Cyprus-Forum.com

[Alexandros Lordos]

Brother, turkcyp

Since you are interested in the settler issue, I would like to ask you a question.

In a hypothetical future peace plan, how would you like the settler issue resolved? Did you consider the Annan Proposal sufficient in this respect, and if not, what did it lack?

I am sure you know why I am asking ...

[brother]

I felt the A5 plan was very vague and it was not clear enough, the criteria should be as plain as the nose on my face as so exact figures can be seen.

[Alexandros Lordos]

What exactly did the A5 Plan say? Can anyone copy-paste the precise text?

[brother]

I will look to see if i can find it.

[turkcyp]

Brother, turkcyp

Since you are interested in the settler issue, I would like to ask you a question.

In a hypothetical future peace plan, how would you like the settler issue resolved? Did you consider the Annan Proposal sufficient in this respect, and if not, what did it lack?

I am sure you know why I am asking ...

Let me tell you my view about settler issues. As I have mentioned in the other topic, there is a wide misconception about who is a settler in GCs minds right now. They think every mainland Turk they see is a settler, but reality is far, far from that. (re. other topic)

So lets focus on what we call settlers. (Group A in the other topic) The people who have came from Turkey to north Cyprus, and became TRNC citizen, and have been living here permanently (not just as a holliday home).

Majority of these people ( I suspect around 70-75% of them have moved to the island after 1974. Most of these people know no life other than Cyprus, and in many cases there have even be a generation change. Older ones dying, in the last 30 years, replaced by the ones which are borned here or moved to here whene they were kids.

I believe these people should not be forced to leave. This would create enormous human cost, (let alone financial cost) and also as I have explained in the other topic it is politically infeasible, and contradicting the de facto situation on the ground.

Other than these initial comers (this is how I try to diferentiate them from the ones that come later during late 80's and 90's for work and obtain citizenship by the political favors of the political parties in every election times), the rest of the settlers (part of Group A again) should be evaluated individially, by applying some concrete tests, like
- How many years they have been living in Cyprus
- Do they have a kid born here
- Do they still have a life back in Turkey to which they can turn to
- etc. etc.

and those who passes these tests should stay as well.

I accept a cap on the number of settlers allowed after the solution, and then the number and specific details about it can be discussed. ( it can be 25000, 40000 or whatever, that is all negotiable for me)

Now turning to the compensation issue. In the eyes of most TCs, including me, the settler issue is a very interesting issue. It has two faces.

One, we can see how many of the initial comers have settled in the north and acclamated many habits of TCs, and go thorugh some weird type of Cypriotization. Seeing that and considering the human cost of sending them back, many of them support substantial amount of them staying here after solution.

But again at the same time, we also realize how unfair many of these settlers has been given land without paying for it, and in many cases have obtained much much more land than many of the TCs. For example my family have got around half of the land they have left in the south, but I know many mainlanders with no rights for land obtaininig much much more land then my family through corrupt politicians, and corrupt system.

I believe they should be forced to leave the part of the land they do not utilize. (Many of them just own the land, without using it and waiting for an opportunity to sell it and cash in, they own so many agricultural land for example without doing any agriculture on it, etc.) The portion of the land they utilize and make some economic use of it they can keep provided that they will pay the price for it to the "Land Commision" (or whatever the name it will take after the solution) so that money can be paid back to their original owners.

Now you will say, many of these people do not have the money to pay. This is the simplest of the issues. In today capital markets, you can find many financial instutions who are willing to give them long term mortgages, so that they can turn back and pay the land commision. and these settlers turn back and pay the financial instutions like anybody else would in the long run (30 years).

Then furthermore we can also say that all the GCs who lost homes to these settlers, with part of the money they have received they were given priority to buy property back in the same village they have left, so that they can ease their emotional pain. There may even be given subsidies for them, etc. etc.

Everybody is happy. Some less,and some more happy than the others. Settlers are less happy because they get to keep the land they use and make it legal, but leave the land they don't use, and pay for the land they use. Some GCs are also less happy because they sell their land to settlers, although they might want to turn back. Some GCs are more happy, because they never wanted to turn back, and they simply started a new life in south and they at least get to paid for a land they have forgone long time ago. And the most happy are the financial instutions who had found this enourmous profit potential out of nothing.

That is my proposal for settler issue, and I know that it is very conroversial to many of GCs but it is proposed in good faith so that you guys can understand where I and many TCs stand.

Have a good day,

[brother]

I was wondering, if turkey gets into the E.U will that not give the settlers the right to live in cyprus anyway.

So with the current developments in the world should we not drop that issue in cyprus.

One less topic to disagree on.

[erolz]

I was wondering, if turkey gets into the E.U will that not give the settlers the right to live in cyprus anyway.

Well it remains to be seen what restrictions on freedom of Turks to work and live anywhere in the EU, should they acceed to the union, will be and if they will be permanent or transitionary.

[brother]

But that restriction would come unstuck in the courts of human rights, you can not be a full member and only benefit say 70%.

[-mikkie2-]

Brother,

People, even in the EU, can't just come and go as they please. They can only come and go only if they can pay their own way.

In Cyprus, Turks with nothing have come to Cyprus and been given other peoples land for free! Thats the big difference. Turkcyp for exapmle seems to think that people that have come from Turkey and been given 'trnc' citizenship are effectively legal. Well they are not, considering the basis on which they are in Cyprus is that they were given land that is owned by someobody else.

In the UK, people from other EU countries can come and go as they please but that does not give them automatic right to be given state benefits as they have not contributed to the state system. If they can support themselves then there is no problem. The same would go for Cyprus and any other EU member state.

[Bananiot]

It has just been announced that another 30 000 settlers were today given "citizenship of the TRNC". The decision was taken by the "parliament" with only Akinci and the small progressive parties voting against.