Cyprus-Forum.com

[zan]

Cyprus problem: get over it! (Sunday, January 1, 2006)

Five years ago, I, like most British people, if I thought about the Cyprus problem at all, would have followed the usual line that Turkey was completely at fault for invading for no reason.

Since the rise of the issue in the press over the last few years, and the increased amount of information available, my view, again like that of many non-Cypriots, has changed.

Yes, atrocities were committed by the Turks, but the Greeks did their share, yet never admit it. Yes, land in the north was taken from its Greek Cypriot owners in 1974, but so land in the south was taken from Turkish Cypriot owners – and had been for years before the Turkish Invasion/intervention – again Greek Cypriots will rarely if ever admit this, and if they do they will play it down and pass the blame to someone else (anyone else).

Recent actions by the Greek Cypriot government and articles and letters from Greek Cypriots to your paper continue to show this one-sided, indeed openly racist attitude – accusing the other side of not educating their youth to the truth, yet being even more guilty themselves – and they
need to understand that this really hurts their cause! The continuing inability to accept anything but a totally one-sided view and therefore a one-sided solution gives rise to an image of the ‘Whingeing Cyp’ as opposed to the ‘Whingeing Brit’.

After much thought my new attitude - and I suspect that of many people is… SO WHAT? Get over it and move on! You are not the only people in the world to have suffered, you've had more than adequate time and opportunities to sort it out, and by comparison to many other places the Cyprus issue is a non-issue.

Tim Watton, UK Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2005

http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=23582

[Dhavlos]

yeh ive read this in another cypriot forum...quite interesting, really...but i do kind agree when it talks about not educating properly, but of either side.....the sooner we educate both our children the same way, the better for all of us! - it hopefully would make us less ignorant

[troll]

Whilst I accept some of the points raised, I find the general tone of this outpouring to be a superb example of British pig-ignorance. the phrase "SO WHAT" really does get right up my nose. I was there in Varosha in 74 my friend and believe me, there was no "SO WHAT" about it. The subscriber clearly refuses to accept that:
1. The invasion was a carefully scripted and executed plan on the part of Britain and America (governments-not citizens) and
2. Both Greek and Turkish Cypriots have every right to be angry.

I will however, agree on one important issue-Until that deep-rooted anger is pointed at the real perpetrators (UK/USA government terrorism syndicate), the Cyprus issue is likely to spiral into yet more division and finger pointing. The UK/USA can sit back and laugh while you all (GC or TC) dance about on the end of their strings like puppets. When I grew up on the Island-there was no such thing as Greek or Turk.Just Cypriots. As a final point, I would suggest that Tim Watton curbs his writing style.

[Crash]

do you think it was 50-50 or was it weighted to one side?