Cyprus-Forum.com

[Othellos]

we T/Cs who are a little more mature in these matters than your side, have to live with these people everyday, we cant be as cynical and cold-blooded as you.

Not if you live in Santa Clara, CA.

O.

[-mikkie2-]

If people chose to leave Cyprus that is one thing. Forcing them to do so is another.

Erol,

I have never suggested that settlers be FORCED to leave. I said settlers should be given the INCENTIVE to leave which is not the same thing. Most people if given financial incentive would probably choose to do so.

[-mikkie2-]

Kelebek

And after your reasons for why the settlers should stay you sign off with:

Return of Pontian Greeks to Greece, Return of Greek troops, Recognition of T/C genocide

[KELEBEK]

Othellos

Not if you live in Santa Clara, CA.

So? I live in the US. big deal. Most T/Cs in the World live outside Cyprus, that is a sad fact but true. Thanks to G/C agression before 1974 and during 1974 there are T/C in almost corner of the World.

We came here after 1974 when our house was under attack by local G/C bandits. Most local G/C knew my father as he was the only local doctor and helped everybody when they were sick, but none came to his aid, nobody hesitated looting his house for one minute, great neighbours!

My father now works in a hospital in the bay area of San Francisco and my mother in Santa Cruz, we came here because we were not allowed to enjoy our lives and exercise our rights in Cyprus.

[KELEBEK]

mikkie

Kelebek

And after your reasons for why the settlers should stay you sign off with:

What I am saying is that no T/C govt of whatever political party will sign a deal where all Turkish settlers will leave. Its just not realistic, it will never happen.

I am not against some Turkish settlers leaving, the ones that arrived recently but not all of them for obvious reasons. The vast majority arrived a long time ago and would have to be accomadated in a settlement.

What I am against more than anything is the suggestion that only the Turkish settlers leave and not the Pontians. I think this is unfair and it will give greater political power to your community over ours.

I am trying to make you see that there are two sides to every coin, but of course you think its OK for Greek settlers from Pontus to settle in Cyprus but not OK for Kurds/Turks to do so. You simply wont find a T/C who will agree with you on this one.

[KELEBEK]

mikkie

Kelebek

And after your reasons for why the settlers should stay you sign off with:

What I am saying is that no T/C govt of whatever political party will sign a deal where all Turkish settlers will leave. Its just not realistic, it will never happen.

I am not against some Turkish settlers leaving, the ones that arrived recently but not all of them for obvious reasons. The vast majority arrived a long time ago and would have to be accomadated in a settlement.

What I am against more than anything is the suggestion that only the Turkish settlers leave and not the Pontians. I think this is unfair and it will give greater political power to your community over ours.

I am trying to make you see that there are two sides to every coin, but of course you think its OK for Greek settlers from Pontus to settle in Cyprus but not OK for Kurds/Turks to do so. You simply wont find a T/C who will agree with you on this one.

[KELEBEK]

Hey do you know what the funny thing is?

Pontians are from Turkey. So we have two lots of Turkish settlers!

[Alexandros Lordos]

We came here after 1974 when our house was under attack by local G/C bandits. Most local G/C knew my father as he was the only local doctor and helped everybody when they were sick, but none came to his aid, nobody hesitated looting his house for one minute, great neighbours!

My father now works in a hospital in the bay area of San Francisco and my mother in Santa Cruz, we came here because we were not allowed to enjoy our lives and exercise our rights in Cyprus.

Kelebek,

I am sorry to hear about the pain that was inflicted on your family in 1974, and I understand your feelings of anger.

My own family was from the northern part of the island, and ofcourse we had to abandon our homes in 1974, so I also remember growing up in a very tense and troubled psychological climate ...

My family also moved abroad after the war in search of a better life, but we eventually resettled in Cyprus, sometime in the 1980s.

When the barriers opened last year I tried to visit the home I was born in, but unfortunately it is now in a military zone and I was not allowed access to it.

Pain is mutual, my friend ... your side has suffered, my side has suffered, we have all suffered because of our own stupidities and because of the insensitivity of those who like to treat countries as if they are pawns in a game of chess ...

Concerning the settlers, I acknowledge that most of us Greek Cypriots tend to view this issue without humanity, essentially because we do not have any actual contact with these people, therefore ideology prevails. You are probably right to point out - Erol also - that most Turkish Cypriots have by now developed compassion for settlers, since they share their daily life with them ...

I also agree with you - and Erol - that the solution of the problem is certainly not to ship them all back home. This is inhuman and it would tear apart the fabric of Turkish Cypriot society. The real solution of the problem, in my mind, is to:

a. Make arrangements for those settlers who have only been here for a few years to be relocated elsewhere, ideally back in their original homes. They probably feel more emotionally linked to their original homes than to Cyprus, and I suspect that for many of them we would actually be doing them a favor by giving them the opportunity to return to their ancestral homes - especially if they are also given some money (from international donors) to make their relocation more viable.

b. Develop social policies that will encourage the full integration of those settlers who will remain, into Cypriot society. Teach them the history of Cyprus, help to raise their level of education, give them the opportunity to learn English and Greek so that they have better employment prospects in a re-United Cyprus.

c. Ensure that, after a settlement, settlers do not have priority control of property over original Greek Cypriot owners. This is necessary otherwise we will most probably descend into bloodshed and violence: Asking Greek Cypriots to accept that many of the settlers should remain in Cyprus is one thing, and maybe they could tolerate it with extensive re-education. But telling them that the settlers will stay in the homes that belong to Greek Cypriots is tantamount to adding insult to injury ...

Anyway, these are my thoughts on the matter ... and if I may ask you now a personal question: Would you consider returning to Cyprus if a permanent solution is found? You'll be surprised to hear that most Greek Cypriots actually favor the return of Turkish Cypriots from emigration ...

[erolz]

If people chose to leave Cyprus that is one thing. Forcing them to do so is another.

Erol,

I have never suggested that settlers be FORCED to leave. I said settlers should be given the INCENTIVE to leave which is not the same thing. Most people if given financial incentive would probably choose to do so.

And you would consent to a settlement that did not force any settlers to leave Cyprus, but only offered incentives to them to do so? Do you think that would satisfy a majority of GC on the settler issue?

[Alexandros Lordos]

If people chose to leave Cyprus that is one thing. Forcing them to do so is another.

Erol,

I have never suggested that settlers be FORCED to leave. I said settlers should be given the INCENTIVE to leave which is not the same thing. Most people if given financial incentive would probably choose to do so.

And you would consent to a settlement that did not force any settlers to leave Cyprus, but only offered incentives to them to do so? Do you think that would satisfy a majority of GC on the settler issue?

I can answer that ... no, it certainly wouldn't.