Cyprus: seeking the wrong solution?

Thu, Dec 22, 2011 by Alfred A Farrugia in Washington  FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE

A Cyprus settlement for the reunification of Cyprus, its people, its economy and society, … has eluded us for over 37-years.” These are the words of the Hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, Dr. Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis expressed in the course of her informative presentation at the Director’s Forum of the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC, on December 20.

The Law of the Sea Vs. a sea of inconsistencies

An answer to  The Law of the Sea: Turkey vs. Cyprus by Alper Ali Rıza 13 Dec 2011 Today's Zaman  by Dr G. Pamboridis , 14 December 2011 , 17:06 - Even though the affiliations of the author could not be hidden, I have to say this is one of the most open minded articles I have read from a person of Turkish decent (if I assume correctly). I must applaud. With all respect though, International Law is not only Treaty Law; it is primarily Customary Law and it is not subject to the adherence of Turkey to it, through the ratification of the Law of the Sea Convention. 

The EU can get angry too, as it turns out

At a meeting on Thursday afternoon in Brussels with President of Cyprus Demetris Christofias, President of the Socialists Group at the European Parliament Martin Schulz was asked to comment on Turkey`s recent behavior as regards the Cyprus issue and the threats Ankara has launched against Cyprus` sovereign right to explore and exploit any hydrocarbon reserves in its Exclusive Economic Zone, Schulz said “I was angry and I told it to the Turkish Minister of EU Affairs Egemen Bagis“.

Dominos

"Kurds [of Syria] have learned their lessons from the past and are following a strategy which is quite shrewd" Nihat Ali Ozcan

"The power vacuum and the Kurdish sovereign region [in Syria] that will emerge in the wake of the breakdown of the regime will mean the start of new problems for Turkey" NAO

The price of wanting to be

Kurds want their mother-tongue not to be unknown in the country where they live and constitute circa 25% of the population. Those who deny them are the very same people who in the case of another's nation's like-sized percentage-wise ethnic minority, that of Cyprus, consider such request a self-evident truth and a mere starting point for more community-based rights favoring the minority.

Is it too much to ask of Turkey's ethnic-Turkish majority community to use same principles?

 

Turkish police is brutally treating Kurds.  The song is in the language that does not exist!

A President and a Dr.

"Turkey must also work to support a Cyprus settlement, and open its ports to the Republic of Cyprus as it has committed to do. A Cyprus settlement would have benefits extending well beyond the island, from aviation safety to more efficient EU/NATO co-operation. Negotiations on a comprehensive settlement have now reached an intensive phase and we welcome the commitment of President Christofias and Dr Eroğlu to work within the UN framework for a successful outcome."

Audronis Ažubalis, Carl Bildt, Edgars Rinkēvičs, Erkki Tuomioja, Guido Westerwelle, Giulio Terzi, János Martonyi, Karel Schwarzenberg, Samuel Žbogar, Urmas Paet and William Hague are the foreign ministers of Lithuania, Sweden, Latvia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Estonia and the UK.

Loot weighing heavy on the conscience?

"The majority of the Turkish Cypriots welcomed the Turkish intervention in Cyprus with excitement which turned into real holiday joy when they got to share the property left behind by the Greek Cypriots luxurious buildings, houses, factories, hotels became the property of Turkish Cypriots, It all happened so suddenly, The cheerful childlike Turkish Cypriots were dipping their hand into a goody bag as they took over or ransacked the beautiful Greek Cypriot houses.

You, the Greeks of Cyprus, are crazy

You Greeks are crazy. You the Greeks of Cyprus, who I have gotten to know well. In order to avoid negativeness, I must clarify that I came to your island out of love for the Greek civilisation. Greek mythology was my favourite book, for years I have resorted to its pages and I have almost memorized it. In the village I was born, a neighbouring family had given ancient Greek names to all their 7 children such as Αριστείδης (Aristides), Ιάσονας (Jason), Σωκράτης (Socrates), Αντιγόνη (Antigone). A ‘smart’ compatriot of yours, a smartass rather, who wasn’t comfortable with the black Zulu children with ancient Greek names, said: What have the Zulus got to do with Homer and Plato? Our neighbour, the father of the children, replied with pride: Greeks now have the whole planet as their homeland.

Democratic enough?

Let's say several of us Cypriots (gCs, tCs,aCs, mCs, lCs *), residents of Cyprus and friends of Cyprus come up with a constitution based on a unitary state and away from the BBF (federation) basis.

We do our best to make it EU acquis compatible and fair for the small and large ethnic minority communities of Cyprus. We even seek the advice and blessings of the Council of Europe. We also address the sensitive and gradual undoing to the maximum extend possible of the damage done in 1974 and the ensuing division/ occupation/ethnic cleansing/ demographic alteration.

Don Quixotian condition

Sometimes, without realizing it even, some of us come across as the typical Cypriot that has been conditioned to assume a defeatist attitude. He/she sees Ergenekon/ TSK/ CHP/ MIT/ AKP/ TMT teeth that prevent him/her from thinking, logically and clairvoyantly, possibilities through to the end. Not a pretty sight, I have to admit, those fierce grey wolves' teeth. But are they really there in the path which is proposed?

Catch-22

Caroline's catch 22 statement is of course correct. We are indeed in a situation in which the desired outcome is impossible to attain because of a set of inherently illogical rules or conditions. I consider 1960, 1974, 77&79 (the BBF basis) and Turkey's illegal TSK & settler presence all integral parts that maintain our catch-22 predicament. This is why the problem definition needs to be revisited.

What's the name for it?

What do you call the act of changing a nation's ethnic map in less than a month as depicted in the maps attached?

Is a similar act the solution to Turkey's Kurdish problem?

"While many Kurds are ready to remain within a unitary Turkish state so long as they can have full cultural rights, for most Turks the idea of Turkish Cypriots accepting simply minority status in a Greek-Cypriot dominated Republic of Cyprus is anathema. Why?" - Kirsty Hughes

What's good for the goose is good for the gander

I am convinced the Turkish & Kurdish people of Turkey at large are ready to embrace the thinking "what's good for the goose (tCs/gCs) is good for the gander (Kurds/Turks)". Just enough democracy has crept into the country to allow the genie out of the bottle. It's just a matter of time for the analogy to take up it's rightful place in public discussion.

Addressing the conference

Dear Ladies & Gentlemen:

I hope you address the following questions at your conference:
8th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON "EU, TURKEY AND THE KURDS"

• Q1 - While Turkey expects international support for its Cyprus solution, based on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality between the two communities, it argues the precise opposite for its own Kurdish citizens. Why?

Slaves

Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 02-07-29 -- Arif Hasan Tahsin writing in AFRIKA (27.07.02) describes Turkey's presence in the occupied area as occupation. Replying to comments by Dogan Harman of KIBRISLI newspaper, Tahsin, inter alia, says ...

Language genocide

Kurt identified constraints on the Kurdish language with the “language genocide” concept in international literature and summarized the practices of this genocide as “completely or partially exterminate a language or a dialect and to prevent the language’s natural development”. Kurt defined the concept of “language genocide” as follows;

Why?

Twelve year old stone-throwing Kurdish "terrorist" effectively tackled by the Turkish army (November 2011).

8th International Conference on "EU, Turkey and the Kurds"

PLEASE, ALL CYPRIOTS WHO CARE ENOUGH, send this to all politicians you know and demand that they ensure Cyprus' (Rep. of) presence at the '7–8/12/2011, 8th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EU, TURKEY AND THE KURDS' event. We must ask Turkey a few simple questions for the world to hear, not for the hypocrites to heed:

Lies, lies and lies

George Bernard Shaw said "The liar's punishment is not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else". Turkey lies so much it is no longer possible to keep track. New lies are built on old lies, which in the Turkish mind have taken a reality of their own. And time, coupled with western indifference, allows for the newer additions to the collection of lies to become the enhanced Turkish reality. And as Shaw predicts Turkey's punishment is that she cannot believe anyone else. How tragic for an entire nation to be trapped in the labyrinth of its own lies. Enough Erdoganochhio, enough!

The lesser of two evils, yet both spelling disaster!

Makarios had many reservations about the Zurich agreements. In the end he signed. This three minute video provides the answer.

Germany turns a blind eye to pressures on civil Kurdish opposition

Germany turns a blind eye to pressures on civil Kurdish opposition 

Monday, November 14, 2011
RALF FÜCKS

It is no coincidence that Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan recently accused German political foundations of supporting the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) both politically and financially. The accusations are unfounded but calculated. Their aim is to isolate the civil Kurdish opposition on an international level and to suppress any form of collaboration with it.

We'll have what they are having!

 

Did you know that the lady delivering the end punch line is actually Billy Crystal's mother? Imagine she is a Kurd and Meg Ryan is a Turkish Cypriot. Doesn't the punch line make perfect sense, be it with 1960, 1974, 2004 or 2011 community rights? I bet ya the Kurd is not gonna change her order! And we have ethnic Turks' Turkey to thank.

They will be solved together, period!

The following article by Sinan Dirlik, who served as "TRNC" Presidential Turkey Media Relations Consultant in the years 2005-2009, appeared in Yeni Düzen on 27 August 2011.

Turkey will be unable to democratise until it solves two big problems: the Cyprus and Kurdish problems. What is more, these are two fundamental problems that we must solve simultaneously or, at the very least, consecutively.

Welcome to Cyprus ...

Turkey illegally invaded, divided, ethically cleansed, occupies and colonizes Cyprus against international law, the Geneva conventions, human rights and common sense. Cypriots did not fall. They chose instead to stand back up on their own two feet, rebuilt their house, cherished their United Nations legitimacy, insured their Republic further by making it an integral part of the wider European family, energized it with trillions of cubic meters of gas, solidified their relations with all major powers, and proclaim to the world they will give to 80.000 tCypriots in Cyprus no more rights than Turkey is willing to grant her 16-18 millions Kurds.

Cypriots can now confidently say to Turkey: "Welcome to Cyprus, bitch! Your days are numbered"

To federate or not to federate?

Hillary Clinton on Nov 1st: ''The United States supports the UN’'s mediation on the Cyprus issue, and we believe that public rhetoric on all sides must be kept to a minimum to give the parties space needed to achieve a solution ... all parties agree on the fundamental goal of achieving a lasting settlement on the island that results in a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation''

Cyprus Still Divided: a U.S. foreign policy failure

 

I highly recommend you invest the approximately one hour necessary to watch this documentary on recent Cypriot history.

These thoughts of mine sprung from watching the video:

They are angry!

Mehmet Ali Birand 27/10/2011 "However many members the state of the Turkish Republic puts in jail, KCK fills the blanks immediately. There are two states in the region. One is the BDP-KCK formation; the other is the state of the Republic of Turkey. It is openly felt that there is a subtle race, a competition between these two powers. ...

Turkey knows

"Despite all that, Turkey, with its government and public, should never give up being cautious. Although there is no inclination or intention to implement a policy of hard power at the moment, even the seemingly most trivial and little tensions in international relations have the potential of turning into a disaster and spiraling out of control. There are many examples of this. It is very possible for a crisis between two countries to unexpectedly deteriorate into a conflict or a hot confrontation. What is more, an artificial crisis can be stirred up intentionally with the provocation of actors from inside and outside of the country. Therefore, we are of the view that Turkey is or should be rational enough not to carry its military activities to further levels under any circumstances. Additionally, we also believe that Turkey is or should be aware of the fact that tumbling into a military confrontation is bound to result in all the gains and advantages it has scored in recent years going down the drain." - Military activism in Turkish foreign policy: End of soft power approach? 23 October 2011, Sunday / RAMAZAN GÖZEN TODAY'S ZAMAN

The ultimate win-win for Cyprus

"The PKK has shifted its focus to urban attacks against security forces and public employees under a plan to “render the state dysfunctional and hand over the administrative authority in the region to illegal structures under its control,” Gen. Özel said in written response to questions by the NTV news channel." - Army ‘won’t let PKK to seize local power’ Hurriyet Daily News 24 October 2011

How is Kurdish self-administration different than Turkish Cypriot self-segregation in the 1960s? Will they produce similar results? More importantly, should Turkey agree to adopt a 1960-like constitution, rendering its large ethnic minority a constitutional one?

Money talks, Turkish regional ambition walks

David , 23 October 2011 , 19:38 - This is a nightmare scenario for Turkey, Israel, Cyprus and Greece sharing in a gas and possible oil pipeline into the EU, the world's largest energy market. Not only that but there are strong indications that Egypt, with a population larger than Turkey and with huge gas and oil energy reserves of its own will eventually join in with the Cyprus pipeline. The regional influence, the influence within the EU and the billions of dollars generated annually by Cyprus, Greece and Israel from such a project will dwarf even the most grandiose dreams Turkey has of ME regional superiority over its neighbours. 

The mother of all questions

Having followed the Turkish press in English for the last two years or so nothing astonishes me more than the fact that no journalist addresses the obvious question in relation to their country's most urgent and difficult problem: "Why not try granting Kurds those rights we feel tCypriots must enjoy in Cyprus?".

The subject is a taboo and the journalist who dares introduce it into public discussion will be opening a Pandora's box with cataclysmic repercussions for both Turkey's role in Cyprus and its approach towards a solution of the so-called Kurdish issue, or more accurately Kurds' decades' old state terrorism issue. Both countries, RoT and RoC, are in need of a constitutional overhaul of their 1982 and 1960 charters, with the main issue being how to address the rights of their double-digit ethnic minorities.

The defining moment for Cyprus is here. Will anyone speak?

“A constitution that cannot solve the Kurdish issue in Turkey cannot be a new constitution. We are not here to start trouble. We want a solution, but no one should expect us to turn a blind eye to our most fundamental problems,” BDP co-chair Gültan Kışanak said yesterday.

The cross-party parliamentary commission tasked with drafting a new constitution for Turkey presents a unique opportunity for Cypriots to raise the similarities between the rights of the tCypriot minority community of Cyprus and those of Turkey's Kurds. The comparison will unveil the grandeur of the hypocrisy in the thinking of Turkey in Cyprus in the eyes of the international community. The west is ready to listen. Are we bright enough to recognize the defining moment and speak up?

Megalomania

“The AK Party is not only a party of Turkey, it is a party of the world from Mogadishu to Bosnia and Herzegovina, from Damascus to Skopje, from Sana to Bishkek, from Abu Dhabi to Islamabad, from Gaza to Benghazi, from Pristina to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus". Where there is a victim in the world, the AK Party is there by his side. This is the kind of party we are” Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

It's official! I envy tCypriots. The Prime Sinister's comments are spot on for the tCypriot victims who so perfectly fit the bill! And they play the part so darn well!

No!

"Can We Write a New Democratic Constitution?" asks Nuray Mert of Hurriyet Daily News. The simple answer is 'NO'. Hers follows: "Last week, Prof. Burhan Kuzu of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), who is the president of the parliament’s constitution committee, expressed his recent views on the new Constitution in an interview in the Vatan daily under the title of “God will punish those who will be an obstacle for the new constitution!” " Can We Write a New Democratic Constitution? October 16, 2011 Nuray Mert Hurriyet Daily News

Turk vs. Kurd on Al Jazeera

You must spend the 20 or so minutes to watch this. Pay attention to Kurds' need for community rights, for equality with the ethnic Turks of Turkey. In the end, you will come to understand Turkish über hypocrisy for the support of tCypriots' rights in Cyprus.

tCypriots rights enshrined in 1960?

Why can't tCypriots allow themselves to question the soundness of the prime document of the Cyprus Republic, the 1960 constitution? Is it not a fact that the Constitution did not emanate from the free will of the Cyprus people but was imposed upon them by virtue of the London-Zurich agreements, which was the origin of feelings of discontent among the overwhelming majority of Cypriots?

Turkish soul searching!

"What Karayılan refers to is the collective subconscious of the Kurdish people of Turkey, who have always felt abused and deceived. Unless a government does something about this collective subconscious, there will never be basic trust in the state, which is the most basic foundation of any peace process in any country. Because of this collective subconscious, the PKK will never completely lose support from the Kurdish people, no matter what kind of terrible things they do."

Cyprus in 10 minutes (in Greek only)

Brutally honest

I STRONGLY suggest we stop allowing the luxury to tCypriots, hardly over 10% of Cypriot population, to think that they matter more than they do. We do them a disservice when we let them think that they have a say in defining Cyprus' future. Cyprus' future has been sealed as an integral part of the west and the European Union NO THANKS to them.

The Eyes of Zana

“As a matter of fact only one moment explained the whole story; when she [Leyla Zana] raised her head looking at the audience in Parliament after taking her oath. The expression in her eyes reflected her misery of being insulted and a looking down on those who insulted her by making her to read the oath. In my opinion, the Kurdish question is hidden in that moment of her look. She is a Kurd. They are forcing her to read the oath that emphasizes Turkishness. No one has the right to do that to anyone,” Altan [Ahmet Altan, the editor-in-chief of the Taraf daily] says.

A bluff gone sour!

I believe Turkey is playing her last round at the Cyprus poker table. Cyprus, over the years, played her game well given the prevailing power balance. Today we sit on a UN ID, an EU membership, and a potential treasure. We have every reason to be cautiously optimistic. By July 1st 2012 all players will show their hand. Choosing sides means that they all have to state unequivocally their support for the RoC. The alternative means siding with Turkey. Extremely doubtful given the present power balance & Turkey's Islamic tendencies and flirting in all the wrong places.

Kaizen

My favorite Japanese word is neither Toyota nor sushi. It's kaizen. It stuck with me since my MBA days. It is a philosophy of constant, meticulous improvement, in quality and process.

Most of us think revolutions happen overnight because of the abrupt way they manifest themselves. The fact is they happen in kaizen sort of ways, either positive or negative countless steps in the same direction, daily, person to person, soul to soul ... signature to signature.

Be part of our revolution and claim an equal share in its success!
Help us translate the message to even more languages.

tCypriot imperfections!

tCypriots have felt stuck between a rock and a hard place for a long time. Inaction used to be an option. No longer. Turks treat them condescendingly, accusing them of being lesser, imperfect Turks. Their "imperfections" however are exactly what make them Cypriots. It is those "imperfections" that make us all Cypriots, regardless of language. I say to tCypriots: Choose with your heart and the last 50 years will feel like a bad dream in less than 12 months! Vote your agreement or disagreement here (you need to be logged on Facebook).

Daniel Pipes: Is Turkey going rogue?

Daniel Pipes: Is Turkey going rogue?
Daniel Pipes Sep 27, 2011 – 7:30 AM ET | Last Updated: Sep 26, 2011 5:14 PM ET

In a Middle East wracked by coups d’état and civil insurrections, the Republic of Turkey credibly offers itself as a model thanks to its impressive economic growth, democratic system, political control of the military, and secular order.

But, in reality, Turkey may be, along with Iran, the most dangerous state of the region. Count the reasons:

Turkish Cypriot isolation: another neo-Ottoman myth!

   

Civil war

Emre Uslu "Two things have changed. The perception of “Kurds” among Turks has changed. In the 1990s Turks differentiated the Kurds from the PKK. Therefore, they did not associate their Kurdish neighbor with the PKK. Now, however, there is an increasing tendency for Turks not to separate ordinary Kurds from the Kurdish nationalist PKK and its sympathizers. Second of all, the recruitment pool of the PKK has shifted from the southeastern Kurdish-dominated cities to the major metropolitan centers such as İzmir, İstanbul, Mersin and other Aegean coastal cities. Therefore, the new generation of PKK militants now knows how to operate within the urban centers and is able to hit and hide...Its new war strategy is to trigger a civil war between the ordinary Kurds and Turks."

Cyprus' Ithaca in sight?

Cyprus is at long last finding her way in the arms of friends, of nations that share the same western philosophy and outlook on life. The same values of truth and reason. Cyprus is slowly getting where she should have always been.

'Free Cyprus' petition is LIVE

Find here the petition

We, Cypriots & friends of Cyprus from all over the world,

wish to empower the Cypriot political leaders to seek a solution to the problem of Cyprus with Turkey based on international law & to seek to upgrade the Republic's state structures in accordance with universal truth and logic:


no community should be granted special status in the reunited Cyprus Republic. Instead, every legal citizen of the country, whether of Latin, Armenian, Maronite, Turkish, Greek or other heritage, should be able to enjoy equality on a 'one-person, one-vote basis', with full respect of her/his human and cultural rights, as a proud citizen of the European Union.

The Petition We Must All Sign

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/freecyprus/

We, Cypriots & friends of Cyprus from all over the world,

wish to empower the Cypriot political leaders to demand a solution to the problem of Cyprus with Turkey based on international law & to seek to upgrade the Republic's constitution in accordance with universal truth and logic:

no community should be granted special status in the reunited Cyprus Republic. Instead, every legal citizen of the country, whether of Latin, Armenian, Maronite, Turkish, Greek or other heritage, should be able to enjoy equality on a 'one-person, one-vote basis', with full respect of her/his human and cultural rights, as a proud citizen of the European Union.

Vote YES to western common sense!

Turkish Cypriots should not be granted community status in reunited Cyprus, but rather enjoy equality as every Latin, Armenian, Maronite or Greek citizen of the Republic on a one-person-one-vote basis, with full respect of their human and cultural rights. CLICK HERE TO SIGN.

Your signature captures the 76% of 'NO' votes in the Anan plan by people from all walks of life, from the left to the right and beyond. It captures plain common sense, western common sense.

We need a simple message to give our party leaders, regardless who they may be for any of us. We need to lead them and for this we must not antagonize them. 

But a mandate we must give them.

From Super to Sub Cypriot

Talos Samson: "To be greedy is part of how people are, so for Turkish Cypriots they think " Why be just Cypriot?", when they can be "Super Cypriot" and they can get super privileges and disproportionately more power. This will change when the Turkish Cypriots realize that they cannot be "Super Cypriot" and the separation actually makes them "Sub Cypriot" to settlers. Therefore eventually they will realize to demand to be just Cypriot without any racial discrimination." about an hour ago near East Los Angeles, CA

I just want to add, that if tCypriots do not come to their senses soon, the only status they may end up with in Cyprus is that of 'Gone Cypriot'!

Kurds pursue tCypriot-style self-segregation

Erdoğan: “But if they [Kurds] do not come [back to parliament], that’s not a deficiency for Turkish democracy... That’s their deficiency, they are the losers,” Erdoğan said. “And let me put it very openly and clearly – sooner or later they will come to this parliament.”

tCypriots in the 60s removed themselves from Cypriot parliament & pursued a policy of self-segregation, ending in the 1974 invasion, division, occupation and colonization of Cyprus, against the UN charter and the Geneva conventions. How "successful" will Kurds be without outside support?

Cyprus bolsters EU's energy security

The President of the European People's Party (EPP), Wilfried Martens, reacted today to the unprecedented military threats from Turkish officials regarding the start of oil and gas exploration by the Republic of Cyprus in its southmost exclusive economic zone (EEZ), by the American contractor 'Noble':

How different really?

How different are the country's leaders from back then?

Ask any Kurd or any Cypriot if in doubt.

Negotiations no more at snail's pace

Patroclos | Cyprus Mail "THE INTENISFIED talks, we are happy to report, are no longer moving at snail’s pace. The two leaders have heeded Ban Ki-moon and upped the tempo to a turtle’s pace according to talks’ insiders who wished to remain anonymous."

"At last Wednesday’s meeting, which lasted five hours, Tof and Ero discussed territory. We can reveal today what happened at the meeting. For the first half hour the two leaders and their entourages exchanged social pleasantries in the foyer. Then they proceeded to the meeting room where Tof read out a document with his positions. This lasted 30 minutes. Then, Ero needed about 28 minutes to read out the document with his positions."

The perils of boob jobs

"Turkey is incorrect, since drilling procedures are in line and thus legally protected by the UN Convention for Sea, Palmer Report, which Turkey has never signed, and cannot claim. The European Union and its members are legally bound by European Law."

"Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons or countries for political purposes are in any circumstance unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them, in accord to the United Nations Assembly."

Flag of Republic of Cyprus v2.0

Our new flag, [1] moving us away from the two branches that wish to communicate equality between 82% and 18% [2] retaining the colors of the Republic of Cyprus (1960), thus emphasizing continuity, and [3] one stripe for each of the French revolution's motto, liberté, égalité, fraternité (liberty, equality, fraternity [brotherhood]), for all legal Cypriot citizens regardless of creed or first language.

I first considered the stripes to be vertical, as per the French flag, but I decided against it for two reasons: [1] it would be almost identical with the Irish flag, a divided country with a similar problem, thus unavoidably screaming 'division' [2] the parallel stripes seem a more logical transition from the current flag, as if each color simply flows to fill the nearest to it available stripe.