and media.

Eroglu had said the following: “No-one in Cyprus is any longer a refugee. On both sides people have established new lives, so what we need is a solution that does not bring about social upheaval. I am not saying some Greek Cypriots cannot come and live among us, but it has to be limited. If 160,000 Greek Cypriots returned to the north, where are we supposed to go?”

It is obvious that the Turkish Cypriot leader was not being literal when he said that no-one was any longer a refugee. It was more a figure of speech with which he wanted to stress the position he took in his next sentence – close to 40 years after the movement of populations, the people on both sides have settled in their new places of residence. They have created new lives and the truth is that almost none of them would be prepared to leave his current home to go back and start from the beginning again.

This is a simple truth, a reality that no political slogan or piece of rhetoric could ignore. It might not suit the demagogues who dominate our political life, it might not suit the pseudo-patriots of the mass media but this is the truth. It is because it is the truth that it bothers them so much.

Interestingly, the view expressed by Eroglu is shared by the vast majority of the Greek Cypriot refugees. And it is no coincidence that the majority of them voted against the settlement in 2004.

As I have written in the past, most of the refugees who were above 40 years of age in 1974 have now passed away. Those who were under 20 are now middle aged, with their own families, which are settled all over the free areas, and with jobs. None of them would want to settle in the north. What would they do there? As for those who were between 21 and 40 in 1974, the majority of them are now pensioners with grandchildren.

So who are the refugees whom the demagogues are claiming want to return to the north under Turkish Cypriot administration? And if some them would want to return, where is the problem? Even Eroglu’s proposals on the property issue agree that 15 per cent of the population in the north could be Greek Cypriot.

Kyrenia currently has a population of 50,000 which would mean that 7,500 thousand Greek Cypriots could return if they wanted to. But in 1974, only 3,000 Greek Cypriots were living in Kyrenia and about half of them have died. So there would be no problem for all remaining 1,500 refugees to return to Kyrenia if they wanted to do so. In order to send 7,500 Greek Cypriot back to Kyrenia we would have to resurrect those who died and also christen a few thousand Nicosians Kyrenian.

I mention this only to highlight the stupidity and superficiality behind the slogans and vacuous rhetoric about the “return of all refugees”. If Eroglu was smarter, he would have proposed that any refugee who wanted to could return to Kyrenia. He would have made complete fools of us when a hundred refugees, at most, decided to return. Yet all this demagoguery is official policy. And then we wonder why nobody outside Cyprus takes us seriously.

[Oracle]

Where was this 'icon of wisdom' in 1974 when people were usurped from their homes, farms, properties of generations?

Why is this 'icon of wisdom' ignored by international laws, morals and ethics which permanently acknowledge ownership to the original owners?

Why do idiots continue to justify turkish illegalities?

[cymart]

Whether some people like it or not,this is what the passage of time does to any situation and many of the points made in the article are unfortunately true!If many people who lived in the north before 1974 were asked these questions they would answer as the writer of this article says,but of course this would not suit those who have built very lucrative careers in the political and economic field here,based on propagating myths which try to deny the truth!
This vital aspect of time working against the interests of the Greek-Cypriots was raised by a number of influential people immediately after the invasion,but ignored by those in power who had other agendas,some based on wishful thinking and others based on their personal economic interests which they already realised had been well-served by the division of the island.
It raises the question of whether Makarios would have finally understood the need to find a solution a.s.a.p. if he had lived even a year or so longer and we would not have been stuck with Spyros Kyp. and the Limassol and Nicosia elite leading us nowhere for over ten years?

[Get Real!]

Another outstanding article by Loucas Charalambous:

Eroglu missed a chance to make fools of us

But Loucas, NEVER misses a chance to make a fool of himself and Bananiot soon follows…

Even if ZERO refugees wanted to “return”, the Kikkos church would be more than happy to return and reclaim their umpteen acres of land and property, many businesses would also be happy to return to reclaim their land and properties, and last but not least… the Republic of Cyprus would be happy to return to reclaim all state land because the occupied territory of Cyprus forms part of the sovereignty of Cyprus regardless of who may or may not want to “return”.

[Oracle]

Thanks for explaining the "idiots" point of view, cymart.

[kurupetos]

Where was this 'icon of wisdom' in 1974 when people were usurped from their homes, farms, properties of generations?

Why is this 'icon of wisdom' ignored by international laws, morals and ethics which permanently acknowledge ownership to the original owners?

Why do idiots continue to justify turkish illegalities?

Because they have financial and sexual interests.

[humanist]

Bananiot: are you for real man? Ever heard of freedom? Eroglu is a racist cunt who wants to keeps GC out whilst his community has the freedom of movement. It is a simple right that everyone in a free democratic country has, and that is the right of movement and choice of what to do with their property movable or not.

The jews are claiming parts of Palestine because Joshua's burial site is in the west Bank.... we are a far closer to history than 2000 years ago. We should have the right to our country.

[Bananiot]

Humanist, I hope you are doing well down under. Here we are stuck with 40 000 armed to the teeth Turkish soldiers and some 150000 or more settlers fron Anatolia. These are my priorities right now and as for freedom of movement (and settlement) and properties, I will worry about later.