Viewpoint wrote:boomerang wrote:Viewpoint wrote:Hermes wrote:BirKibrisli wrote:You are asking for the impossible,Hermes...Turkey will never leave Cyprus until there is a comprehensive and final solution...Cyprus is a matter of national honour for the Turks.
Yes, like the Armenian and Christian genocides in Anatolia are a case of Turkish "national honour". We know how Turks think. That is why they have to show evidence that they no longer think like Turks to join the EU. It is a civilizing process. Unless Turks withdraw from Cyprus and show commitment to international and moral law they cannot be accepted into the EU. Turkish "national honour" over the invasion and ethnic cleansing of an innocent civilian population can go fuck itself.
Left to their own devices, history shows that Turks will show no remorse or moral responsibility for their crimes. That is why the Europeans know that Turkey needs to show evidence of change first. We cannot rely on Turks eventually developing a "conscience". They must be forced to choose. National (dis) honor or the EU. The pathetic thing is that Turks have to be forced to do the right thing. It says it all really.
Turkey has stated many times if forced to choose they will choose the TRNC over the EU, the EU is a dieing old man.
only if that was true and the turks stopped going around kissing asses...never seen a country trying to kiss so many asses just to get in the club only to be told time and time again stop kissing asses and get on with the requirements...
Better than blackmailing your way in.
Read the reasons as to why the RoC was allowed to join the EU, VP.!
Alan Meale (Mansfield, Labour)
Let us look at why Cyprus was allowed to join the European Union, a move that was led by Britain. A British Government argued that Cyprus should be in Europe because it would have been ridiculous and folly to keep it out of Europe. We all know what Cyprus was at the time of its entry. It was being treated as an offshore island by many, with 7,500 companies on its shores. It had its own stock exchange and an independent link into the European banking system. It was probably best placed for trade with the old eastern bloc, which most of Europe was not. It had a fine relationship with areas of the middle east and an outstanding trading relationship with China and Africa, which many EU countries did not have. As I understand from scientific texts, Cyprus is one of only four places on the planet that have windows into space, and, communications being so important for the future, it was important that that was kept in the European sphere, rather than being independent outside it. If anyone has any doubt about that, they will recall that it is for that reason that Britain's listening and searching stations are still situated on the island.
Last, but not least, there is the importance of oil and gas, not only for Europe, but for the rest of the world. People will have to consider the importance of the European oil and gas pipeline, which is now being driven down to the shores of Greece, where further pipelines will be fixed that go across to Limassol in the republic. Similarly, pipelines will be coming down to join the central European pipeline from the Caspian sea, and they will link in to guarantee oil and gas for Europe. Cyprus will shortly become the gas station of Europe, and possibly the world, which is another reason why it was important that it came into the EU.
Now read the reasons as to why Turkey won't be allowed in the EU, unless changes are made, VP.
David Burrowes (Enfield, Southgate, Conservative)
I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who makes an important point. It is not simply the case that Cyprus is standing in the way of EU membership; it is up to Turkey to recognise that it must remove the army and that the island needs to be reunified. Turkey must take those steps before it can move towards EU accession. The European Commission's report also noted the Commission's assessment that freedom of expression needs to be strengthened in Turkey, both in law and in practice. It highlighted the fact that shortcomings remain in the free exercise of religion, and reference was made to disputes with neighbours, including Armenia. Those are other factors that go beyond Cyprus. It is important to get the facts right when making the argument about the accession process.
Also read who are entitled to
"political equality" in a Unified Cyprus, VP.
David Lidington (Minister of State (Europe and NATO), Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Aylesbury, Conservative)
Let there be no doubt that the United Kingdom Government are committed to supporting the ongoing settlement negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations, and particularly of Alexander Downer, which are aimed at achieving a settlement based on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality. That political equality must be accorded not only-although most obviously-to the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities, but also to the smaller minorities on the island. My hon. Friend the Member for Enfield, Southgate, chairman of the British-Cyprus all-party group, reminded us of the Maronite community. The position of the Maronite community and its members' entitlement to cultural and religious freedom of expression will be fully resolved only by a comprehensive settlement that reunites the island. The Government support the resolution passed by the Council of Europe in July 2008 that called for additional measures to
"support the revitalisation and promotion of the cultural, religious and linguistic heritage of the Maronites,".
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id ... -16c.212.0
