Cyprus-Forum.com

[metecyp]

Those of you who is opposed to Annan plan, please tell me a solution that can be accepted by the majority of TCs and GCs. Don't forget that your solution should also satisfy the EU, UK, Greece, and Turkey (whether we like it or not, these countries will always be in the equation). Tell me also how and when your solution can be implemented.

The reason why I'm asking this is that simplying saying "No" to the plan is not enough. You have to tell us an alternate solution. The situation is very suitable for a solution right now. The Turkish government, military, and majortiy of TCs are ready for a solution, and this has never happenned before. Greece is also in favor of Annan plan, along with the EU. Everybody is in favor of a solution based on Annan plan except GCs.

So I ask those people who refuse the plan, tell us an alternate solution that will be accepted by all interested parties, and give us a time frame because we don't want to wait another 30 years for a solution.

[Piratis]

Don't forget that your solution should also satisfy the EU, UK, Greece, and Turkey.

I would take the EU and Greece out of your list.
Greece would be satisfied with whatever solution we want as long as they don't have to get into too much trouble (e.g. sending a lot of army or supporting us financially).

EU would accept about any solution as long as the new state would be able to function within EU without creating problems to the Union.

The real problem are UK and Turkey because these two countries want a military presence in Cyprus.
UK wants to secure that their bases will stay here forever and if possible continue to pay nothing for them.
Turkey also wants to maintain an army in Cyprus and wants to be able to control the north of the island as well as the airspace and sea between Cyprus and Turkey.

The Turkish government, military, and majority of TCs are ready for a solution

I agree that the majority of T/Cs are ready, but I have doubts about Turkish government and especially Turkish army.
If we say "no" and the Cyprus problem will not be in front of them in December and they get the "date" that would be perfect for them. Their objective is to enter the EU and not to solve the Cyprus problem.

So I ask those people who refuse the plan, tell us an alternate solution that will be accepted by all interested parties, and give us a time frame because we don't want to wait another 30 years for a solution.

If today there was a solution that could satisfy all interested parties then we would be implementing this solution already.

I have no doubt that a solution that will satisfy the majorities of both T/C and G/C can be found without much difficulty. If we were united we could find a solution that would benefit all Cypriots.
Unfortunately some decades ago our people were naive villagers and the British were professors in these kind of things. They applied their "divide and rule" formula very successfully.

So I really don't know of any magic formulas. Its all about interests and balance of power and nobody knows how all these will develop in the future.
What I know is that the current balance of power does not allow for an acceptable solution to be found.

Except if you realize that by following the Turkish interests will not get you anywhere and you take your future to your own hands. Of course with 40.000 Turkish troops and 100.000 settlers even if you wanted it would be extremely difficult to escape from Turkey.

[Piratis]

Since you ask for, here is the basis for a plan that I believe should satisfy the majority of G/C and the majority of T/C (settlers not included) . This of course is just theoretical since as I said before Turkey wants to control Cyprus and currently will not accept such thing.

Name: United Cyprus
Flag: yellow background with green shape of Cyprus in the middle
Anthem: New one, with alternative words in both Greek and Turkish.

The system will be federation. Two states and a strong central government.

Each component state will have its own government, police, fire department, educational system etc. It can also have its own laws as long as they do not go against the laws of the central government and the EU laws.

The central government will have a president a vice president and ministers. The president and the vice president should not be from the same community and no community should have less than 25% of the ministers.
The central government will have its own police, something like the American FBI which will be above the component state police and it will take care of very serious matters or matters that happen in both states. In this “FBI” no community should have less than 20%.

The constitution and matters of great importance will need a special majority to change. This means the majority of G/C AND the majority of T/C will be needed.

All settlers should be compensated (50% by Cyprus and 50% by Turkey) and leave Cyprus. The ones that are married with T/C or they were born in Cyprus and feel that Cyprus is their country will have the option to stay.

All foreign troops should leave Cyprus and Cyprus should be totally demilitarized. EU should guarantee the safety.

The T/C state will keep about 25% of the land. All refugees will be gradually allowed to return to their homes but maybe not get all their properties back and be compensated instead. The T/C that live in villages that will be returned, with the compensation they will receive they can buy the house from the G/C that owns it. If G/C does not agree, they can use this compensation to buy/build another house in the same village. This means they will not be required to leave their village.

EU and central government should make sure that the T/C state gets the financial support needed to come quickly up to the same level with the G/C state.

Many things of the above, like the return of land and refugees and the removal of foreign armies should happen gradually over an agreed timetable. Meanwhile measures for trust building and developing of our Cypriot id above any Greek or Turkish ones will take place. Also the educational system should change to a more Cypriot centric one.



Ok, this is just very brief of course but you get the idea. If you agree on the general idea then we can discuss it further.

[metecyp]

The T/C state will keep about 25% of the land. All refugees will be gradually allowed to return to their homes but maybe not get all their
properties back and be compensated instead.

I guess my main concern is how will TCs have their own state while all GC refugees return back? There are 200.000 GC refuges. Let's say 100.000 of them will return back to the land in the north that will be given to the GC state. So they're ok. What about 100.000 remaining? If they can all return back, that means there will be 100.000 GCs living in the TC state. That will be a major concern since the total TC population is probably not more than 120.000 after Turks leave. So how would TCs call their state as their own when there are almost an equal number of GCs living in their state? This is still a major concern in Annan plan, some say that TC state created in the north is not actually pure TC state and this might be a problem at the beginning.

[Piratis]

Although all refugees returning is very theoretical (most of them lived all or most of their lives in south) , I can see your point. One of the reasons this problem exists is that you are 18% and you will get a lot more ground. If T/C state had 18% of land then this wouldn’t exist.
Anyways, I will not ask you to take less than 25% of land, so we could arrange it differently. We could say that G/C can not exceed the 40% of the population of the T/C state? And start from a lower percentage and go to 40% gradually? This is a derivation from human rights, but in this case it is ok since the possibility of all refugees returning is as I said before totally theoretical.

What I don’t agree is this "pure TC state" that you said. The point is to have a united Cyprus where the population will be mixed and not separated.