Cyprus-Forum.com

[-mikkie2-]

The screw is slowly being turned on Turkey...

From the London Evening Standard.

Minister risks row with Turkey
25 October 2004
Europe minister Denis MacShane risked provoking a diplomatic storm today after he appeared to raise the bar for Turkish membership of the European Union.

In a strongly-worded message to Ankara, Mr MacShane called on the Turkish government to withdraw its troops from the divided island of Cyprus.

He said there was no justification for Turkey to retain thousands of troops on the soil of an EU member state.

He added: "The Cypriot government told me they spend £100 million to pay for its national guard to be stationed opposite the Turkish soldiers. This huge sum of money for a small EU member state could be spent more usefully and help divert spending to economic growth."

[brother]

A lot of things are said by many ministers and mean NOTHING.
But i see that has pleased you per your qoute 'the screw starts tightening on turkey'.

Lets see what happens but do remember that this twits comments will achieve NOTHING but alienate the goodwill that had more chance of achieving something.

[brother]

Eroglu to meet reluctant Talat in search of coalition partner

* Talat earlier warned a coalition with UBP would undermine settlement efforts for Cyprus

------------------------------------------------------------------------

ANKARA - Turkish Daily News

The leader of the biggest Turkish Cypriot party is starting a round of talks with political parties today in search of a new coalition government.

Dervis Eroglu, who heads the National Unity Party (UBP), is scheduled to meet today with Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat, whose coalition resigned last week after failing to forge a government with a parliamentary majority.

But a coalition between the UBP and Talat's Republican Turks' Party (CTP) seems unlikely. The CTP was a firm supporter of a United Nations plan aimed at the reunification of Cyprus while Eroglu's UBP opposed it.

The plan eventually failed due to the rejection from the Greek Cypriots, however, the Greek Cypriots nevertheless joined the European Union on May 1, leaving the Turkish Cypriots out in the cold.

Eroglu said last week he was ready to form a coalition government with the pro-settlement CTP but Talat was cool to the idea, warning that an UBP-CTP coalition would undermine settlement efforts. "A government under the leadership of the UBP would inflict great harm on the newly-formulated Turkish policy on Cyprus," Talat said last week, calling instead for early elections.

The resignation of Talat's government appeared to be a bid to force fresh elections that could strengthen its hand in any future talks with the Greek Cypriots. Observers say an election is likely by January.

Talat's CTP is the second largest group in the 50-seat Parliament.

Eroglu, who has twice before served as prime minister, has less than 15 days to try to form a government.

The UBP has 19 seats in the 50-seat assembly and could team up with several smaller parties to achieve a majority.

He is scheduled to meet with the Peace and Democracy Movement (BDH) tomorrow and is expected to hold talks with Serdar Denktas' Democracy Party (DP) later in the week.

[brother]

Can Papadopoulos veto Turkey?

Tassos Papadopoulos, the terrorist-turned Greek Cypriot leader has started a policy of blackmail. Talking with the Eleftheros Typos daily of Athens, Papadopoulos, in an ambiguous manner, stressed that "Turkey has obligations toward the EU and the Republic of Cyprus which it must fulfill. This does not mean we will exercise a veto; it does not mean we won't exercise a veto."

I sincerely hope that the Greek Cypriot leader plunges into such an adventure and exercises his veto power as a member of the European Council, when it convenes on Dec. 17 to decide on a date to start accession talks with Turkey. If he plunges into such an adventure, he may help us explain to our European friends what a problem we have been dealing with since the creation of the 1960 republic on the island which was hijacked by Papadopoulos and his friends in December 1963.

Such a move will show our friends that the spoiled child cannot always be disciplined by giving him a spectacular and prominent place in the family.

Knowing his limits and the possible repercussions of such a move, Papadopoulos will not even think of pulling out the veto card from his pocket at the Dec. 17 meeting, but I hope he does and opens the door wide for a settlement on the island.

Blocking Turkey will not be as easy as stealing the Cyprus Republic title.

[-mikkie2-]

From Gunduz Aktan from Turkish Daily News

"No one should deceive themselves: Turkey cannot accept this. The concept of the Turk as a higher identity covers all national identities. Devolving the Turks to a certain ethnic group runs counter to history. The name "Turkey" was given to this land by the warriors of the Third Crusade as the land of the Turks, at a time when we were only a minority in Anatolia. Turks, who founded the Ottoman Empire, defined themselves as Muslims, but the Europeans called them Turks. The Independence War was carried out by the successor of the Ottomans, the Turks, together with all the sub-nationalities."

This is the metality we are up against!

In Cyprus they like to talk of two peoples, two cultures, two religions, but in Turkey, the Kurds, and other minorities are not minorities, they are Turks! They conveniently got rid of the christians so that they wouldn't have the issue of 'different' religions to deal with.

One rule for Cyprus, another rule for their own country.

[mehmet]

Have you been to Turkey? Have you been to Istanbul? Have you seen the churches that are today still open and serving the Greek community living there?

They conveniantly got rid of the Christians?

If Greece didn't try to occupy the remains of the Ottoman Empire they might still today occupy Izmir. Back then the Sultan was in the pockets of the British and the Greeks were the most favoured nation of the British.

Have you not heard of the changes in the legal status of Kurds recently.

It's your mentality and attitude towards Turkey that needs reassessing.

[-mikkie2-]

So, we have a thriving Greek community..... in Instanbul!

After the exchange of populations in 1924, there were approx 100000 Greeks in Turkey. Now there are a couple of thousand living in Instanbul.

Contrast this in Greece where there were around 100000 Turks in 1924 and there are now 200000+!

Now, which community has thrived and continues to thrive?

In Turkey, the Greeks have become an insignificant minority. The state of Turkey is very happy with that fact. The Greeks are akin to a zoo to show the 'secularism' of Turkey.

[brother]

MOVE OVER EVERYONE THE RIGHTOUS MIKKIE THE GREEK HAS SPOKEN AND EVERYONE IS BAD EXCEPT THE GREEKS.

LOOK INTO HISTORY WELL, UNTIL RECENTLY GREECE WAS MAKING SECOND CLASS CITIZENS OF THE TURKS, ALBANIANS ETC. WHERE WERE THEIR HUMAN RIGHTS, DO NOT SIT THERE AND PLAY THE RIGHTOUS WHEN YOU OBVIOUSLEY ARE NOT.

[mehmet]

The Greek community in Istanbul is as significant as the Turkish Cypriot community in RoC so stop trying to score points.

[-mikkie2-]

Who is trying to score points?

You make out that Turkey has a thriving Greek community where it is proved that the greek community has been whitled down to almost nothing over a number the years.

They have been reduced to an insignificant minority that is easy to handle.

In contrast in Greece the numbers of Turks has increased significantly.

Now I am not arguing whether the Turks of Greece are being or have been persecuted. I am simply stating a fact regarding respective numbers and leave it up to people to decide which community is thriving!