by Natty » Mon Jul 24, 2006 6:45 pm
From what I can see the TC elite when the British arrived aligned themselves with The British to as to retain the power they had kept, also I believe that they thought that if Britian ever 'gave up' Cyprus, they would 'give it back' to Turkey, so they were obvioulsy against enosis, plus both Turkey and the TC elite had always opposed majority rule on the Island. Also when the British 'took over', the Ottomons or the 'Muslim population' as the TC's were then called, were not a cohesive political force unlike the Greek Cypriots, they did not as far as I can tell, indentify with the TC elite and were suspicious of the new Turkish State that was emerging, however after the introduction of the Turkish education system, which was more politicaly nationalistic than the previous religious based system, which was resisted at first, by the British, they began to identify themselves with 'Turkey'. The British as far as I can see, took the political differences between the GC's and the TC elite and took advantage of them, so as to neutralize the Greek agitation for self determination.
Dr Fazil Kuchuk, in his newspaper Halkin Sesi (Voice of the people) on 17th August 1954, before the Greek Cypriot revolt against the British had even begun, wrote,
"Cyprus let it be remebered was untill 1878, a part of the Turkish Empire. In 1878 the Island was ceded to Great Britian as a security against Russian threat. Great Britian took over Cyprus on the undertaking that she would hand her back to Turkey as soon as this threat was abated or receded. From 1878 untill 1914 Great Britian ruled the Island on trust for Turkey, but when in 1914 Turkey joined forces with the axis, Cyprus was annexed to the British Empire. There is no need to look into the legality or the the legal effects annexation. Let us grant that it is was legal and correct from all points of view. Nevertheless , having the regard to the close association of the two countries (Britian-Turkey), the ever increasing soviet threat to humanity and world security and the moral side of the question, it should be abundantly clear to all intelligent men that Great Britain cannot consider the handing over of the goverment to any nation except with the full consent and approval of it's former owner-Turkey. Turkey was the undisputed owner of this house just before Great Britian took it over on trust. If world events have ended that 'trust' during 1914-18, subsequent world events have certainly revived from all moral points of view. The position of world events of world events affairs today as far as they concern Great Britain and Turkey are the same as they were in 1878. There is the Russian pressure on Turkey, coupled with the bonds of Friendship and alliance between Turkey and Britain. The cause of ceding Cyprus to Britain is still continuing; the time to consider handing back Cyprus to it's former owner therefore may not have arrived. But if Great Britain is going to consider this enosis question at all or is going to quit the Island she has a legal as well as a moral duty to call Turkey and hand Cyprus back to Turkey, and ask the Turkish goverment to deal with the enosis problem which the tolerant and il advised British administration has fostered on the Island. From a legal as well as moral point of view, Turkey, as the initial owner of the island just before the British occupation, has a first option to Cyprus. The matter does not end there. From a worldwide political points of view as well as from Geographical and strategical points of view Cyprus must be handed to Turkey if Great Britian is going to quit. This has been the attitude of the Turkish goverment. They have never taken the Greek campaign for enosis seriously because they beleived that Great Britian's decision not to quit the Island was an unassailable answer to the whole question;but they made it emphatically clear that if great Britain ever considers leaving the Island than the turkish goverment has a great interest in the ownership of Cyprus. The Turkish youth in Turkey, in fact, has grown up with the ideA that as soon as Great Britain leaves the Island the island will automatically be taken over by the Turks. It must be clear to all conserned that Turkey cannot tolerate seeing one of her former Islands, lying 40 miles off hre shore, handed over to a weak neighbour thousands (sic) miles away, which is politically sa well as finacially on the vrege of bankruptcy."
