Cyprus-Forum.com

[Viewpoint]

What Gcs appear to conveniently forget is what alternative did they have when all hell broke loose partition or enosis? do Gcs really expect TCs to haven choosen enosis? You are all aware of what the outcome would have been for us and believe me it would not have been a tea party, probably wiped out in a matter of hours buried 6ft under and long forgotten. War is bad under any circunstances but at least we did not advocate the annihaltion of all GCs like the Sampson, Grivas and Makarios had in store for us.
Frightneing that people even today feel that we TCs shoud not have fought back, when backed into a corner and your life is at stake and all hell as broken loose you fight back with all your might, this is a very natural reaction.

[michalis5354]

Well Said Viewpoint!totally agree with you!

[miltiades]

issy1956 , I agree with you that the majority of Turkish Cypriots do not want partition now and I also take on board what you say regarding "defensive reaction against Enosis " I also accept that their Yes vote was indeed an indication that they wanted to live with their GCs country men in peace. Im one of those who although did not cast a vote at the referendum , had I been able to my vote would have been a resounding NO. Im an advocate of a free united Cyprus where justice and human rights are prevalent and accorded to all its citizens. The Annan plan , certainly was a brave effort to achieve a settlement , but giving the type of rights to a nation , ie Turkey, that the overwhelming majority of the Cypriot indigenous population consider as the aggressor and the invader - and it does not matter that Turkish Cypriots interpretation differs from that widely given to this act world wide-
that meant that most GCs would have rejected it as indeed they did. You must also consider the feelings of the 80% who do not consider Turkey to be their protector , or indeed a nation that they should look up to for moral guidance.My own belief , and I stated that many times , is that all Cypriots must demand from their leaders to come together , build that bridge that will lead to peace , and when almost there , raise the CYPRIOT FLAG and shout from the top of their voices Turkish troops out , Greek Troops out . Cyprus for the Cypriots , who have so much in common. A bloody piece of cloth is responsible for so much bloodshead , Yes I hate Nationalistic stupidity that forces perfectly reasonable human beings to stoop so low and kill for none other reason than the love of their flag.Talking about flags , it would be a good step towards peace if that monstrocity on pentadaktilos is removed , it is abhorent and only helps to infuriate all victims of the Cyprus catastrophy. Why not put the Cyprus flag instead and judge the results of such magnanimus gesture. But it takes guts.

[GreekCypriotGurl_UK]

michalis

Then stay there and Cry Cry Cry for another 1000 years like a spoilt child and until you get bored LOL. But dont blame the rest of the planet ; USA , Japan , Fiji Islands, Zimbabowe and TURKEY!

well michalis what do you suggest i become a sell out like you did you see me blaming other countrys why you lying for i only blame TURKEY and the turkish Cypriots and American goverment and the UK goverment i am not a spoilt child i am against the injustice and i do not agree with you that we should negociate with criminals i know that not all greek Cypriots are sell outs like you or else in 1000 years time like you say our greatgreat grand children will all be speaking turkish and have names like mehmet

[kalahari]

Hi gCg, it's that Turkish Spy Kalahari here.

So you're opposed to the UK government then? Well you know what to do don't you? Go back to Cyprus! There, that was easy wasn't it. Forgive my poor English, but being a Turk I have a slender grasp on the language, not like you, oh cerebral one.

Lots of love, kiss kiss kiss.

Kal.

[Piratis]

Piratis-what nonense you talk about the TC's being brainwashed by a partition dream. Why cant you face the truth that at that time they feared for their lives in the south and went to where they thought they would be safer.

Issy, the inter-communal conflict had mostly ended in 1968. After that and until the Turkish invasion had started the incidents between GCs and TCs were almost non existent, to start again after the beginning of the Turkish invasion. (the coup, until the beginning of the Turkish invasion, was after the GC supporters of Makarios and not after TCs).

Just like enosis has been the dream of GCs, taksim (partition) has been the dream of TCs for decades. Unfortunately the leadership of no community truly accepted independence and they kept "dreaming".

Here is a quote from an anti-EOKA british site (since I don't like to use quotes from pro-Greek websites)

The Turkish community was whipped into a frenzy by broadcasts from Turkey calling for the partition of Cyprus. Violence between the turks and Cypriots broke out in early June and climaxed when eight Greeks were massacred in a cornfield near the Turkish village of Geunyeli.
http://www.britains-smallwars.com/cyprus/war.html

The above happened during the British rule.

Not believing into a single Cypriot identity was the fault of both communities.

Its probably true that Turkey used the TC's for their own strategic reasons but what did you expect and the idiotic Junta and their Cypriot puppets gave them their excuse.

True.

It is also true that Turkey having intervened should have disarmed all the armed groups, restored the 1960 constitution which was the basis of their excuse to intervene in the first place and got the hell out of Cyprus perhaps leaving a token force behind.

True

What separated the two communities in Cyprus in the first place in my view is the adherence of the GC's to the Hellenism ideal and Enosis -that was the root cause of the problem and you also underestimate the damage that was done the intercommunal relations in the previous period 1963-1974.

The two communities were separated since the times of the Ottomans. I agree that the adherence of the GC's to enosis was part of the problem, the other part being the adherance of TCs to partition. The root of the problem is therefore that Cypriots were split into 2 separate groups having separate aims.
The solution, as I said before, is to finally end this apartheid and racist separation, and have equal citizens of one democratic independent country were the human rights of all are respected. As long as in Cyprus we have two conflicting groups the problems will not end.

[GreekCypriotGurl_UK]

well i have a question for anyone who can answer me on this i also know that maronaites and armenians where also part of the minority as well as the turkish Cypriots in north Cyprus before 1974 since the Greek Cypriots where all racist nationalist supported EOKA B like a few people on here claim and wanted Cyprus only for Greeks did makarios and GC's opress the maronites and Armenians as well as the turkish Cypriots for not being Greek ?

[Issy1956]

Piratis
Quote:The two communities were separated since the times of the Ottomans.
Are you sure? Do you really mean this-what about the mixed villages? My understanding that the physical separation and we can argue about the motivation started in the late 50's and early 60's. I have said before and I will repeat again partition for the TC was a reaction to Enosis-its bad enough being a threatened minority of 18% in Cyprus-union with Greece would have meant total annihilation of the TC's in Cyprus (not necessarily by massacres but simply diffusion and natural wastage)-look at what happened to the Turks in Crete.
Furthermore you may say that the vioence had ended by 1968 but the conditions for the TC's trapped in enclaves, enomically strangled were hardly ideal-a lot of left then for pure economic reasons. Its probably true to say that had the coup not happened the GC would have achieved their aim of forcing the TC to accept a much diminished TC population to accept a minority rights settlement.
I applaud the sentiments expressed by my friend Miltiades for us to look forward to a bright future as Cypriots first and foremost but unless you learn from the mistakes of the past you will be condemned to repeat them.
About flags I totally agree and I find it offensive that everywhere I go in the south I see nothing but Greek flags ( a foreign country after all) I would love to see them banned as well as all other foreign flags -this too would take guts

[miltiades]

issy1956 , You are correct Sir , it will take guts from both sides so lets continue pushing , its uphill but we shall get there .
Kind regards

[michalis5354]

GC girl the Maronites and the Armenians were not as the Turkishcypriots.According to the constitution the two official languages of the republic are Greek and Turkish . Also according to the constitution the Vice president of the republic was a Turksih Cypriot and the President a Greekcypriot. You see now the difference. Read the consitution of the republic and you can see what I am saying!

You can not demand from the TCs to accept what the Armenians and the Maronites have. You need to compare like with like you see my point!