To get back on topic.
Varosha -- the lost city of Cyprus
AMANDA PAUL
In the 1960s and 1970s Varosha (a neighborhood of the Cypriot walled city of Famagusta) was one of the island’s most (if not the most) glamorous and delightful holiday spots. With its beautiful sandy beaches it was a top tourist destination for the rich and famous.
Today Varosha is still there but it is no longer a dazzling and vivacious resort. The tourists are long gone -- as are Varosha’s residents. These days the town is more famous for being Europe’s last ghost town. A military fence cuts across the beach. On one side holidaymakers laze on the beach, enjoying the sun, while on the other there is desolation. Hotels line up into the distance, their windows shattered. Villas, churches and cafes also stand empty. The only life to be seen is the Turkish military (and UN peacekeepers) that patrol the town ensuring nobody sneaks in over the barbed wire fence.
The population of Famagusta before 1974 was some 39,000. Of this number, 26,500 were Greek Cypriots, 8,500 Turkish Cypriots and 4,000 from other ethnic groups. As for Varosha, almost 100 percent of its population was Greek Cypriot. Varosha is a victim of partition being “taken” by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) during the 1974 military intervention in Cyprus in response to a Greece-backed coup d’état, which resulted in the division of Cyprus -- Greek Cypriot south and Turkish Cypriot north. Prior to the intervention, most Greek Cypriots (some 80-85 percent) lived in the north but were forced to flee to the south as Turkish Cypriots who had lived in the south fled to the north. In total, the Turkish military took control of 37 percent of the island.
A few years ago I had the opportunity to look around Varosha. It is usually forbidden, but a military friend of a friend took me inside. The destruction and loss is heart-rending and a poignant and painful reminder of the awful bloody days that took place in Cyprus. Back then, the Greek Cypriots that fled their homes with only the clothes on their back probably imagined they would be back in their homes a short time later. The same goes for the Turkish Cypriots who were forced to leave their homes in the south. No one could have imagined that over 35 years later they would still be waiting to go home. Until today, the loss of wedding dresses, photographs and other memories are still deeply mourned often representing a psychological barrier to reunification, with many people still living in the past, fearing the idea of living side-by-side again after the atrocities they witnessed during the days of conflict.
Furthermore, weather and wear and tear mean that even if Varosha’s residents were allowed back tomorrow, homes would need to be reconstructed and rebuilt. Other former homes in both the north and the south have been totally demolished, with only piles of rubble remaining.
Varosha is protected by a 1984 UN Security Council resolution, which says the empty town can only be resettled by its original inhabitants. This resolution has prevented the Turkish Cypriot authorities from reopening Varosha and developing it for tourism. Numerous offers have even been made to the Greek Cypriot authorities in this light but have always been rejected.
If the Greek Cypriots had accepted the 2004 United Nations Annan plan for the reunification of the island, Varosha would now be back under Greek Cypriot control and the residents would have their homes back. Unfortunately, the majority of Greek Cypriots voted against the plan -- although analysis of the results has shown that Varosha’s residents did vote in favor. The Turkish Cypriots supported the plan -- even those who would have lost their homes in the settlement deal -- as in the case of the town of Güzelyurt, which was also due to be returned to the Greek Cypriots. For the sake of a solution these courageous people were ready to pack up their lives again.
Varosha is slowly crumbling away as negotiations between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots drag on and on. The latest round of talks seems to be heading nowhere. Turkey holds on to Varosha as a bargaining chip in order to get concessions from the Greek Cypriots, which is unacceptable and is beneficial to neither Turkish nor Greek Cypriots, other than those Greek Cypriot hotel owners in Larnaca, Lismassol, Paphos, etc. who fear the competition from Varosha. The return of Varosha under a UN or EU administration would be the most feasible breakthrough opportunity for everyone in Cyprus. Indeed, Varosha offers a unique opportunity for Turkish and Greek Cypriots to come together.
The reconstruction and redevelopment of Varosha and the knock-on effect on Famagusta as a whole would be a groundbreaking development which in the long term may help bring about a solution in Cyprus. Varosha should therefore be “released” as soon as possible. As with other conflicts, the actions of a few have brought decades of suffering and sadness to thousands, with the biggest victims of the Cyprus conflict being ordinary people. Opening Varosha would be a highly beneficial and symbolic step forward for all Cypriots.
http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist-24 ... yprus.html
I said there is something going on!
