Cyprus Solution Revisited and Turkey's Hypocrisy Unveiled

A great speech by a Kurd

2012-02-10T14:07:00.001+02:00

Demirtaş on language and Kurdistan

2012-02-08T14:34:00.000+02:00

Demirtaş is the chairman for BDP, the Kurdish party in the landmass known as Turkey. You only need to watch the first two minutes of the eight minute video to appreciate: [a] the grand hypocrisy of Turkey in approaching tC & Kurdish rights [b] the main difference between Kurds of Turkey and tCs (ownership vs. theft).

Ps. Attention: Parent approval required by tC "children"

Selahattin Demirtaş, chairman for BDP, answered to the statement made by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinç on CNN Türk that Kurdish could only be taught as an elective course, not as part of primary education to university. According to Arinç, Kurdish language would not be sufficient as a language of education and education should be in Turkish which is, according to Arınç, “a language of civilization." He also said that Kurds do not want education in their mother tongue. Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Ağrı MP Halil Aksoy emphasized in the parliament that there were hundreds of years old works of literature in Kurdish, including "Mem û Zîn" by Ehmedê Xanî republished by the Ministry of Culture and works of internationally known writer Mehmed Uzun. He also pointed out to the Kurdology department in Mardin Artuklu University and Kurdish being taught on schools and universities in the Federal Kurdistan region of Iraq.

The video is from Northern Voice (Kurdishvideoenglish)
Demirtaş response to deputy PM Arinç on Kurdish language - VIDEO

Demirtaş in London

2012-02-03T15:07:00.001+02:00

BDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş was in London for a three-days visit where he spoke at two meetings held at the British parliament and at the Kurdish community center. The video lasts 20 minutes. Four demands are clearly spelled out (minute 6:50): [a] Kurdish identity to be constitutionally guaranteed in the currently debated Turkish charter [b] Kurdish language to be made official and used freely in the public domain [c] Kurds to be able to administer themselves through democratic autonomy [d] freedom for political association and organization under their own ethnic identity. I ask you all to consider: would Cypriots deny the Turkish Cypriot community (circa 80.000) these rights? Will the Turks deny the Kurdish community (20 million) these rights?

Selahattin Demirtash, Public Meeting in London with English translation from Saman Gareeb on Vimeo.

http://en.firatnews.com/index.php?rupel=article&nuceID=4044

Stable, Successful & Sound

2012-02-02T15:51:00.000+02:00

“The US strongly encourages both sides to stay at the negotiating table and evaluate in the best manner the UN proposals for reaching a strong, bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, which will secure a stable, successful and sound Cyprus - Victoria Nuland, US State Department Spokeswoman.

It is time we empower our next President (so far I have yet to hear of a better name than Eleni Theocharous) to tell those that have stood against us for decades [UK/US] that CYPRUS already is STABLE, SUCCESSFUL and SOUND. And why not, cut a deal with them.
Because, just like the 50s and 60s were a 'with us or against us' period, so is the 2010s. It is time an empowered and confident leader spells out our solution away from division and divisive constitutional interpretations, so as to preserve a stable, successful and sound Cyprus. I personally interpret Nuland's statement above as the tombstone on Turkey's and tCs' aspirations for a Cypriot Taiwan or TAKSIM or annexation or status quo prolongation. I also expect that Turks won't be able NOT to pursue their ill logic to the end. That's when Cyprus will break free. But we need a powerful Cypriot leader with confidence in office, a leader elected with 76% to steer us in the right direction, a Cypriot direction! The international community (EU, west, Russia, UN) is ready to support our simple argument that Cyprus, despite Turkey's illegal meddling, already is stable, successful and sound. Reintegrating 80.000 Turkish Cypriots back into Cypriot norms after Turkey departs is a rather simple task for an energy rich, EU stable, successful and sound nation.

USA encourages Cyprus to remain at the negotiating table - February 1, 2012 - PARIKIAKI

A Cynic, a sophist and a tCypriot in one!

2012-01-29T22:58:00.000+02:00

Unknown Cynic philosopher

Having been blogging these past few months on the Cyprus Mail website I made a friend, a tCypriot friend, a sophist and a cynic in one. I hope you will enjoy his comments, related to none other than our Turkeyish problem, as much as his contemporaries must have enjoyed Protagoras or Diogenis!

The photo depicts the statue of an unknown Cynic philosopher from the Capitoline Museum in Rome. Roman-era copy of an earlier Greek statue from the 3rd century BC.

If you are sipping coffee & have a few minutes available, scroll down to the bottom in order to move in chronological order. It turns out our sophisto-cynic is also a prophet, as he semi-predicted the tCypriot protests. Will his other predictions also come true?

-- #34 --

Cyprus Mail | Erdogan spat with the north continues by Stefanos Evripidou published on February 9, 2011

Wed, February 9th 2011 at 17:28 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:

@loriot

You wrote 'This interest is for the benefit of the TRNC whose citizens would otherwise return to become second class residents of a unitary Cyprus"

I and thousands of other TCs would not mind to be elivated to second class citizen in a unitary Cyprus then stay 5th class under Ottoman rule.

-- #33 --
Cyprus Mail | Post your protest, demonstrators told by Simon Bahceli Published on February 8, 2011

Wed, February 9th 2011 at 10:19 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:
@Fevzi

You wrote 'Don't get too excited guys, Turkish cypriots can never break away from Turkey, despite any problems. These groups are very marginal'

I totally agree with you they only represent 120,000 TCs, and majority Turkish settlers 300,000 plus want to stay with Turkey.

However, you are overlooking something, 120,000 TCs have the deeds to Cyprus, others don't.

-- #32 --
Cyprus Mail | Post your protest, demonstrators told by Simon Bahceli Published on February 8, 2011
Tue, February 8th 2011 at 11:43 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:

Erdogan is used to delivering bags of rice and bulgur to villagers in Turkey in order to buy their votes. He has also delivered washing machines, dish washers to villages that have no electricity.

He thought TCs can be bought the same way.
Most of the money they channell to north goes onto settlers anyway.

There are hardly any TCs students at schools as most of us send our children to private schools, hardly anyone visits the hospitals most of us use private hospitals.

TCs have different social structure to Turks from Turkey, we have different values, this is why most Turkish settlers can't blend into Turkish Cypriot way of life.

I can say that we have more incommon with GCs than Turks in Turkey.

-- #31 --

Cyprus Mail | Erdogan lambasts ‘ungrateful’ north By Simon Bahceli Published on February 5, 2011
Sat, February 5th 2011 at 17:11 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:

Real issue in North Cyprus is influx of thousands of illegal settlers from Turkey with the blessing of Mr Erdogan.

These people have brought many problems to this country, they are rapein and thieving, molesting children, beating up their wifes, kidnapping, arm robberies, drugs etc....

Public services are collapsing.

Hospitals are running out of medications, as many of the settlers friends and families are coming over from Turkey to get free treatment.

Hospitals A&E departments are not able to cope with the demand.

-- #30 --

Cyprus Mail | ‘Turkish officers pulled their guns on drinkers’ By Simon Bahceli Published on February 1, 2011

Tue, February 1st 2011 at 14:48 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:

@Omer

Thousands that marched through Nicosia last week, where they all Greek or just some of them?

In some countries people have the right to demostrate and protest, it is called democracy, freedom speech, freedom of expression because it is against Turkey it does not make it evil.

I am surprised that you are alien to all this.

-- #29 --
Cyprus Mail | ‘We’re stuck between Turkey and the Greek Cypriots’ by Simon Bahceli published on January 29, 2011
Mon, January 31st 2011 at 21:54 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:
@Loriot

No one supports the policies of current administration in the north Cyprus and only the other day thousands were in the streets calling Turkey to call it a day.

Current administration is imcompetent, racist and at least one of them have been convicted in Turkey after getting caught smuggling Cell Phones and Cigars in his suitcase.

-- #28 --

Cyprus Mail | ‘We’re stuck between Turkey and the Greek Cypriots’ by Simon Bahceli published on January 29, 2011
Mon, January 31st 2011 at 15:01 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:
@Loriot

Come on!!! get out of your Greek Cypriot owned house and wonder around and see the caliber of people that Turkey is sending over to colonise north Cyprus.

We need a massive prison to house all the criminals that are coming over.

This is a deliberate attemp to push TCs out of their homes.

I suppose a colaborator like you will never see the light.

-- #27 --

Cyprus Mail | ‘We’re stuck between Turkey and the Greek Cypriots’ by Simon Bahceli published on January 29, 2011

Mon, January 31st 2011 at 14:52 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:
@Loriot

Do you realise that Turkey has transferred thousands of its citizens to north Cyprus and it has lost its creditability as a guarantor power.

-- #26 --

Cyprus Mail | ‘We’re stuck between Turkey and the Greek Cypriots’ by Simon Bahceli published on January 29, 2011

Sun, January 30th 2011 at 11:11 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:
@Loriot

''Most Turkish Cypriots are waiting for the pointless negotiations to end''

Your solitary opinion is noted.

Correction to Loriot's comment;- Most TCs can't wait to get rid of the chains holding them down in the north.

When we were with the Greeks we knew that we were second class citizens but now we have dropped down to 6th and 7th behind Hataylilar Cemniyeti, Kara Denizliler Cemniyeti, Trabzonlular Cemniyeti, Konyalilar Cemniyeti and many others.

-- #25 --

Cyprus Mail | ‘We’re stuck between Turkey and the Greek Cypriots’ by Simon Bahceli published on January 29, 2011
Sat, January 29th 2011 at 15:19 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:
@Loriot
Are you the Turkeys import and export cordinator?

@craigieone from uk comments
Why buy a place in a desert like place called Girne (Kerynia)? Nothing beats Shipley Yorkshire or Gateshead in Newcastle.

-- #24 --

Cyprus Mail | ‘We’re stuck between Turkey and the Greek Cypriots’ by Simon Bahceli published on January 29, 2011

Sat, January 29th 2011 at 11:15 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:
@Loriot
You are right problem created by embargoes imposed on us by Turkey.
Turkey buys nothing from the north, we export more to our brothers in the south than Turkey.

-- #23 --

Cyprus Mail | ‘We’re stuck between Turkey and the Greek Cypriots’ by Simon Bahceli published on January 29, 2011
Sat, January 29th 2011 at 11:06 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:

Turkish Cypriots are outnumbered by 5 to 1 by mainlanders thanks to the policies of Turkey.
In the near future we will be kept in a zoo to be displayed to the visitors.

-- #22 --

Cyprus Mail | Our View: Turkish Cypriot unions in no position to make demands on Ankara Published on January 28, 2011
Fri, January 28th 2011 at 11:28 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:
@andreas loucka

I wrote on this form many times that without Turkey's handout TRNC will sieze to exist.

There is no free social benefits from the south only for those people that currently working in the south.

Free medical care in the south is correct.

Hospitals in the North is below EU standards. Also hospitals in the north is swamped with paitence from Turkey seeking free health care.

Majority of the TCs use private hospitals in the north for medical care or private hospitals in Turkey.

I think it is right for Turkey to give financial aid to north after all they maintain 40,000 troops, military don't pay for utilities and thousands of its citizens are using public services with out contributing anything into the administrations coffers.

-- #21 --

Cyprus Mail | UN: Two sides have made progress but more work needed Published on January 26, 2011
Wed, January 26th 2011 at 22:06 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:
Loriot

Is that your defence? Why is it Greek propaganda ? Thousands of TCs left Cyprus, details of last census never published, why do you think that is?

Is North Cyprus like North Korea, secretive society?
TRNC still living in 1974 and rest of the world moved to 2011.

You have been left behind wake up.

-- #20 --

Cyprus Mail | UN: Two sides have made progress but more work needed Published on January 26, 2011

Wed, January 26th 2011 at 21:51 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:
@Loriot

Times have changed we the TCs only form 20% of the population in the North.

We used to be 20% of the whole island, at best we can only be junior partners in ROC, more Russians live in Cyprus then TCs.

These are the facts that our very clever leaders managed to achive last 36 yrs.

Next 36 years we will be less in numbers than so called free donkeys in Karpaz.

So stop betraying your country for a flimsy Greek Cypriot house.

-- #19 --

Cyprus Mail | Our View: Ban and Downer have their work cut out for them in Geneva Published on January 25, 2011

Tue, January 25th 2011 at 21:34 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:
@Loriot

The awakening.

TRNC legally doesn.t exist, it is just about stand up with the help of Turkish tax payers.

As soon as Turkey stops the handouts TRNC will collapse. I don't uderstand why you cannot see this fact.

-- #18 --

Cyprus Mail | A visit to be remembered: Angela Merkel in Cyprus By Andrestinos Papadopoulos Published on January 23, 2011
Sun, January 23rd 2011 at 23:16 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:
@ Realpolitik

You wrote 'Turkey spends 3.8% of its annual expenditure on North Cyprus which is miniscule'

Is this Turkish Tax payers money?

If it is then it should be spent in Turkey to better the lives of Turkish people and not in Cyprus, enriching already very rich elite in Cyprus.

307 years of ottoman rule brought to both Greek and Turkish communities misery, deprivation, hunger and rebellion to the island.

Upto 1839 Cyprus was never treated by the ottomans as a part of ottoman province.

Ottomans used to auction the governor's position and the highest bidder would become ottoman governnor of Cyprus.

-- #17 --

Cyprus Mail | A visit to be remembered: Angela Merkel in Cyprus By Andrestinos Papadopoulos Published on January 23, 2011
Sun, January 23rd 2011 at 19:22 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:
@Loriot

Loriot you are dreaming again, TRNC will not become Macau of Turkey.

TRNC will cease to exist. Country is broke it can just about pay the civil servants courtesy of Turkish tax payer.

Unions are out in the streets, last 36 years North has been mis managed by Mr Eroglu and Co.

I think we should take up our seats in the Republic's chamber of deputies as soon as possible and bring this silly division to an end.

-- #16 --

Cyprus Mail | Christofias: I don’t believe the issues will be resolved in Geneva By George Psyllides Published on January 22, 2011
Sat, January 22nd 2011 at 18:25 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:
@Loriot

You wrote 'The only show takes place between the two leaders, monitored by the UN Secretary General. Everything else is rubbish'

You must live in a different planet to rest of us.

Mr Eroglu is Turkey's representative and spoke person on Cyprus.

To think otherwise is not being realistic.

-- #15 --

Cyprus Mail | Cyprus-Israel deal ‘no concern of Turkey’s’ Published on December 21, 2010

Tue, December 21st 2010 at 19:25 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:

Turkish Cypriot administration by declaring UDI in 1983 has relinquished her claim against ROC.

Now I don't understand how we can say that ROC should not have signed an agreement with state of Israel in order to explore for oil and gas around Cyprus.

-- #14 --

Cyprus Mail | Turkish Cypriots protest shopping crack down By George Psyllides Published on December 22, 2010

Wed, December 22nd 2010 at 17:17 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:

Turkish Cypriots are being subjected to strick searches when crossing to North from South.

However, at Kyrenia and Famagusta ferry ports customs officers are allowing goods to come into North Cyprus without any controls from Turkey.

Double standarts @ Republic de Banana.

Here we have Loriot trying to justify illegality

-- #13 --

Cyprus Mail | Turkish Cypriots protest shopping crack down By George Psyllides Published on December 22, 2010
Wed, December 22nd 2010 at 20:08 | hassan kemal from Uk/Kyrenia comments:
@Links

Ananin rokkasi, Cyprus is under arm occupation and has been since 1974.

Turkey buys nothing from North Cyprus, speak to manufacturers.

-- #12 --

Cyprus Mail | Eroglu in Ankara for heart surgery Published on December 19, 2010

Tue, December 21st 2010 at 10:39 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:
@Nikos

Loriot is not a person as we know it.

He was never born he was created, an expriment that went wrong during the cold war.

I hope this explains it to you.

Welcome to the site

-- #11 --

Cyprus Mail | Eroglu in Ankara for heart surgery Published on December 19, 2010

Mon, December 20th 2010 at 19:48 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:
@ geoff briggs from petra tu romiou

You should be more carefull what you say to JT, as England has been occuping 100sq miles of Cyprus for a long time, we might ask you to leave.

-- #10 --

Cyprus Mail | Eroglu in Ankara for heart surgery Published on December 19, 2010

Mon, December 20th 2010 at 15:25 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:

I happen to live in Kyrenia, unlike you I was actually born there.

My grandmother was born in Templos, re-named after 2000 years as Zeytinlik ( Olive Grove ) irony is there are no olive trees left.

-- #9 --
Cyprus Mail | Eroglu in Ankara for heart surgery Published on December 19, 2010

Sun, December 19th 2010 at 22:26 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:
@Hasan from Istanbul

''Who cares [for the] EU''

I suggest tomorrow you count the lorries driving on E5 towards Europe and we talk on Tuesday.

If we stop buying from Turkey you will be cannibals eating each other.

-- #8 --

Cyprus Mail | ‘Intensity’ of talks wins UN praise By Stefanos Evripidou Published on December 16, 2010

Thu, December 16th 2010 at 10:53 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:

Anyone following the TCs press would have known about Eroglu's tv speech.

He was saying that UN agrees with him that he is not going wait for ever and he should be going his separate way.

Eroglu's intention from day 1 was find an excuse and put an end to negotiations, have a referendum majority of North population is made up of Turks from Turkey and become a province of Turkey.

Today Mr Soyer former 'prime minister' admitted that TCs are 120,000 and the remaining 600,000 made up of people from Turkey including 200,000 illegal immigrants. Only 40,000 people are registered for tax purposes.

-- #7 --

Cyprus Mail | Our View: Stars not exactly aligned for a Cyprus solution Published on December 15, 2010

Wed, December 15th 2010 at 16:17 | hassan kemal from UK/kyrenia comments:

Eventuality in Cyprus.

Unitary state all Cypriots living under one nationality and one flag.

Individuals rights protected by constitution.

-- #6 --

Cyprus Mail | Our View: Stars not exactly aligned for a Cyprus solution Published on December 15, 2010

Wed, December 15th 2010 at 14:17 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:
@JRB from Limassol

I agree most Cypriots want a solution except misguided few.

Solution MUST take away the influence of other countries involved in Cyprus issue and everybody knows what this means.

-- #5 --

Cyprus Mail | Our View: Stars not exactly aligned for a Cyprus solution Published on December 15, 2010

Wed, December 15th 2010 at 12:12 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:
Loriot,

You know that I am right and you still insist that majority of the TCs are against settlement.

Last bayram majority of the TCs spent their holidays in South Cyprus some with Greek friends.

As they probably feel more at home in Greek South than Turkish North.

-- #4 --

Cyprus Mail | Our View: Stars not exactly aligned for a Cyprus solution Published on December 15, 2010

Wed, December 15th 2010 at 11:56 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:

Majority of the Turkish Cypriots are in favour of settlement and live in a unitary state.

It is regrettable that majority of the people living in North Cyprus are from Turkey, most of these people are manipulated by Turkish Embassy and Turkish Cypriot politicians like Eroglu, Tore, and many others.

So I would disregard this opinion poll as it doesn't represent facts.

-- #3 --

Cyprus Mail | Whatever the politics, Ban Ki-moon is bound by legalities By Dr Andrestinos N Papadopoulos Published on December 12, 2010

Mon, December 13th 2010 at 13:24 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:

Most rightwing TCs will disagree with me but deep down they know that I am right.

This has nothing to do with education it is common sense.

How can a small community dictate to a majority ?

After all we are a small community in Cyprus, who can disagree with this ?

-- #2 --

Cyprus Mail | Whatever the politics, Ban Ki-moon is bound by legalities By Dr Andrestinos N Papadopoulos Published on December 12, 2010

Mon, December 13th 2010 at 10:55 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:

TC can only be a junior partners in a future comprehensive settlement.

We only form 20% of the population and it is madness to demand equal rights in a future partnership.

-- #1 --

Cyprus Mail | Cyprus Mail | Only government sees silver lining in UN report By Stefanos Evripidou Published on November 26, 2010

Fri, November 26th 2010 at 22:05 | hassan kemal from UK/Kyrenia comments:
John Alexander,

North Cyprus is a failed state. It will never be able to stand on it feet without someone supporting it.

At my last visit to Turkey which was only 3 days ago many Turks are angry that Turkish Government's handout to North Cyprus.

Turkey: NATO’s ‘Open Prison’

2012-01-22T18:06:00.000+02:00

With Egypt’s Islamists scoring a crushing electoral victory over their secular opponents, governments and pundits alike are considering the likely denouement of the vaunted Arab Spring in the region’s largest country, Turkey. It is therefore worth noting some very troubling recent developments in the country that the Muslim Brotherhood and many in the West consistently tout as a successful “Islamist democracy” worth emulating.

On January 5, Turkish prosecutors arrested Gen. Ilker Basbug — the commander, until 2010, of the Turkish Armed Forces appointed by prime minister Recep Erdogan’s government — for allegedly plotting terrorist activities against the state. Basbug now faces the same predicament as 300 other military officers who have languished in jail for years on dubious charges of conspiracy to overthrow the AKP (Justice and Development Party) government, without a single conviction to date.

Perhaps even more disturbing, the regime has begun a new wave of arrests of journalists, bringing their total in prison to 98, as reported by the Turkish journalists union, though this number is not exact. Few of them have been convicted of anything, even though some of them have been kept in jail for four years. Using terrorism legislation to keep suspected opponents in jail for years on trumped-up charges appears to have become the Erdogan regime’s favorite method of punishing and intimidating the opposition and stifling the press. Nor are these tactics limited to his political opponents. In a searing indictment of the profoundly undemocratic nature of the justice system under Erdogan, the Turkish Human Rights Association revealed that 42 percent of the 128,000 people currently imprisoned in Turkey have never been convicted of a crime. To find preemptive incarceration on this scale, one would have to go back to the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century.

Not surprisingly, the AKP’s increasingly repressive policies have caused a storm of indignation among opposition parties in parliament, where the AKP has a commanding majority. The leader of the main opposition party, CHP (the Republican People’s Party), Kemal Kilicdaroglu, accused the government of engaging in a “blood feud” and of having transformed the country into an “open prison,” while another opposition-party leader blasted the AKP for “legitimizing oppression, lawlessness, and slander.”

In response, a government prosecutor has asked the Ministry of Justice to remove Kilicdaroglu’s parliamentary immunity, making it possible for him also to be indicted and thrown in jail for “attempting to influence a fair trial.” As if to confirm that the prosecutor acted with the full support of the government, Prime Minister Erdogan opined tersely that “what needed to happen has happened,” adding that the prosecutor’s action was long overdue. Should the Islamist government carry out this blatant threat to silence even the duly elected opposition, it would be difficult to argue that the AKP regime maintains even a semblance of democracy.

Which raises the question why the AKP appears to be in such a hurry, seemingly overreaching at a time when there is no visible challenge to its political dominance. The short answer is that, just below the surface, problems are brewing that may soon present a formidable threat to Turkey’s Islamists. To begin with, the grand geopolitical scheme of the AKP, known as “Neo-Ottomanism,” is in shambles. The policy was designed to re-create a Turkish Islamist sphere of influence in former Ottoman domains, based on the radicalization of Muslim minorities and a putative “zero problems with neighbors” policy, but its author, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, has little to show for his efforts. Nor has he succeeded in convincing the Balkan Christian nations long enslaved by the Ottomans that “the Ottoman centuries were a successful history” that “needs to be re-created.” Worse still, in his hysterical reaction to the new French law making the denial of Armenian genocide a crime, Davutoglu has managed to alienate the French — especially Nicolas Sarkozy, whom he compared to dictators Bashar al-Assad and Moammar Qaddafi. (He conveniently forgot that the former was a favorite Neo-Ottoman partner, while the latter dispensed the al-Qaddafi Human Rights Prize to a grateful Erdogan.) Erdogan’s anti-Israeli policy has created yet another axis of intractable conflict, and recent indications that Ankara is taking over from Tehran the role of chief sponsor of Hamas is only likely to exacerbate it.

Domestically, the AKP has aggravated the conflict with Turkey’s large Kurdish minority to such an extent that a new flare-up of widespread Kurdish anti-government violence is no longer unthinkable. Neither is the large, educated, and secular Alevi community anywhere near making its peace with the Islamists.

Perhaps most significantly, there are now clear signs that the AKP’s greatest achievement and the most important source of its popularity, a booming economy, may soon be a thing of the past. Over the past year, the Turkish stock market has lost half of its value, inflation has reached double digits, and the lira has depreciated 20 percent against the dollar. With the country importing twice as much as it exports, the trade deficit is an unsustainable 10 percent of GDP. Indeed, none of these trends is sustainable, which is why the International Monetary Fund now projects a dramatic slowdown of Turkish GDP growth — from 7.5 percent in 2011 to 2 percent in 2012.

Despite these troubling signs on all fronts, there is no evidence that the West, especially Washington, is willing to go beyond the usual apologetics for the AKP regime and admit that our NATO ally is becoming an enemy of the West and everything it stands for. If this continues, American politicians may begin having to ask, “Who lost Turkey?”

— Alex Alexiev is a visiting fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. He tweets on national-security politics at twitter.com/alexieff.

JANUARY 18, 2012 4:00 A.M. Turkey: NATO’s ‘Open Prison’ The West needs to confront Turkey, its former ally. By Alex Alexiev

Are we so gullible?

2012-01-22T13:15:00.000+02:00

I don't understand. If Turkey meddles in Cypriot affairs so abusively, why don't we meddle in Turkey's affairs, if only to highlight her approach towards her own Kurdish ethnic minority? Some would say Turkey has a legal basis to be interested in Cyprus, given to her in 1960. But the truth is her responsibility, the responsibility of all three guarantors, was to protect the Republic of Cyprus, not destroy it. Turkey's meddling has been, to say the least, unwarranted. Why then not return the favor by asking her to apply her own majority-minority thinking at home before preaching Cypriots about the way things should be. Are we so gullible to accept passively Turkey's application of double standards? In my humble opinion the only way Turkey will be forced to make a move in Cyprus is if the world, and Cyprus must start such debate, calls Turkey's behavior towards her own citizens as diametrically opposing to what she preaches in Cyprus.

Turkey's Kurdish leaders have a word for you!

2012-01-19T23:42:00.002+02:00

BDP Statement: 13 January 2012

TO INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC OPINION

It is a well-known fact that nearly 5000 Kurdish politicians including 6 parliamentarians, 27 mayors, dozens of members of city council and executive members of BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) have been arrested. Occasional police operations are continuing since 14 April 2009. These coordinated operations are transformed to political genocide against Kurds. Unfortunately, the police operations have been widened to Kurdish lawyers and journalists. 41 lawyers have been held in prison since 25/11/2011. Following this another police operation was launched against Kurdish journalists. The homes and offices of 36 journalists were subject to coordinated raids by police on 20/12/2011. 36 journalists have been held in prison along with the lawyers. In total more than 70 Kurdish journalists have been in prison since April 2009.

It is abundantly clear that these police operations against Kurds are being orchestrated by the AKP Government. All the police raids were launched immediately after Prime Minister Erdoğan made inflammatory speeches attacking Kurdish politicians. In particular after the last amendments to the judicial system under the name of “judicial reforms”, judges and prosecutors have followed the lead of the AKP Government. Despite the fact that this has been heavily criticized by numerous observers, the AKP Government has increased its pressure step by step against media executives. In fact the majority of media organizations in Turkey are now under the control of AKP Government. We have experienced this new reality in connection with the Uludere Massacre of 28 December 2011 when 35 Kurdish villagers were killed by the Turkish F-16 bombardment ever though the true identity of the victims had been confirmed by border security units before the bombardment took place. The AKP Government is continuing to shield those responsible for the massacre. Furthermore, the government is preventing any detailed news appearing on TV or in the newspapers about the Uludere Massacre.

Today, a new police operation has been launched against the Peace and Democracy Party and civil society organisations such as the Human Rights Association (IHD), the Trade Union of Public Workers (KESK). The Deputy co-chair and former MP for Van City, Ms. Fatma KURTULAN, deputy co-chair and journalist, Ms. Filiz KOÇALI, former chair of DEHAP, Mr. Tuncer BAKIRHAN, Members of Party Assembly, Mr. Senar ABI, Ms. Yıldız AKTAS and Ms. Gülistan BALKAS, journalist Murat CİFTCİ and at least 35 more BDP members have been taken into custody during ongoing police raids. Two days ago, another police operation was launched against municipalities and provinces governed by the BDP. Furthermore, some police raids were carried out without search warrants from the court. Some police waved the Turkish flag as they raided BDP buildings. At the moment is too unclear to establish exactly how many Kurdish officials and activists are held in prison because of the relentless wave of arrests initiated by the AKP Government.

We are saddened that we must inform you that Turkey seems to be sliding into chaos as a result of the AKP Government’s dictatorial regime. It is not only Kurdish politicians, but also Turkish democrats, lawyers, journalists, thousands of students and civil society organization members who are now jailed without any legitimate basis by the AKP Government. It is especially the Anti-Terror Law, Turkish Criminal Code and Law of Criminal Procedure that allow prosecutors to arrest Kurds and opposition activists without bringing forward any evidence. It is clear that none of BDP members can be accused as taking part in violence. Delivering speeches on the theme of Kurdish Identity and attending legitimate open meetings are defined as terrorist actions by the Turkish judicial system. The Special Authorized Courts continue the procedure of the illegitimate state security court. As a result thousands of Kurds are being held in prison. The AKP Government is trying to criminalize the BDP and its members by these arrests. Nevertheless, the AKP Government continues to receive very strong support from member states of the European Union and the United States.

Kurdish people and Turkish democrats are going to continue to resist these authoritarian police operations and AKP Government’s dictatorial rule. We know that the AKP Government is seeking to suppress and intimidate the progressive Kurdish democratic movement. But these pressures will not intimidate our party or the Kurdish people.

As a result of these developments, the BDP and the Kurdish people intend to re-organize themselves against the AKP’s descent into barbarism. We strongly call on the international public, all relevant organizations and pro-democracy institutions to resist the AKP Government’s political massacres and authoritarian policies. We stress that history of peoples’ struggle for freedom and the Kurdish people will never forget anyone who makes a contribution for real democracy in Turkey and shows solidarity with the Kurdish people.

Mr. Selahattin DEMIRTAS, Co-president of BDP

Ms. Gültan KISANAK, Co-president of BDP

BDP Statement: 13 January 2012

Cypriot 2012 wishes with a healthy dose of truth

2012-01-19T08:35:00.001+02:00

By Gregoris Gregoriou on Facebook at a 'Cyprus Forum' thread | Good evening ,İyi akşamlar, to all TCs

It's really interesting to read your ideas about a peaceful reunified Cyprus ...

You are always complaining about GCs being selfish , being chauvinists, being racists!!! And there comes the cliche" Turkish Cypriots have been suffering as from 1963 onwards".... Well my TC friends, if this is your idea about us , then I'm sorry but you know nothing about us at all! And indeed I'm sorry if you got the idea that I'm just another "chauvinist Greek Cypriot" because I'm not.

Turkish Cypriots do suffer but it is their own leadership and their own actions mainly , that brought them all these problems they are facing today ... TMT and that fascist Denktash forced TCs to leave their properties in the South and move North in order to achieve isolation and TAKSIM ...

Please, just compare the mentality of the vast majority of GCs that condemn those idiots of EOKA B that tried to force Makarios to accept ENOSIS, VS the mentality of the vast majority of TCs that consider Denktash to be a "national hero"... Compare our behavior towards you when we accept you to get all your citizenship rights , including free hospitals, free schools , pensions , jobs e.t.c. while you only accept us coming as visitors in our own land and properties ... Compare the Cyprus Republic trying to preserve all Muslim Temples and most of the Turkish cemeteries while most of our Churches in the North have been destroyed , turned into stables , public toilets , or museums by the "trnc"

You demand to have your own country? O.K. by me! But you cannot have it both ways:You can't keep our properties in the North AND claim your rights in the South. You can't say you are Cypriot citizens with Rights but at the same time avoid to recognize your obligations towards the legal government , pay taxes , register your cars e.t.c. You can't talk about a peaceful solution and at the same time provoke us with that s..t-flag with lights glowing cabaret-like on Pentadaktylos ...

If anyone from our side touches a single hair on your head , he will end up in jail! And what about all those killings of unarmed citizens by Turkish soldiers or Grey Wolves during the last 37 years- who did you get in jail? Nobody!!!

So please, don't try to tell me to give peace a chance... I'm a family man and of course I want peace! And of course I would like to have TCs and Turkish friends too! But we are all equal and I'll never accept orders from Turkey!

I hope that you agree with me that the best solution to Cyprus problem is ONE MAN- ONE VOTE! Nothing else will work because I am Greek and I will protect your rights if you protect mine! Simple DEMOCRACY rules!

I'm sure you will reconsider your thoughts about GCs and become real friends! I really respect you and I thank you for your time! I wish you and your family a happy new year full of health and prosperity!

Cyprus at a crossroads - Athens News Jan 2012

2012-01-18T21:42:00.001+02:00

With an expected huge dowry from its energy jackpot, the Republic of Cyprus has enhanced its regional position and is building new alliances, even as it refreshes older ones. Countries from the US to Russia and Germany are now courting the island republic, which just seven years ago was ostracised due to its rejection of the settlement plan proposed by former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan. In an interview with the Athens News, Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Markoullis outlines the importance of the Cyprus-Israel relationship, [reviews] the efforts towards a Cyprus solution and [talks about] the upcoming European Council presidency.

Athens News: What are the energy, political and military aspects of Cyprus’ strategic partnership with Israel and how does this relationship affect geopolitical balances in the southeastern Mediterranean? Is it a deterrent for Turkish military threats over Cyprus’ gas exploration programme?

Erato Kozakou-Markoullis: The bilateral relations between Cyprus and Israel have traditionally been very good and they have developed steadily, with noticeable qualitative and quantitative improvement on many levels in recent years. There have been many visits exchanged at all levels, and an important number of agreements have been concluded. Our cooperation on regional and wider international issues of common interest has intensified.

We should probably start from the fact that since 2004 we have joined the EU, which is Israel’s largest trading partner, and by being the most proximate EU territory to Israel, this naturally attracts a great number of Israelis wishing to do business with the EU.

The agreement between Cyprus and Israel on the Delimitation of their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) in 2010 has been an important development, which opens up new avenues of cooperation between the two states. This cooperation will safeguard the economic and financial interests of both countries in the region and will facilitate the planning and implementation of private cross-median line investments.

Additionally, we are a very popular destination for Israeli tourists, and this has been the case since the 1960s. For many Cypriots, Israel has been a life-saving destination, as many Cypriot patients travel to Israel for advanced, sometimes revolutionary medical treatment not available in Cyprus. All in all, I think that the relationship which has been forged some decades ago has now matured.

But there are also other elements. It is clear that for many Israelis, Cyprus is perceived to be the friendliest neighbouring country, a European country, and perhaps even a safe haven - metaphorically or otherwise.

So, all in all, the broadening relationship is a natural development. But we have also agreed, and I think this was done some time ago, to disagree on certain issues. Our stance on the rights of Palestinians has been steady, and I think Cyprus is well respected in Israel for the way in which we have expressed our views on this issue. At the same time, Cyprus can play a more active role in the broader area of the Eastern Mediterranean, given the excellent relations it has with the Arab world. The development of the relations with Israel is by no means to the detriment of the relations with Cyprus’ Arab neighbours.

As for the Turkish threats, Turkish military activity in and around Cyprus has been a constant phenomenon since it invaded the island in 1974 and occupied its northern third. Turkey’s recent hostile threats and actions regarding Cyprus’ activities within the EEZ are not based or supported by any valid or substantive legal argument, being one of the few member states of the UN that has not even signed the UN Law of the Sea Convention. Turkey’s policy and actions remain one of aggression and of disregard of international law and principles, and jeopardise peace, stability and security in our volatile region.

Some press reports have referred to relations with Israel as having a deterrent effect on Turkey in terms of its threats over the exercising of our sovereign right to exploit the natural resources in our EEZ. I think it is fair to say that it is not quite clear that one factor alone is deterring Turkey, or that there is a clear analysis in Ankara as to the degree to which they can press the issue, and at what point the policy of sabre-rattling will have a detrimental effect. It is perhaps a question that needs to be addressed to Turkish decision- makers.

The fact, however, remains that the international community - with the sole exception of Turkey - in one way or another has expressed its support for the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus to explore and exploit its natural resources in its EEZ and this constitutes, in our mind, the most important deterrent and the political and legal shield that protects the interests and sovereign rights of Cyprus.

Cyprus Republic Dimitris President Christofias said that Turkish-Cypriots will have their share of the wealth from energy. Will this happen before or after a settlement, and what will determine the shares of the two communities in a new federation: size of population? Should this be an issue in ongoing settlement talks?

With regard to the benefits that will accrue once hydrocarbons are identified and exploited, I would like to reiterate the words of President Christofias that the Turkish-Cypriots are citizens of the Republic of Cyprus and as such they can enjoy within the framework of a reunited homeland the benefits of any natural wealth that Cyprus has. The president furthermore indicated that the exploitation of any possible natural gas reserves in the EEZ of Cyprus can potentially motivate the attainment of a solution to the Cyprus problem soon so that all the Cypriot citizens, Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots, can benefit from any positive development.

As it has already been agreed during the current negotiating process, the central federal government will be responsible for the management and exploitation of natural resources. Therefore, it remains of the highest priority and urgency to reach a comprehensive agreement on the overall settlement of the Cyprus problem in order for all the people of Cyprus - Greek-Cypriots, Turkish-Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians and Latins - to be able to benefit from this important development which has the potential of providing prosperity and progress not only to the present generation of Cypriots but for many generations to come. I hope that Turkey and the Turkish-Cypriot leadership will be able to grasp these tremendous opportunities and unblock the way to the reunification of the island and its people.

What are Cyprus’ priorities as head of the six-month-long EU presidency? How do you plan to handle Turkey’s threats to freeze ties with the EU? Given Cyprus’ proximity and close ties with both Israel and Arab countries, will your presidency attempt to play a role in the Middle East?

The priorities of the Cyprus presidency will be based on the 18-month programme of the three [consecutive] presidencies that has already been announced (Poland, Denmark, Cyprus). In line with the 18-month programme of the trio, the Cypriot presidency will aim inter alia to conclude the negotiations for the new Multiannual Financial Framework (2014-2020) by the end of 2012 and will promote the effective implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy. With the signing of the accession treaty of Croatia, the trio has already fulfilled one of its priorities; during the Cyprus presidency, the European perspective of the Western Balkans will be further advanced on the basis of the relevant conclusions of the latest European Council. Furthermore, we will aim to achieve further progress in Iceland’s accession negotiations. We will also be working on the enhancement of the European Neighbourhood Policy, focusing attention on its southern dimension in the context of the “Arab Spring”, without, however, neglecting the eastern dimension, which was the focus of the Polish presidency.

The completion of the Common European Asylum System by the end of 2012 is another priority for the trio presidency, as well as the further reinforcement of the EU Integrated Maritime Policy. Issues like security, crisis management and combating international terrorism on the basis of the UN charter will be dealt with, as well as the support towards developing countries in addressing food security challenges.

Regarding Turkey’s threats to freeze ties with the EU during the Cyprus presidency, the latest statements of Turkish President Abdullah Gul, and those by other high-ranking Turkish officials on this matter, are totally unacceptable. On 5 December 2011 the EU General Affairs Council in the conclusions adopted during its meeting urged “the avoidance of any kind of threat or action directed against a member state or source of friction or actions”, regretted “Turkey’s statements to freeze its relations with the EU presidency during the second half of 2012” and underlined “that the presidency of the Council of the EU is provided for in the Treaty on European Union”. As such, Turkey’s threat constitutes an unwelcome interference in internal EU matters. At the initiative of President Christofias a similarly strong statement was included in the European Council Conclusions of 9 December 2011, making sure that an unequivocal message was sent to Turkey from the highest level of the EU, strongly criticising it for provocative threats and actions.

During our presidency, we will act as an honest broker in the search of consensus, as it is the practice of the EU on all dossiers, including those of Turkey’s relations with the Union. It is up to Turkey to respond responsibly and contribute to the mutual interests of both the EU and itself. We have no intention of defining our presidency by the Cyprus problem.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he expected the two sides to have concluded all aspects of a settlement by January, and then the UN would call an international conference on the external aspects such as security and guarantees. What happens if that is not achieved? Do you have certain “red lines” about going to international arbitration, UN or otherwise, and what are your conditions for participating in an international conference? What would be the specific mandate of such a conference and which parties would participate?

Past experience has conclusively shown that imposing artificial deadlines and arbitration are counter-productive vis-a-vis efforts to reach a commonly agreed comprehensive settlement that will be lasting and viable.

In this regard, we stand firmly against both. We are in full agreement with the UN secretary-general’s call for reaching agreement on the internal aspects of the Cyprus problem - ie governance, economic matters, EU matters, property (in conjunction with territorial adjustments) and citizenship - the soonest possible, in order to pave the way for an international conference to deal with the international aspects of the Cyprus problem, including, crucially, the issues of security and guarantees. This conference ought to be convened under the aegis of the UN secretary-general, with the participation of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, the EU, the guarantor powers, the Republic of Cyprus and the two Cyprus communities.

At the same time, I must stress that reaching agreement on the internal aspects by January 2012 will remain an impossible task if [Turkish-Cypriot leader Dervis] Eroglu, with Turkey’s staunch support, maintains his usual intransigent approach and insists on tabling proposals well outside the agreed basis for the negotiations and which clearly contradict the stated objective of a bicommunal, bizonal federation, with a single sovereignty, single international personality and a single citizenship.

Eroglu must also commit unequivocally to, and not backtrack from, past convergences reached while Turkish-Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat was the Turkish-Cypriot interlocutor in the negotiations.

Finally, it ought to be absolutely clear that, should it prove unfeasible to convene an international conference after the January 2012 meeting as a result of Eroglu’s unwillingness to negotiate and reach agreement on the internal aspects in good faith and within the framework of the agreed basis, the secretary-general’s efforts in the context of the Good Offices mission must continue in line with the mandate assigned to him by the Security Council of the United Nations. In any case, the UN Security Council remains the only body of the UN responsible to decide on how to move forward.

Cyprus at a crossroads by George Gilson 15 Jan 2012 Athens News

Oriana Fallaci interviews Makarios in November 1974

2012-01-18T14:46:00.002+02:00

Makarios did not leave a memoir or diaries, so this 1974 interview with Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci stands as one of the more revealing published conversations with the archbishop and president. Regrettably, echoing the style of the times, much of the interview and the introduction focuses on trivial matters, and even gossip, an orientation one can only regard as an enormous waste of opportunity. But some of the interview provides useful insights into Makarios= thinking just four months after the coup against him and the Turkish intervention that divided the island.

An Interview with Archbishop Makarios III : November 1974

This 1974 interview with Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci stands as one of the more revealing published conversations with the archbishop and president just four months after the coup against him and the Turkish intervention that divided the island.

At a certain point I said to Makarios, "You remind me of Jane Austin's advice." Makarios smiled. "What advice of Jane Austen's?" "An intelligent woman should never let others know how intelligent she is." Makarios smiled again. "But I'm not a woman." "No, but you're intelligent, so intelligent that you're doing all you can to keep me from realizing it," I said. And then his gaze hardened, something in him arched, like the back of a cat preparing itself for combat. I too arched myself, waiting for the blow of his claws, and ready to give it back. The blow didn't come. With the same rapidity with which he had flared up, he regained his composure and went on with his story. "As I was telling you. I'm lucky. I know already what the newspapers will write when I pass to a better life. Last July I read such nice obituaries about myself. They gave me up for dead, remember? I lie cables to my ambassadors were nice too. The nicest came from Lord Caradon, the last British governor of Cyprus and a great enemy. I met Lord Caradon in London. We got to talking about the old days when we used to quarrel over the British bases on Cyprus. I told him those bases had been good for just one thing: to give me refuge after the coup d' état and help me leave the island." Every time his mind wanders and he forgets Jane Austen's advice, you're a little sorry. You want to shout at him, "Pay attention!" And it goes without saying that in this interview this mind often wandered. Almost always. Which is one of the reasons I like Makarios.

I hadn't liked him before. Once I had even tried to show him that I didn't, with the result that I had received his blessing. It was in Athens, at the time of the wedding of Juan Carlos and Sophia. He was staying at the Grande Bretagne, and I was staying there too. One evening he came down to the lobby, and as soon as he appeared, all dressed up like an icon, shining with gold and jewels, and gripping his pastoral scepter, the lobby became a chapel. Some bowed till their noses touched their navels, some knelt on the floor, some tried to kiss his hand or at least his vestments. The only erect head was mine, very visible besides, because I had remained seated on a high armchair. The chair was situated between the elevator and the exit, and he noticed me at once. And his eyes pierced mine like needles of indignation, surprise, sorrow. Who was I? How did I dare? However, he continued his solemn advance, and, as he passed in front of me, he imparted to me that blessing.

Needless to say, I could have done happily without it. To the mind of a layman, he is irritating to say the least. Let us not forget that he represents the most solid fusion of the temporal power with the spiritual. He is like a pope who sits in the Quirinale instead of the Vatican; he is the head of the Greek Orthodox Church on Cyprus and the president of Cyprus. So, you never know whether to address him as a religious leader or a political one, whether to call him Beatitude or President, Archbishop or Mr. Makarios. Nor does the fact that he was democratically elected help yon to forget a bitter reality: he gets those votes thanks to his relationship with heaven. For the peasants of Cyprus, voting for him is almost a sacrament. While handing in their ballots with his name, even the communists make the sign of the cross. And yet, yet . . . he's one of the few heads of state before whom it's worth the trouble to get to your feet if not to kneel down. Because he's one of the few with brains. Along with brains, courage. Along with courage, a sense of humor, independence of judgment, dignity. A dignity that approaches reality, and God knows where it comes from. The son of an illiterate shepherd, he guarded sheep until the age of twelve.

Many people cannot stand him. They accuse him, for instance, of devoting or having devoted too much attention to women, of being in no sense an ascetic. I believe it. They also accuse him of governing through lies, intrigue, and opportunism. And this I don't believe completely unless by lies you mean Byzantinism, by intrigue, elasticity, by opportunism, imagination. His character cannot be judged by the yardstick we use in the West. He does not belong to the West. He belongs to something that is no longer the West but is not yet the East, something that sinks its roots into a culture that is sophisticated and archaic at the same time, and which has mastered the art of survival. He has the gift of survival, gained and regained through fast stepping, contortions, cleverness, lucidity, cynicism. Four times they tried to kill him. Four times he escaped. Twice they sent him into exile. Twice he came back. And only once did he seem to have lost for goodCafter the coup of July1974. Instead, those who lost were those who were thought to have wonCas a result of that coup, the Greek military junta tell and now finds itself under arrest. If I close my eyes on the subject of the archbishop-president, I can't help accepting Makarios and taking him seriously even when he tells me he's a socialist.

I interviewed him twice, for a total of six hours. The interview as written skips over such well-known incidents as the attempts on his life and his flight. I interviewed him in his suite in the Plaza Hotel in New York, where he had gone to keep an eye on Kissinger and the UN. No longer dressed up in gold and jewels, he wore a plain blue cassock and seemed older than his sixty-one years. His attitude was mild, deliberately humble. His voice was soft, deliberately suave. He said "he's a criminal" in the same tone with which he might have said "he's a good man." I wasn't bored for a minute, and indeed enjoyed myself. He knows how to be so brilliant. And at several moments I admired him. He cares so much about freedom. We parted friends. In the doorway, he whispered, "That advice of Jane Austen's . . . it goes for you too. What a pity you're a woman." And I answered, "What a pity you're a priest."

ORIANA FALLACI: An abrupt question, Beatitude: are you going back to Cyprus or not?

ARCHBISHOP MAKARIOS: Of course I'm going back. Certainly! I'll go back in November. At the latest, the end of December. The date depends entirely on me. I haven't gone back as yet because I was waiting for the Greek government to withdraw and replace officers responsible for the coup against me. And also because I wanted to follow the UN debate on Cyprus from near by. I don't understand why there should he any doubt about my returnCafter all I didn't resign. Nothing and nobody is against my going hack, except those who are afraid of being tried and punished, something I don't intend to do since it would hurt the unity of the country. Mind you, that doesn=t mean I intend to let history have a distorted version of the facts. On the contrary, I want the world to know what happened. But I want to avoid any punishment, any revenge. I'll grant a general amnesty, and anyone who's anxious about my return can calm his fears. Besides it's only a question of a few individuals. The people support me today even more than before the coup. And they're eager to have me back. They're ninety-nine percent for me.

O.F.: Ninety-nine percent of the population includes the Turkish Cypriots. And I don't think they're so eager to have you back, Beatitude.

M.: Of course. I don't think either that the majority of the Turks are in favor of me. I'm sure Mr. Denktash, the Turkish vice-president, is anything but pleased with the idea of seeing me arrive. But this doesn't worry me, and anyway it won't be up to me to negotiate with Mr. Denktash and the Turkish community. That will still be done by Clerides, who's an excellent negotiator and knows Denktash better than I do. Oh, naturally it's understood that Clerides won't make any decisions without my consent. It's understood that when I speak of going back to Cyprus, I mean to go back as president. I'm the president, I'll go back as president, I'll never agree to go otherwise. And the question of whether I'll remain president for a long time or not concerns me alone. I'll make that decision when I'm back in Cyprus. I'm saying I don't exclude the possibility of retiring from the presidency after a certain period of time. I'll have to decide on the basis of the situation. Should a bad agreement be readied, for instance, I wouldn't care to stay as president. But this, I repeat, we'll see later on.

OF: What do you mean by a bad agreement?

M.: Turkey is going to insist on a geographical federation, and I will never accept a federation on a geographical basis. It would lead to a partition of the island and to a double enosis: half of

Cyprus consigned to Greece and half to Turkey. It would mean the end of Cyprus as an independent state. I'm more than ready to discuss a federation, yes, but on an administrative basis not a geographical one. It's one thing to have areas governed by Turks and areas governed by Greeks; it's quite another to divide ourselves into two parts. It's one thing to group, for example, or three Turkish villages and entrust them to a Turkish administration; it's quite another to shift more than two hundred thousand people from one end of the island to the other. The Turkish Cypriots are scattered all over Cyprus. How can you say to them, "Pack up your things, leave your house, your land, and move elsewhere because we're going to have a federation"?! It's inhuman, to say the least.

O.F.: Is this really what worries you. Beatitude? I mean the tragedy of the Turkish Cypriots? It doesn't seem to me that so far they've been the object of much concern. They've been treated like second class citizens and . . .

M: That's not true! It=s not true! Though they=re a minority, they=ve had a lot of privileges, and they've behaved as though they represented the majority. We haven't been the ones to mistreat them, it was their Turkish leaders, by forcing them to live in separate villages, blackmailing them, keeping them from co-operating with us even economically, and from progressing. They didn't even let them do business with us, or help us to develop tourism. They weren't our victims, they were their victims. Nobody can deny that a true democracy, and a good one, exists in Cyprus. In their newspapers the Turks could abuse me and insult me as much as they liked. They could come to see me at the archbishop's palace whenever they liked. The trouble is they were obliged to come secretly, without their leaders knowing it. In mixed villages we had no problem living together, in the past and at the time of the Greco-Turkish war as well. What you say isn=t true.

O.F.: And is it true that you deprived them of many constitutional privileges, Beatitude? M.: I deprived them of nothing. I simply complained about those privileges because they only served to hamper the functioning of the state. The Constitution provides that they be represented in the government at the ratio of thirty percent. And very often the Turkish Cypriots didn't have people capable of filling that thirty percent. There was, for example, a post that I could have been filled by an intelligent Greek and it had to be given to an illiterate Turk just because he was a Turk. Once they voted against taxes. I tried to explain to them that a state can't survive if the citizens don't pay taxes, and they refused anyway. So I forced them to pay all the same. Was that an abuse? Another time, when I was about to go to Belgrade for the conference of nonaligned countries, Mr. Denktash tried to stop me from going by exercising his veto power. I told him, "Exercise it all you like. I'm going just the same." Was that an abuse?'

O.F.: Beatitude, whether you're right or wrong, the reality today is different. The Turks occupy forty percent of the island and ...

M.: And I don't accept it. Because I can't recognize a fait accompli, I can't legalize with my signature a situation created by the use of force. So-called realists advise me to negotiate a geographical federation with the Turks; they say I should be less rigid. Instead of holding on to forty percent of the island, they repeat, the Turks might be content with thirty percent. So be flexible. I don't want to be flexible.

O.F.: Flexible is a word dear to Henry Kissinger. Is he the one who says that?

M.: Kissinger has never clearly told me he was in favor of a geographical federation. He's never told me clearly what he's doing. He's always talked about a "solution acceptable to both sides" and always repeated "we don't want to say openly what we're doing to persuade Turkey." So I can't state that he's actually preparing the agreement that I reject, but I can tell you we're still in disagreement on many things. Many. If it wanted to, the United States could play a more decisive and precise role in this matter. Doesn't it supply economic aid and arms to Turkey? Isn't it the only one that could persuade or even force Turkey to be more reasonable?

O.F.: Beatitude, do you think that what happened in Cyprus would have been possible without the tacit authorization of Kissinger and the Americans?

M.: Ah! I think the United States and other countries knew in advance that the Turks were preparing the invasion of Cyprus. And perhaps they were fooled by the Turks, perhaps they fell into the trap when Turkey said it would be a limited operationCa police action to restore constitutional order in two days. Perhaps they understood only later what Turkey's real plans were. But all the same they could have prevented what happened. They could have stopped the continuous arrival of Turkish troops. I had a long discussion with Kissinger about it. And I expressed to him all my disappointment; I told him in no uncertain terms how dissatisfied I was with the attitude held by his country.

O.F.: And he?

M.: He answered that he didn't agree with me, that he had tried to persuade Turkey, that he had acted behind the scenes. But again he didn't want to explain clearly what he had done.

O.F.: Beatitude, many people feel that Kissinger's responsibility and that of the United States go well beyond the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Let's not forget that the invasion took place following the coup carried out against you by the junta in Athens and that...

M.: Of course! The first chapter of this tragedy was written by the Greek military junta. Cyprus had been first of all destroyed by the intervention of Greece. Turkey came later, like a second evil. And I'm sorry to say so. I'm sorry because the present Greek government is behaving well toward me, in a frank and honest manner. I've not met Karamanlis or Averoff, but I've known Mavros. And I like Mavros. He's a good man. He's sincere, open, and that's more than enough for me. But the fact remains that Greece would not have regained its freedom if Cyprus hadn't lost its own. The fact remains that Turkey would never have dared intervene if the previous government, the junta, hadn't offered it the pretext. The Turks had been threatening to invade us for such a long time, and yet they'd never done it. They'd never found an excuse.

O.F.: Yes, but don't you think the United States and the CIA had something to do with that coup d=état? There are rumors that the CIA wasn't exactly unhappy about the attempts on your life.

M. : As regards those attempts, I don't believe it. Before the last one, in fact, it was people at the American embassy in Nairobi, during a trip I took to Africa, who informed me my life was in danger. They came to me and said, "We know that when you go back they'll try to kill you. Be careful." A few days later, in Cyprus, they confirmed the information to me, adding that the attempt would take place within two weeks. As indeed happened. As for the coup d'état, on the other hand . . . I don't know. Kissinger told me, "It wasn't in our interests to have that coup d'état against you." I suppose I ought to believe him, but should I? There are plenty of indications that show just the opposite of what Kissinger told me, and still I have nothing to go on. I've even asked for information from Athens; I've tried to find out more. No use. I have to keep my idea without being able to offer any proof that it's correct. Kissinger added, "Naturally we were following the situation and it was known to us that neither Ioannides nor the rest of the

liked you. But we had no concrete information as to 'the day' when the coup d=état against you would take place."

O.F.: Maybe it was helped along by the letter you wrote to Gizikis in July.

M.: Let's say that that letter speeded things up. If I hadn't written it, the coup would have happened all the same, a month or two later. As Kissinger admits, it had been more than decided on; all that remained was to set the date. I was too big an obstacle to enosis, and they were too anxious to have enosis. Every time we were on the point of reaching an agreement between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, officials in Athens intervened by shouting about enosis. "We don't care about your local agreements, our goal is enosis." I remember one of these officials who came to me one day and said, "You must declare I enosis. Anyway it will take three or four days before the Turks can send troops to Cyprus. In the meantime the United States will intervene and keep them from invading the island. In a week enosis will be a fait accompli." Maybe they really believed that annexation to Greece was a viable alternative. Anyway, they expected me to take orders from Athens, they wanted e to obey like a puppet, and that's absolutely impossible with my temperament. I obey only myself.

O.F.: So you too were expecting the coup.

M.: No. I never thought they'd be so stupid as to order a coup against me. In fact, to me it seemed impossible that they wouldn't consider its consequences. I mean Turkish intervention. At the most I thought they might do such a thing by making a deal with Turkey, that is, authorizing Turkey to intervene so that Greece could then respond, to be followed by partition and double enosis. I went on thinking so even after the coup, when I got to London. It took some time for me to realize that Ioannides had simply acted out of a lack of intelligence. And yet I knew him. In 1963 and 1964 he had been in Cyprus as an officer of the National Guard, and one fill day he came to see me, accompanied by Sampson, in order to Aexplain to me secretly a plan that would settle everything.@ He had bowed to me, he had kissed my hand most respectfully, then: "Beatitude, here's the plan. To attack the Turkish Cypriots suddenly, everywhere on the island. To eliminate them one and all. Stop." I was flabbergasted. I told him I couldn't agree with him, that I couldn't even conceive the idea of killing so many innocent people. He kissed my hand again and went away in a huff. I tell you, he's a criminal.

O.F.: Do you find Papadopoulos better?

M.: I'd say yes. If I had to choose between Papadopoulos and Ioannides, I'd choose Papadopoulos. At least he's more intelligent, or, if you prefer, less stupid. I met him for the first time when he came to Cyprus, shortly after his coup, as minister for the presidency, and no one can say that at that time I was paying him any great consideration. But I saw him again a couple of times in Athens, when I went there to discuss the problem of Cyprus, and I must say that on those occasions he seemed to me much smarter. In any case, supplied with common sense. Well, Papadopoulos was suffering from megalomania, and besides I don't know what he really thought about Cyprus. On the other hand, he was capable of controlling many situations, simultaneously, and he was head and shoulders above his collaborators. I don't even think he hated me, in the beginning. He started hating me later, in the last two years. And maybe only in the last year.

O.F.: And you, Beatitude, are you capable of hating?

M.: Well, let's say that the feeling we call hatred is part of human nature. You can't stop anyone from feeling it once in a while. And though I don't like to admit it, since I must preach love, there are moments when . . . well, when , . . All right, let's say that I don't like certain people. Why are you smiling?

O.F.: Because you make me think of certain Renaissance popes who led their armies in war, and I can't understand to what extent you're a priest. So I conclude that maybe you're not a priest at all, but a big politician dressed as a priest.

M.: You're wrong. I'm a priest first and then a politician. Better still, I'm not a politician at all. I'm a priest, first of all a priest, above all a priest. A priest who has been asked to be head of state and consequently a politician. But one would say you don't much like that.

O.F: No, and I'm dismayed by it. In the world I live in, the struggle of laymen consists precisely in not allowing the spiritual power to be confused with the temporal power, and in keeping a religious leader from becoming a political one.

M.: In my world, on the other hand, it's fairly common. And all the more so in Cyprus, where the archbishop, like the bishops, is elected directly by the people, with universal suffrage. In other words, in Cyprus, the archbishop isn't only a representative and administrator of the Church, he's also a national figure. The ethnarch. And then, in my opinion, the Church should interest itself in all aspects of life---the Christian religion doesn't confine itself to taking care of the moral progress of men, it's also concerned with their social well-being. I see no conflict between my position as priest and my position as president. I see nothing scandalous about my holding both the temporal and spiritual power. Besides I don't lean on a party; I'm not the leader of a political party who goes around asking people to elect him. I simply serve the people in the two capacities that they insistently and almost unanimously offered me. As I explained many years ago to another layman, Prime Minister George Papandreou, I'm strong because I'm weak. Because I have neither a party nor an army nor a police force behind me. And because I don't even know the rules of politics. Because I follow certain principles that are Christian principles and not games, tricks, political maneuvers.

O.F.: Oh, come off it. Beatitude! You, who are a past master in the most Byzantine game of compromise. You, who are considered the most brilliant specialist in intrigue and calculation.

M.: No! I don't use those methods. I don't! I yield to compromises of course, but never to anything that's not clear and honest. I'm not a saint. But I=m an honest man, and I don't believe politics has to be dishonest. I don't think that in order to have success, it's necessary to indulge in deceit. Do you know why my people love me? Do you know why they forgive all the mistakes I make? Because they understand that those mistakes are caused by bad judgment, not by bad intentions. You must not confuse me with the popes of the past, and in fact, if you were to ask me, I have a very negative opinion of them. I really try to bring Christian teachings into the maze of the office that's been entrusted to me and which I accepted. I'll give you an example. In Cyprus we have capital punishment, and as head of state, I'm the one who has to put his signature on death sentences. But executions in Cyprus are very rare because every time a condemned man appeals to me, I let him off. Everyone in Cyprus knows the death penalty is nominal, that I always suspend executions. Those popes went to war, but I don't accept war, I consider it a madness that's destined to end someday, to be remembered with disbelief. I don=t accept bloodshed.

O.F.: Excuse me. Beatitude, but YOU were the one who actually said, at the beginning of the struggle for the independence of Cyprus, "Much blood will have to flow."

M: I can't possibly have said it that way. Maybe I said. "The road to freedom is irrigated with blood," something like that. Maybe I said, "We'll have to die," but not, "We'll have to kill." I was in favor of sabotage, yes, but on condition that it didn't cost the blood of innocent people. All that killing took I place when I was in exile and couldn't do anything to stop it. Oh. I'm not the terrible person you think!

O.F.: We'll see. But now let's forget about Cyprus and talk about you. First of all, why did you become a priest?

M.; I always wanted to be a priest. Ever since I was a child. I was barely thirteen when I entered the monastery. But the reason is hard for me to explain. Maybe I'd been impressed by my visits to the monasteries around my village. I liked the monasteries so much. Life there was so different from the kind we led in the village, and I sometimes wonder if for me the monastary wasn't a way of escaping the sheep, the poverty. My father was a shepherd. And he always wanted me to help him look after the sheep, and I didn't like looking after the sheep. In fact, he used to complain and say, "I can't expect anything from my elder son! If I need help when I'm an old man, I'll have to turn to my younger son!" He said it so often that in the last years of his life, when I was already archbishop, I liked to tease him: "Do you remember when you used to grumble and say you couldn't expect anything from me?" He was very religious, like everyone in the family, but he couldn't understand why on Sunday morning I left the sheep to run to the monastery and help the priest say Mass. I was twelve years old when I told him I wanted to take that path, and he got angry. But I wasn't scared, I was so sure that nothing would be able to stop me.

O.F.: And your mother?

M.: I don't remember my mother very well. She died when I was very small; I don't even have a picture of her. In those days, the poor didn't get their pictures taken, especially in the mountains of Cyprus. About my mother, I only remember the day she got ill. There was only one doctor in the whole district, and my father set out on foot to look for him. He had no idea in what village he might find him, and went wandering around for hours, and finally he came back dragging the doc- tor like a sheep. The doctor used the same pill for all illnesses. Aspirin, I guess. He gave my mother the pill, and she died soon after. I remember the funeral. I remember the nights I slept with my father, because with him I could cry better. And I remember the night when he too started crying, and I said, "If you'll stop crying, I'll stop too." And then I remember my grandmother taking me away, and the relatives saying to my father, "You're young, you should get married again. Also for the children." Besides myself, there was my little brother, and my little sister who had just been born. And one day they brought me home to meet my new motherCFather had got married again. My new mother was a woman in the middle of the room, and she kept whispering, "Come in, come in!" I didn't want to go in because I didn't know her. But then I went in and soon I loved her. She was nice. She's still alive, and still nice, and I still love her. Very much. Oh, it's so difficult, and also so easy, to tell you where I come from. My father couldn't read or write. Neither could my mother, nor my grandmother, nor my stepmother. I think my father resigned himself to the idea of letting me go into the monastery because there I would learn to read and write. When he took me there, he kept urging me: "Be obedient, study . . .

O.F.: Were you disobedient then too? You just told me that you only obey yourself. M.: I was shy. I was so shy in school I didn=t even have the courage to get up and show that I'd studied the lesson. When the teacher called on me, I blushed and my tongue got paralyzed. But not even then was I able to obey. Take the story of the beard. When I was twenty years old, the abbot of the monastery ordered me to let my beard grow. And a novice isn't obliged to grow a beard. I refused, and he got angry, "Either you obey or out you go." "All right, I'll go." Then I packed my bagCI knew exactly what would happen. "You mustn't go! Stay." "All right, I'll stay." "But grow a beard." "No, no beard." "Look out or I'll beat you." "Beat me." He started beating me, and while he was beating me, he yelled, "Will you let it grow?" "No." "Now will you let it grow?' "No." Finally he sat down, exhausted. "Please. Let it grow a little. Just a little, so I won't lose face." "No." "Just the little bit needed to make people ask whether you have one or not." I smiled. "This little bit?" "Yes." "Like now?" "Yes." "Not even a millimeter more?" "Not even a millimeter more." "All I right." And a compromise was reached without my giving in to obedience.

O.F.: Revealing, I'd say.

M.: It's my strategy. It always has been. I mean, I've always enjoyed the game of pushing myself to the edge of the abyss and then stopping so as not to fall. You see what I mean? It's not that I stop at the last moment because I realize the abyss is there; I calculate to the millimeter that I can go that far and no further. The others, naturally, think I'm about to fall, to commit suicide. Instead I go along very quietly, knowing I'll put on the brakes. It was the same with the abbot. I hadn't the slightest intention of leaving the monastery; I liked it too much. But I knew that by making him believe the contrary and taking his beating, he'd give in and accept a compromise that for me was a victory.

O.F.: And has there been any case when your calculations didn't work, when destiny decided for you?

M.: I don't believe in destiny. Everyone makes his own destiny. At the most there exist unforeseen circumstances, which one must know how to take advantage of. I, for instance, hadn't foreseen that I'd become bishop at the age of thirty-five and archbishop at thirty-seven. . . . But that's a story worth telling. After seven years in the monastery, three of which were spent studying at the high school in Nicosia, I was sent to Athens to take my degree in law and theology. There I was caught by the war, the Italian and then the German occupation, a tough as well as adventurous period. After the liberation, however, I got a scholarship in the United States and went to Boston. I liked AmericaCthey'd given me, among other things, a small Greek Orthodox parish. I decided to stay there for five years instead of the three that had been arranged and take my teaching degree in theology. And here the plan failed. Two years had barely gone by, in fact, when I received a cable from Cyprus informing me that a certain district wanted to elect me its bishop. I was alarmed. I didn't want to leave America, I didn't want to go back to Cyprus. Cyprus meant nothing to me except a vague geographical knowledge. And a limited one at that, since all I had seen were the mountains where I was born, the monastery where I'd grown up, and the school in Nicosia where I'd studied. Do you know I was eighteen when I saw the sea for the first time? I cabled back: "Many thanks but I don't want to become bishop stop."

O.F.: Are you telling me you weren't ambitious?

M: Of course I was! No priest can be happy it he doesn=t succeed in an ecclesiastical career. But my ambitions were different. The fact is that no sooner had I sent my reply when a second cable arrived: "Elections held. People elected you unanimously." It was 1948, the eve of the struggle for independence. Sadly I took a plane to Athens, and I remember that there I kept asking everybody, "Will I find a taxi at the Nicosia airport?@ Then I took the plane from Athens to Nicosia and . . . I've already told you that in Cyprus the election of a bishop something very democratic. The people participate in it spontaneously, enthusiastically, and without tricks. But I didn't tell you that it arouses a mad fanaticism. And I can't stand fanaticism. In any form. So you can imagine how I felt when, going out to look for a taxi, I saw this incredible crowd fanatically shouting my name. I recovered myself if only to utter what was to be my first political statement: "You wanted me. So I shall dedicate myself to the Church and to Cyprus. And I=ll do everything I can to help Cyprus win its freedom and break the chains of colonialism." Then I saw myself lifted up and taken to Larnaca, the district where I'd been elected. And from that moment on, Cyprus became my life.

O.F.: A good life, Beatitude. A lucky life, let's face it.

M.: A tough, difficult life, full of assassination attempts, of risks, anxiety, and exile. I was in the Resistance against the British. Still it's true that two years later, when the archbishop died, I was triumphantly elected in his place, thus becoming the youngest head of a Church in the whole world. It's true that I liked it. But it doubled my political commitment and cost me exile. To get rid of me, the British sent me to the Seychelles and . . . Of course, when I look back on it today, that exile seems anything but tragic. Actually it wasn't an exile, it was a vacation. I was given a nice house where I was served and respected. The landscape was marvelous, so marvelous that wanted to see it again, and I went back as a tourist and even bought a little piece of land near the same house, which the owner, unfortunately, didn't want to sell. The British treated me well and didn't keep me there long---just eleven months. But at that time I didn't know it and thought they'd keep me for at lest ten years or forever. I had no idea what was going on in Cyprus, I had no radio, no newspapers, and I couldn't speak with anyone. And . . .

O.F.: And?

M.: Well, all right, I'll tell you. I wasn't born for the contemplative life. I can stay shut up for a week in this suite in the Plaza, but on the eighth day I have to go out, see people, do something, live. You'll object: didn't the monastery teach you anything? Well, our monasteries aren't very strictCthose who stay inside them do so by choice and not because they're forced to. And no one says I should go back and live in a monastery. I prefer to do what I'm doing and . . . why should I go back to a monastery?

O.F.: So I was right to compare you with those popes. Besides I've never believed in the picture some people paint of you: ascetic, vegetarian . . .

M.: I'm not a vegetarian! I like vegetables but I also eat meat. One of my most painful memories is a certain official dinner that was offered me in India. The waiter came over and asked me, "Are you vegetarian?" I thought he was asking if I liked vegetables and I answered yes. Then he put a flower beside my plate and for the whole meal served me nothing but vegetables. I was consumed with envy seeing the others devouring chicken, fish, steaks. In fact, now whenever they put a flower in my hand, I get suspicious.

O.F.: But I was referring to other flowers. Beatitude. It seems you were once at a party where a dancer did a wild belly dance, and you're said to have remarked, "The beauty of woman is a gift of God "

M.: I don't know that incident. It's true, I love popular dances, I like folklore . . .

O.F.: No, no, I wasn't talking about folklore. I was talking about belly dancing. I was trying to ascertain that you're not one of those priests who pray from morning to night and . . .

M.: I'm usually a very simple man. At the same time, however . . . What should I say? . . . When necessary . . . I make certain . . . adjustments. I like to walk, for instance, to run, to climb mountains, to keep in shape. Also because I like sports and I dislike fat people. So whenever I can, I take an excursion, I walk in the woods. . . . Under my robe, you see, I wear trousers. If I always dress this way, in robes, even at home, it's because my people are used to seeing me in a cassock and I can't disappoint them. But cocktail parties bore me and so do worldly things. . . . O.F.: I still haven't made myself clear. Beatitude. Maybe it's better to call things by their right names. I was referring to women, to the rumors that you're very fond of women. They even say that in Cyprus you have two, well, two wives.

M.: Come now. In the Orthodox Church, bishops and archbishops can't marry. Only priests can. But then they don't become bishops.

O.F.: I know. I said "wives" to be polite.

M.: . . .

O.F.: Isn't it true you're very fond of women?

M.: . . .

O.F.: All right, let's change the subject. They also say you're not a sincere man, that a word of truth never comes out of your mouth. Do you think a head of state should be permitted to tell lies?

M.: No. this is something I can't accept. I'm so incapable of telling lies, any lie, that when I can't tell the truth, I prefer to keep silent. Silence is always better than lies. Look, during the Resistance struggle, the British arrested me several times. After being arrested, I was interrogated, and naturally I couldn't deny what I was doing. And then everyone knew I had con- tacts with Grivas. So, in order not to lie, I answered, "I can't say anything. I don't want to say anything. I refuse to answer." And I kept silent.

O.F.: Just what you did with me when I asked you about women.

M.: What did I say?

O.F.: Nothing.

M.: The perfect answer.

O.F.: I'm beginning to like you. Beatitude. And at this point it pains me to insist on the ugly things they say about you. For instance, that you rule through favors, and that you're very rich, and that . . .

M.: I possess nothing. Absolutely nothing except that little piece of land in the Seychelles. I haven't a penny in any bank in the world. I have nothing but a kind of salary, which I can use as I

like, but it's very small. I administer the properties of the Greek Orthodox Church in Cyprus, it's true, and as archbishop I can dispose of anything that belongs to the archbishop's palace, but I'm not authorized to use a single cent for myself. Theoretically, even my linen belongs to the archbishop's palace. As for favors, I help many people, it's true. But my friends less than anyone. And my relatives still less. My brother is my driver. That doesn't seem to me a great career; also when you stop to think of the attempts that are made on my life. I stay in good hotels when I travel, it's true. But do you know why? Because I have friends all over the world and they're anxious to pay for me. In London, for instance, after the coup d'état, I went to the Grosvenor House, where I always go. The next morning Charles Forte, whom I'd known 'from Cyprus where he wanted to open a hotel, came to me and said, "Do you know I'm the owner of the Grosvenor House?" I hadn't known. "It will be an honor for me to have you as my guest for as long as you care to stay in London." And so I didn't pay. In fact, he even wanted me to be his guest in New York, at the Pierre, another hotel he owns. I didn't accept because I didn't want to take advantage of him.

O.F.: Yes, but then why do they call you the Red Archbishop?

M.: I've never understood where that came from. Maybe from the fact that I've never made anticommunist propaganda. Or the fact that I follow a policy of nonalignment. Most of the non- aligned countries are accused of being leftist-oriented and even of looking to the Soviet Union. O.F.: Are you a socialist, Beatitude?

M.: If you're referring to Swedish socialism, not Soviet socialism, I can say I really have nothing against socialism. Among all social systems, it's the closest to Christianity, to a certain Christianity, or at least to what Christian teaching should be. Christianity doesn't favor any social system---it recognizes that any social system, from the capitalist one to the communist, can contain something good. But if I had to choose the best system, or the most Christian system. I'd choose socialism. I said socialism, not communism. And let me add that, in my opinion, the future belongs to socialism. It will end by prevailing, through a kind of osmosis between the communist countries and the capitalist ones. Spiritually it's already happening. The socialist, that is, egalitarian, spirit is permeating all human relationships. Today equality is an almost spontaneous feeling.

O.F.: You're an optimist. Beatitude.

M.: I always have been. And never at random. In the last thirty years a great change has happened in the world. Thirty years ago who would have imagined that colonialism would be over

and that war would no longer be accepted as a means for subjugating a country? Who would have imagined that social hierarchies would no longer be accepted with conviction, that the word socialism would no longer be frightening?

O.F.: But if you believe in socialism, how can you administer a church that's one of the richest in the world?

M.: Never so rich as the Catholic Church. And anyway the Church isn't a reactionary force; it doesn't represent the capitalist world. If it often goes to the right, the fault is only of its representatives. And the representatives of the Church aren't the Church; the representatives of religion aren't religion. When you think that not even the priests, bishops, archbishops, and

theologians have been able to uproot religion from the heart of men! I may be too optimistic, but even the Catholic Church leads me to make a positive judgment. It's changed so much in recent years, thanks to Pope John. In 1961, when I was asked to stop in Rome on a state visit, I was invited by the pope. And naturally I had a great desire to go, but still I wondered if I should. Our lack of understanding goes back so far. Not only had I never met a Catholic bishop. I'd never met a Catholic priest! I told myself that the other heads of the Orthodox Church would be offended. But soon after that the patriarch of Constantinople, Athenagoras, met with Paul VI in Jerusalem.

O.F.: Did you feel at ease with the pope?

M: It was interesting. A pity all that protocol.

O.F.: And who are the leaders with whom you=ve felt at ease?

M: Let=s say that some leaders, not many, have impressed me, and that others have left me indifferent. They were considered great men, but they were only men at the head of great countries. Among those who impressed me, I=d put Jack Kennedy. That childish face of his was really nice; it had a dignity of its own. Besides Kennedy was simple, human. Along with Kennedy, I'd put Tito. But Tito and I are friends; I like to think he has the same affection for me that I have for him. . . . He's such a dynamic man, full of clear ideas. And generous besides. "Anything you need, just let me know," he always says. I liked Nasser too. I remember meeting him at the first conference of nonaligned countries, in Bandung in Indonesia. It was the first time he'd left Egypt, the first time he'd flown in a nonmilitary plane, and he was so excited. I found that touching. As for Castro . . . I don't know. He has certain qualities necessary for a leader. With me he behaved . . . well, he behaved like Castro. Golda Meir is a very strong, interesting woman, but we disagree about too many things. We've met twice and we didn't exactly throw our arms around each other. Sukarno . . . he didn't impress me. Nixon even less. An ordinary man, very ordinary. And then . . . what do you want me to say? I like Constantine. Not because I'm a monarchistCI saw him coming into the world, I saw him grow up, I like him. But I can't say that because I shouldn't be making political propaganda for him,

O.F.: And Mao Tse-tung?

M.: I wouldn't say I have much in common with him. And I don't know how to define the impression he made on me. His health, when I met him last May, really wasn't good and . . . Let's put it this way: in China he's a kind of god. His fingerprints are everywhere, obsessively, and I've already told you that I hate fanaticism. I feel more at ease with Chou En-lai. Besides I've known him for nineteen years, since the Bandung Conference. Chou En-lai is so intelligent, so pleasant, with him you can even joke. He prepared a fabulous welcome for meChundreds of thousands of people in the streets of Peking, a million in Shanghai. I kept saying to him, "You want to make me feel like somebody!" We also had fun when he started talking about our two countries, about the role they'd play in history. He kept repeating, "Our two countries . . ." Finally I interrupted and exclaimed, "Will you do me a favor? Will you stop talking about our two countries, about their historical roles? I feel ridiculous. How can you compare a little island of five hundred thousand inhabitants with a China of eight hundred million? What historical role can we have in common, we two? I'm a mosquito next to an elephant!" Mao Tse-tung was there too. He tried to smooth things over by saying that mosquitoes can sometimes give a lot of trouble, while elephants are innocent. But that didn't go down with me. And I still kept my inferiority complex.

O.F.: Do you often feel that inferiority complex?

M.: Ah, yes. If it's not inferiority, it's uneasiness. During my visit to the Soviet Union, for instance, I stayed inside the Kremlin. Every morning I said to myself, "Good Lord! An archbishop inside the Kremlin!" Podgorny was nice and polite; he did nothing but smile at me, but he didn't succeed in making me forget the paradox. To get out of it, I combined my state visit with a visit to the Russian Orthodox Church. And that was worse. The coronation ceremony for the new patriarch of Moscow was taking place just then, and the crowd was as numerous as in Peking, as in Shanghai. It was very hard for me to behave as though I really felt important. Look, there's only one time when I lost that inferiority complex.

O.F.: When?

M.: When I visited Malta.

O.F.: We can offer you San Marino.

M.: They've never invited me. But I've felt comfortable in Africa too. Oh, it's extraordinary the number of babies and streets that have been named after me in Africa! In Tanzania I did nothing but meet little black Makarioses, and the same in Zanzibar, though Zanzibar is Muslim. In Mombasa there's a Makarios Avenue. And in Nairobi . . . Ah, Nairobi was the best of all, because in one week I baptized five thousand people. I'd been invited by Kenyatta, another leader who's impressed me very much, and all of a sudden I had an idea. I asked, "How many people could I baptize if I stayed here a week?" They said, "As many as you like." "Even fifty thousand?" "Even fifty thousand." Well, fifty thousand was too much. I said, "Let's do five thousand." The first contingent arrived in two days, coming on foot from very distant villages. And naturally I should have baptized them in the river. But I didn't want to run the risk. The water is polluted and I'm a hygienist. So I threw them all into a swimming pool, adults and children, and . . . For a week I did nothing but fill that pool. It was amusing because there's a Catholic mission there that's not too well liked because of its old ties with colonialism, and to baptize even a single person those poor missionaries have to sweat like hell. Help women give birth, nurse babies, and what have you. For me instead it was quite simple. I didn't have to do any of those awful things, and the result is that in Africa I have at my disposal the largest concentration of black Orthodox Christians. Naturally they understood nothing about what it means to belong to the Greek Orthodox Church. You meet some fellow on the street and ask him, "What religion do you belong to?" And he answers, "To

Makarios's religion!" But it's all right just the same and . . .Look, I'll always live in Cyprus. As I told you, Cyprus is now my life. But if I couldn't live in Cyprus, I'd live in Africa.

O.F.: And now I begin to understand something about you, Beatitude. Good-bye, thank you, and see you again in Cyprus.

M.: See you again in Cyprus. Come when you like. I'll receive you as president.

Turkey rubbing Iraqi Kurds too the wrong way!

2012-01-15T20:30:00.001+02:00

“We ... did not expect the way they [Turkey] interfere in Iraq,” Maliki said “And we do not allow that absolutely. We recently noticed their surprise interventions with statements, as if Iraq is controlled or run by them”
“If it is acceptable to talk about our judicial authority, then we can talk about theirs, and if they talk about our disputes, we can talk about theirs
“Turkey is playing a role that might bring disaster and civil war to the region and that Turkey itself will suffer because it has different sects and ethnicities.”
Maliki's attacks targeting Turkey undermine his own legitimacy | Sunday's Zaman 15/1/2012

Would you ignore me, mock me or fight me?

2012-01-10T18:48:00.000+02:00

If someone could decode the Cypriot soul in 2004's 76% rejection of the monstrous Annan plan, thus uniting all of us, then we would all find the comfort zone to acknowledge that all Cypriot leaders have done their very best, and yes often not good enough, at the service of an extremely demanding and intelligent people that has been dealt a truly crappy hand by history!

Some Cypriot politician recently reminded us of Gandhi's quote “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” If only this politician would realize that Gandhi's quote was a call to action for those in the right place, at the right time, uniquely destined to fulfill a role far larger than their current noble one.

Who is best positioned to translate the will of Cypriots into a solution that respects the history and traditions of the land, and in doing so convince the Cypriot people of the necessity to UNITE this once for the sake of future generations & out of respect and gratitude to generations past?

Who is best positioned to be the voice of the Cypriot soul?

I am willing to bet there are hundreds of thousands of Cypriots willing to buy into a Cypriot vision of common sense, a Cypriot sense of unity, away from narrow party & technocratic calculations, away from foreign thinking in approaching a Cypriot conundrum created by foreigners in the first place.

Who is a politician with integrity, expertise, competence and the ability to unite and inspire all Cypriots to rally behind a single candidacy in the 2013 elections?

Who is widely accepted and possesses the guts to chart a new course and the confidence to explain such decision to friends and foes alike.

If I told you I have such person in mind would you ignore me, mock me or fight me?

The "Κοινόν Κυπρίων" of our generation

2012-01-09T15:46:00.000+02:00

The common will of Cypriots was captured in the resounding 76% of negative votes when rejecting the 2004 Annan Plan that aimed to serve interests outside the island. People from all walks of life and all political beliefs came together to offer their wisdom and common sense, against strong foreign influence that threatened them to succumb. Cypriots sent out the message that democracy, international law and human rights cannot be tailored or trimmed to suit others.

"Κοινόν Κυπρίων" (Common League) was an important institution back in the Roman Years representing a bond between Cypriots against their enemies and conquerors. For our generation, it means the common will to pass a thunderous 'NO' to any “imported” solution aiming to legitimize two unforgivable wrongdoings.

The extorted constitution of 1960 which solved Great Britain's "Cyprus problem"

The 1974 invasion that solved Turkey's "Cyprus problem"

Both wrongdoings happened at the expense of Cypriots. The fact is Cypriots never actually had a “Cyprus problem”. Cypriots' only problem was Turkey, that started planting & nurturing the seed of hatred, resulting in division in the 1950s, by exploiting the Muslim minority of our island and Britain's desire to maintain a sovereign, military and colonialist presence in Cyprus.

Our "Κοινόν Κυπρίων" today emanates from Cypriot common sense, the common sense and truth of the western world, against Turkey's hypocrisy and imperialism!

We need to unite and pass a simple albeit strong message to all Cypriot party leaders and politicians, regardless which office they hold.

We need to show the path to our leaders, as we did in 2004, and for this we must not antagonize them. After all they are bound by a series of mistakes going back in history, with each mistake tracing its roots to Cypriots fighting for their right of self-determination, against the plots and interests of foreign powers, to have the defining say for their future.

We cannot replace the politicians sitting at the negotiating table but there is nothing that can stop us from giving them a mandate so powerful they cannot ignore: our generation's "Κοινόν Κυπρίων"!

Please help empower Cypriot political leaders by co-signing the petition "Free Cyprus".

Tip of the iceberg

2012-01-08T15:59:00.002+02:00

For those who understand Turkey the below press piece is a warning by the religious nationalists to the so called Kemalists [CHP, Ergenekon, TSK] to behave in the aftermath of Basbug's imprisonment else there is lots more where this came from! Cyprus is after all the TSK's most valuable prize.

"For example, during the 1974 Turkish intervention in Cyprus, the General Staff was able to hide the fact that Turkey sank its own ship because back then it was much easier to hide things from the public due to communication deficiencies."

Such details will become an avalanche as the Turkish "deep state" crumbles & the new religious nationalists fail to introduce democracy, authentic western democracy! Turks are so misinformed it is not funny. We don't have the luxury to wait for Turkey to become a normal state. The process will take decades. We must demand western justice for Cyprus today.

Not possible other way around | Sunday's Zaman | 6 January 2012 / EMRE AKÖZ, SABAH

Triskaidekaphobic?

2012-01-06T14:20:00.006+02:00

President Makarios attempted to fix the apartheid 1960 constitution with 13 proposed amendments. All hell broke loose. Now the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) discovered lots and lots of natural gas in its exclusive economic zone and opted to divide it into 13 plots! The RoC has elections coming up in 2013, not to mention than on November 30th of 2013 it will be 50 years since the 13 constitutional proposals. Last, if we find a solution in 2013 it will be 39, or 3 times 13, years after the 1974 catastrophe! Any triskaidekaphobics around?

I am looking for the person to lead Cypriots into the future. Any ideas? Why?

Cyprus: seeking the wrong solution?

2011-12-23T09:05:00.001+02:00

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 Directors Forum of the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC, on December 20.

The Minister then went on to elaborate on a framework for such a settlement by referring to agreed United Nations language concerning a state of Cyprus with a single sovereignty and international personality and a single citizenship, with its independent and territorial integrity safeguarded, in a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation .

Has it not occurred to the political leaders of the two communities in Cyprus that the possible reason for lack of progress on the resolution of the Cyprus challenge might be this internally inconsistent and contradictory framework?

It did not take long for the first and possibly the most genuine United Nations mediator Galo Plaza in March 1965 to realize that a federation was not the right solution for Cyprus. In February 1977, Cypriot President Archbishop Makarios may have had his reasons to make a major concession for a bi-communal Federal Republic in the face of perceived threats from Turkey, possibly thinking that it was better to keep control of two thirds of the island than nothing at all.

With Cyprus as a member of the European Union since 2004, there is no more reason for a federation in Cyprus, or a subtle or not so subtle form of partition or taksim. In the past, given the Greek Cypriot ambition for enosis or union with Greece, it made sense for the Turkish Cypriots to consider partition or taksim, or as Dean Acheson had labeled it - double enosis. But that aspiration has changed now.

ENOSIS

Enosis is no longer on the agenda of the Greek Cypriots, so partition or a federation need no longer be the goal or right solution for Cyprus. It is of course convenient for the nternational community and the United Nations to endorse a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation in Cyprus because the UN does not know any better. The UN has failed miserably when it comes to peace-building. The UN has simply managed to freeze the conflict in Cyprus through its so-called success in peacekeeping by maintaining the two communities and their military forces separated.

Turkey has evidently read very well what Galo Plaza had stated in his report, particularly Section V, (b), paragraphs 149 to 157, on The structure of the state of Cyprus, and through its invasion and continued occupation sought to change the situation on the ground through the use of force to justify a federation. This is an artificial partition and imposition, which the Cypriots can do without.

How is it possible for the political leaders of both communities to have forgotten what Galo Plaza had stated, namely I cannot help wondering whether the physical division of the minority from the majority should not be considered a desperate step in the wrong direction? (para. 155)

Was Galo Plaza not almost prophetic when he stated that In fact, the arguments for the geographical separation of the two communities under a federal system of government have not convinced me that it would not inevitably lead to partition and thus risk creating a new national frontier between Greece and Turkey, . How can the government of Cyprus not see that a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation is likely to lead to a new national frontier between Cyprus and Turkey passing through Nicosia?

MINORITY RIGHTS

The real solution of the Cyprus challenge lies in re-visiting Section V, (c) of the Galo Plaza report on The protection of individual and minority rights of the Turkish Cypriots by the government of Cyprus. The government of Cyprus may do well to re-write the Constitution not to produce a federal state, but to enshrine the individual and minority rights of the Turkish Cypriots. If the Turkish Cypriots isolated themselves in the past, the government of Cyprus needs to go out of its way to make them feel an integral part of a unified state, and not abandon its responsibility for their well-being through a federation.

The government of Cyprus needs to make use of all the intergovernmental institutions, including the UN, the European Union, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and their mechanisms, together with the support of a network of competent NGOs and academics to build peace at the grassroots level between the members of the two communities.

Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots are friendly and hospitable people, and they can live peacefully together if political leaders and the media help them to satisfy their basic human needs rather that brainwashing them with divisive reporting and negative self-fulfilling prophecies.

Turkish Cypriots do not need a separate constituent state. They need to live wherever they like within the island, and enjoy and share the same EU benefits and upgraded physical and social infrastructure enjoyed by the Greek Cypriots, who similarly have a right to live wherever they like within their own country. As EU citizens, Turkish Cypriots need to enjoy all the freedoms that come with EU membership. They have the right to move and reside in other EU member States, and should not be restricted to live in the northern part of the island?

The Foreign Minister of Cyprus has stated that the settlement negotiations have not made substantive progress on the most crucial issues of governance and executive powers, refugees, property, territory and citizenship. In a single unified state there are no territory and citizenship issues to be solved. More progress can be achieved on the internally displaced persons when the Turkish military forces are persuaded to withdraw, once the Turkish Cypriots feel secure enough. For an interim period an OSCE Verification Mission, which could include a few Turkish troops, may supplement UNFICYP to put the mind of the Turkish Cypriots at rest concerning their security.

The 50 United States of America are not composed of 50 ethnic communities living separately. The small island of Cyprus is not India. Cyprus needs to strive for unification and forget about a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation. The people of the two communities, especially the younger generation, need to make a bottom-up request to their political leaders to draw a Constitution by Cypriots for Cypriots where each and every one has an equal voice through his representatives at the highest levels. Cyprus as an EU and OSCE Participating State does not need dividing lines and zones.

Copyright © Famagusta Gazette 2011
Cyprus: seeking the wrong solution? - FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE - Thu, Dec 22, 2011 by Alfred A Farrugia in Washington

The Law of the Sea Vs. a sea of inconsistencies

2011-12-15T09:34:00.000+02:00

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 Republic of Cyprus, the only subject of international law on the island, cannot be excluded from its rights on its EEZ merely because Turkey is not a party to the Law of the Sea Convention. In any event, even if that was the case, Cyprus still inherently maintains its rights on its Continental Shelf. These ipso facto rights are rightly exercised by Cyprus and Turkey cannot raise any valid claims to the contrary.

The same stands for the unfounded argumentation on the rights of the Turkish Cypriots under the 1960 Constitution. Turkey cannot possibly validly claim that the actions of the Republic of Cyprus are detrimental to the rights of the T/C community as it was Turkey who attempted to dissolve the Republic by the 1974 invasion. And the T/C themselves cannot possibly argue that they represent in any manner even partially the Republic of Cyprus (see the numerous UN Security Council resolutions on this since 1963).

In any event, if Turkey is so confident about the validity of any of its claims why don't they refer these matters to the ICJ (International Court of Justice). I am sure you know that among jurists, it is undisputed that Turkey is attempting to flex muscles in order to terrorize the weaker powers in the region to share with her what would be entirely theirs. However, this is exactly why International Law is there: to safeguard that the strong will not impose his will on the powerless. This is the beauty of justice: Law is what separates civilized societies from a jungle. In my view, Turkey is desperately trying to justify its actions by inventing far fetched theories on "equitable rights", which I am afraid fall entirely beyond the letter and the spirit of the Law of the Sea as this was developed by the practice of the civilized nations (including Turkey itself as you rightly point out in your article) as well as by the Law of the Sea Convention the ratification of which (by the way) constitutes a prerequisite for any country who is aspiring to become an EU member.

Lastly, I feel that the sooner Turkey faces the realities of its actions vis a vis Cyprus and proceeds to put things right, the sooner it would be freed to achieve its great destiny and potential. It's only fair to point out that my views are biassed as I am a Cypriot living on a daily basis the consequences of the invasion and occupation of my country by a foreign military power.

The EU can get angry too, as it turns out

2011-12-10T11:52:00.001+02:00

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“.

Earlier in September, asked if the drilling for Hydrocarbons off shore of Cyprus would decrease reliance on Russia, Schulz said in an interview at the European Parliament in Strasbourg that diversification of energy supply is a co-element of the EU energy strategy. “It’s not only Cyprus. We need gas imports from northern Africa, oil imports from northern Africa, we’re in a close co-operation with Algeria, for example, for the gas fields so I think it’s reasonable and it is needed to look if Cyprus has gas fields,” Schulz said.

“The European Union to be independent must be carefully to spread the energy supplies so you are right and the question is right we should not be dependent neither from one side – Russia for example – nor exclusively from Northern Africa. Therefore, ‘yes’ it is on our own interest that Turkey is looking behind the possibility to get gas in this area,” Schulz said.

Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 11-12-08
Schulz slams Turkey as Cyprus drills for gas | New Europe 1/Oct/2011

Dominos

2011-12-09T21:59:00.001+02:00

"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 Kurdish question will no longer be a domestic democracy problem for Turkey but will be rapidly transformed into an internationalized “national liberation movement.” " NAO

"Even if not as severe as al-Assad, they [the west] will show a clearer and more encouraging manner toward Turkey on how to realize a political environment for the Kurds like in Syria." NAO

At that point, Turkish hypocrisy vis-a-vis the ethnic Turkish Cypriot minority of Cyprus & its own Kurdish one will be unveiled. The west will demand to know why Turks don't practice at home what they preach in Cyprus. Antifon

Syria, Turkey and the Kurds NİHAT ALİ ÖZCAN Hurriyet Daily News 7 Dec 11

The price of wanting to be

2011-12-09T13:50:00.001+02:00

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.

2011-12-08T23:53:00.001+02:00

"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.
Debate article
EUobserver 01 December 2011
Carl Bildt, Minister for Foreign Affairs

The EU and Turkey: steering a safer path through the storms

By eleven EU foreign ministers:

The EU is currently focused on the turmoil in the Eurozone. That poses severe risks to economic growth across our countries. But these tumultuous economic and political times should not lead to the EU turning its back on its neighbourhood.

In particular, Turkey is an important partner as a new economic powerhouse for the Single Market and a growing regional power that could contribute to our shared foreign policy effort. We believe strongly in the benefits the Turkish accession process has brought both to the EU and Turkey and in its continued importance for driving progress towards shared goals such as economic competitiveness, energy security and regional stability.

Since the start of the new millennium, Turkey has grown in influence and authority as a regional power in the Western Balkans, Central and South Asia and the Horn of Africa. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has been a key interlocutor, not least on Afghanistan where he made a huge personal contribution to last month's conference in Istanbul. With Turkey as host, for the first time, Afghanistan's neighbours have agreed to implement political and security measures to underpin the cause of reconciliation. The 'Arab Spring' underlines the strong interests the EU and Turkey have in working together to ensure the region changes for the better. We welcome Turkey's increasing participation in EU foreign policy discussions, where Turkey's insight and influence have shown how the EU's global reach can be strengthened by Turkey at a time of global uncertainty.

Turkish economic growth has been exponential. Turkey is the 16th largest economy in the world and will assume the Presidency of the G20 in 2015. Turkey is the EU's seventh largest trade partner. This growth has been underpinned by close economic ties with the EU. 46% of Turkey's trade is with the EU. More than two thirds of Turkey's foreign direct investment is from the EU. With growth in Turkey around 10% in the first half of this year, there is enormous potential for the close EU-Turkey economic relationship to deepen.

Turkey has also transformed its governance, society and democracy. Civilian control of the military has been firmly embedded and judicial reform is underway. The rights of minorities have gradually improved - most recently through legislation helping minority religious foundations to recover property confiscated in the 1930s. And Turkey is now embarking on a new transformation discussing replacement of the current constitution drafted by the military in 1980.

The EU has been at the heart of this transformation since the new millennium, the accession negotiations helping to guide the Turkish reform process. In support of Turkey's reforms, the EU has committed technical assistance and funding worth over ¬750 million in 2011 including work to strengthen democratic institutions, protect fundamental rights and strengthen civil society. Recent progress in the accession negotiations has been disappointingly slow, but Turkey continues to pursue reforms to align its legislation with the EU acquis. We strongly welcome Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle's "renewed positive agenda" for EU-Turkey relations. This offers new opportunities to reinforce economic relations; deepen dialogue; support Turkey's domestic reform agenda; and combat illegal migration, while making it easier to travel legally between the EU and Turkey. We look forward to working with Turkey on this agenda in a way which complements and supports the accession process.

Naturally, the accession process places requirements for reform on Turkey. It needs to do more to meet EU standards, including on fundamental rights. In its recent Progress Report, the European Commission noted concerns over how judicial processes were affecting freedom of the media, and that more work is needed to guarantee the rights of minorities. The new constitution is a significant opportunity to transform Turkey further, including by providing a framework to address the Kurdish issue, and we welcome Prime Minister Erdogan's commitment to a constitution that reflects the aspirations of all citizens. Turkey is experiencing a brutal wave of terrorism instigated by the PKK that we utterly condemn.

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 Eroglu to work within the UN framework for a successful outcome.

Turkey's accession process is of vital strategic and economic importance for both the EU and Turkey. We welcome Turkey's commitment to continuing reforms to meet its European goal and offer her our full support. Together, the EU and Turkey can steer a safer path through the current global economic and political storms.

* * *

Audronis Azubalis, Carl Bildt, Edgars Rinkevics, Erkki Tuomioja, Guido Westerwelle, Giulio Terzi, Janos Martonyi, Karel Schwarzenberg, Samuel Zbogar, Urmas Paet and William Hague.

The eleven EU foreign ministers

Audronis Azubalis, Carl Bildt, Edgars Rinkevics, Erkki Tuomioja, Guido Westerwelle, Giulio Terzi, Janos Martonyi, Karel Schwarzenberg, Samuel Zbogar, 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.

EU Observer
Swedish Embassy
Cyprus Embassy

Loot weighing heavy on the conscience?

2011-12-08T12:38:00.001+02:00

"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.

Men gathered in the village squares telling each other about the prettiness of their new houses, showing their Greek Cypriot clothes on their backs and talking about who got how much pillage. Women were visiting each other’s houses and checking out who got what. Children were playing with their new toys in their new clothes on the streets.

Before the Turkish Cypriot occupation regime could bring the situation under control, people looted Greek Cypriot houses, factories, and villages. It was said that the erstwhile employers of a middle aged Turkish woman who had been a maidservant were paying social calls on her in view of her overnight prosperity, based on her vast store of loot.

At social events, there was considerable chatter about the found things in the house of one or another of the group, As the old moral strictures on the individual and on society were shaken, people felt that they had the right to own the found things and even stole such found items"

Turkish Cypriots 1974 by Talos Samson in Cyprus Real Talk

You, the Greeks of Cyprus, are crazy

2011-12-07T01:17:00.001+02:00

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.

That’s why I am not comfortable with your stance toward the Cyprus problem. Even though a Zulu states with pride his relation and connection to the Greek civilisation, you are hiding with guilt and other complexes your Greek history and tradition, the fact that Cyprus was always a part of the Greek civilisation. Even when he, the Zulu we are talking about, considers that the Hellenic spirit has embraced the whole planet, you are in danger of losing your own homeland, a very ancient source of Hellenism. Don’t you realise that the continuous projection of history, the Greek identity of Cyprus, is a ‘weapon’ for your struggle? To conclude the chapter of my love toward Greek mythology: When, for the first time, I was going to leave my country I saluted my mother and my other relatives with the phrase ‘Ο αργοναύτης ξεκινά’ (The Argonaut is going).

Nevertheless, the third destination of my Argonautic campaign, after Greece and England, which is Cyprus (I have come to its university), has filled me with negative feelings. Because having a direct experience with the South African struggle for freedom and equality, I never believed that I would have noticed so many mistakes, criminal mistakes, omissions and careless mistakes by you.

I give two examples: In our country white people tried to create a partitioned country, separated into whites and blacks, separated into two election bodies and separated into two areas, one with a white majority and one with a black majority. All this would be joined in a so called ‘single’ state with different federal forms. The Zulus of South Africa understood the trap, that we would have further strengthening of the racist regime, that there would just be a change in name not in essence. They opposed this strongly. They proudly, continuously and loudly declared: South Africa will be a single united country, where all its citizens able to move and live freely in any part of it they want, there will be a single election body and every human will be equal to one vote.

I cannot understand you Greeks. You are deliberately accepting racist discrimination, separate areas and that every Greek-Cypriot will equal to half a vote and every Turkish-Cypriot to four. Unbelievable, you even accept rotating presidency. How is this ever possible!

Another example: For us, our ideological framework was clear. Our beliefs and values were not ‘laces’ for the carnival dance. If somebody was considered to be willing to talk about separate areas or other opinions of the white colonialism and the racist regime, he was immediately isolated. They pointed at him with disgust and regarded him as a coward and a traitor. He expressed the worst conservatism, racism and oppression. Our women would not talk to him; our men would turn their backs at him with disrespect. And that’s why we won, because Zulus stood with pride. I view a big reverse of action in you. They come and tell you the same we were told by the supporters of the apartheid, but yours have a look on their face as if they are saying great, progressive and modern things! This is not possible, ‘Lord, set a guard upon my lips’. You listen to them, you don’t speak of treason and you don’t ostracize them.

I believe that they dare say these unhistorical things and dare declare these racist views because society has no control over them and doesn’t reject them. A society which has lost its self-confidence and its pride will lose the battle at some point. So, I believe that the Greeks of Cyprus need to ‘take’ some pride from the Zulus.

Saka Digane, Student of Politics and Sociology in the University of Cyprus

December 2011
Translation in English by Charilaos Palmas

Ένα διεισδυτικό κείμενο του Σάκα Ντιγκάνε

Democratic enough?

2011-12-06T14:59:00.001+02:00

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.

Let us further say we hold a referendum whereby the entire legal Cypriot electorate is asked to approve the most fundamental tenets of such constitution with a simple 'yes' or 'no'.

The referendum carries a 92% 'yes' vote of approval.

Would we then be morally and legally justified to demand the immediate removal of Turkey from Cyprus & the adoption of such constitution?

What sort of democracy would we be advocating, if in such a democracy 75% of the popular will cannot be respected?

Note that a 92% of none-tC Cypriots alone is more than 75% of TOTAL Cypriot vote, even if we are super gracious and assume tCs make up 18% of Cypriot population as in 1960. The sad fact is, proof in itself of the irony and hypocrisy in Turkey's Cyprus meddling, tCs' population is closer to 10% of total legal Cypriot population.

Ps. g, t, m, a & l refer to Cypriots of Greek, Turkish, Maronite, Armenian and Latin heritage.

Don Quixotian condition

2011-12-06T14:51:00.001+02:00

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?
I maintain that such Don Quixotian stance is barely understood, and often exploited, by those that should matter. Those with the leverage to help us if we have the moral strength and smarts to present our case with dignity and conviction. Because those who should matter can also be convinced to admit not seeing the relevance of 40.000 troops & a million settlers on such a small island if the objective is peace and the protection Cypriots, a people whose overwhelming majority has millennia of Christian and Greek recorded history on Cyprus.

The Ergenekon/ TSK/ AKP/ MIT fascists, allow me the luxury of such a cliche word as I wholeheartedly and knowingly believe it applies, with their magnificent propaganda machine, will always reinforce the world of the defeated Cypriot, but are they to last much longer? But most importantly, are they even relevant in the proposed course of action? Is their strength at all pertinent?

Don Quixote too became obsessed with books of chivalry [Ergenekon/ MIT/ AKP propaganda], and believed their every word to be true, despite the fact that many of the "events" in them are clearly impossible [thousands tCs dead [what?], peace operation [what?], thrown out of 1960 [what?], forced [what?] to live in enclaves, we were dying in 74 so Turkey intervened [what?] etc, etc, etc].

But the cruel practical jokes eventually lead Don Quixote to a great melancholy over his defeats and humiliations [1960, 1974, 1977-79, 2011]. One day, he awakes from a dream having fully recovered his sanity. He denounces books of chivalry [BBF, grey wolves & white elephants].

I used to say something along these lines 'let us hope that the new generations to come after us will have renewed faith in their Cypriot identity and will grab the bull by the horn so to speak!'

But lately I realize that there won't be a Cypriot identity as we [gCs, tCs, mCs, aCs, lCs] have come to know it. This is the generation that must act. The time is now. The bull is in the ring. And guess what, we are in the ring too. We have the choice of grabbing or perishing. It's a binary one and unavoidable.

Let's write the constitution that over 75% of Cypriots can approve & the Council of Europe would give its blessings!

Catch-22

2011-12-04T14:02:00.001+02:00

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. The quest for freedom, justice and democracy in Cyprus did not start in 1960 as tCs are keen, either naively or hypocritically, to remind us & some gCs too smart for their own sake to agree. 1960 was the seed of the catch-22, the mother of all illogical conditions. 1960 must be fixed.

Makarios' wisdom will haunt us until the gC collective wisdom can rise above petty differences & manage to see through the layers of hypocrisy and indifference by non-Cypriot powers with regards to authentic Cypriot interests. gCs owe the future generations to acknowledge the wisdom of the spirit (and the letter to a large extend) of Makarios' 1963 ideas & pursue their upgrade to 2011 & in line with the EU acquis and generally accepted democratic principles of the western world. In doing so the aim is to carry the majority Cypriot will, not that of any minority group.

And as the major problem against such initiative shall be Turkey, we must be ready to remind Turkey of her huge shortcomings vis-a-vis her own ethnic minority. Because, quite simply, if Turkey supports that granting equal community status to a double digit ethnic minority is the only way out of bloodshed, then what's keeping her from applying her own recipe at home?

Caroline Dudgeon's comment is listed below and can be found on this Facebook thread:

"I am sure if it was down to just Greek and Turkish Cypriots an agreement could be reached, not easy though as from what I read on these pages they fail to grasp their minority population, although the one man one vote system with NO special concessions for minorities would seem the fairest solution. Cyprus has the Turkey problem too, the illegal settlers and the Turkish army. If the rest of the world would acknowledge and ACT on the injustices and force the occupying forces out of Cyprus there would be a starting point. Turkey is not, however going to pull out that easily and certainly not before some sort of settlement. Catch 22 situation I am afraid."

What's the name for it?

2011-12-02T19:50:00.001+02:00

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?

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

2011-11-26T11:56:00.001+02:00

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

2011-11-22T18:24:00.001+02:00

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?

Q2 - 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?

Q3 - If armed conflict, supported and financed by Turkey in the 50s, led to apartheid-type community rights of Turkish Cypriots, which Turkey has been abusing since to advance her separatist designs on Cyprus, why is armed conflict to be ruled out completely as a justified means by Kurds to pressure the state to grant them rights that otherwise the ethnic Turkish establishment will never give?

Q4 - 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 the Turkish Cypriots must enjoy in Cyprus?" Is it not impressive?

Both countries, Rep. of Turkey and Rep. of Cyprus, 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. Turkey links the two issues. In one case using force to suppress the minority, in the other to secure for it apartheid like rights.

Click here for a video of Cyprus' recent history.

Any discussion about the rights of 16-18 million ethnic Kurds of Turkey that does not entail the level of rights Turkey supports for less than 100.000 Turkish Cypriots in EU Cyprus is lacking in effectiveness.

Thank you,
Antifon

Slaves

2011-11-22T12:12:00.001+02:00

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 ...

"Is it not a fact that Turkey has occupied all the institutions in the north of Cyprus and established a puppet regime there?' If the creation of a situation like this in a country, in a state, which is a member of the UN, by another country, is not an occupation, what is it then? A conquest? Or? Which laws gave the right to Turkey to bring in people from Turkey and give them voting rights to usurp the free will of the Turkish Cypriots? Is there any legal framework that deprives the Turkish Cypriots of their Cypriot citizenship in accordance with the international laws? From where does Turkey get the right and the authority to replace the Cyprus Pound with the Turkish Lira and cut the foreign aid to the Turkish Cypriots? Or give the right to the Turkish citizens to acquire title deeds for land belonging to Cypriots? As the case is this, what else can one call the people of such a country, other than slaves?"

Posted on Facebook by Alexandros Alexandrou

Language genocide

2011-11-21T17:15:00.001+02:00

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;

Obstructing the cultural development circumstances of a bilingual society with the aim of domination a single language.

Despite the demands of an ethnic group with a different language, Not granting the right to the use of this language in mass communication instruments and to teach this language at public schools.

Despite the demands of an ethnic group with a different language, refusing to give a moral and material support to the cultural works and efforts this group practices to keep their language alive.

BDP MP demanded removal of Kurdish ban 21 November 2011 FIRAT News Agency

Why?

2011-11-21T00:03:00.001+02:00

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

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

2011-11-20T02:26:00.001+02:00

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:

Q1: While Turkey expects international support for its Cyprus solution, based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality between the two communities, it argues the precise opposite for its own Kurdish citizens. WHY?

Q2: 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?

"EU, TURKEY AND THE KURDS"

The Quest for Democracy in Turkey - Universal Rights and Kurdish Self-Determination and the Struggles over the New Constitution

European Parliament, Brussels 7th & 8th December, 2011 - ASP 1G2
Interpretation available in English, Turkish, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Danish, Spanish

Patrons

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, South Africa
Dr. Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Iran
Bianca Jagger, Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador, Chair of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation, UK
Professor Noam Chomsky, Writer, USA
Yasar Kemal, Writer, Turkey
Vedat Turkali, Writer, Turkey
Leyla Zana, European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, Rafto Prize Laureate, Turkey

Find the conference program here.

Lies, lies and lies

2011-11-19T19:40:00.001+02:00

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!

2011-11-19T15:12:00.001+02:00

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

2011-11-15T01:09:00.001+02:00

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.

Nevertheless, Kurdish civil society should not be abandoned, especially now, as it suffers from massive suppression. Just one of many examples: Büşra Ersanlı was arrested Oct. 31.

She represents the Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) in the constitutional assembly of the Turkish Parliament. Ms. Ersanlı is a professor of international relations at Istanbul Marmara University, a member of the executive board of the BDP and a well-known human rights and women’s rights activist.

In the course of searching her apartment, the police confiscated notes, which led the custodial judge to ask questions such as: “In your notes the words ‘right of self-determination’ and ‘local self-determination’ were found; why did you write this? What did your note ‘Example Spanie’ mean? Why did you write ‘citizenship of Turkey’ and not ‘Turkish citizenship’? Why were you invited to a Roj TV show [a PKK sympathetic TV program produced in Denmark]?”

The judge issued an arrest warrant for Büşra Ersanlı on the grounds of her membership in the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK). Turkish authorities banned the KCK as a front organization for the PKK.

Alongside Ms. Ersanli, the internationally renowned publisher Ragip Zarakolu was arrested, who was actually invited to a dinner with the minister of culture the same day. In total, 42 people were targeted on that Monday. It is difficult to keep an overview on who has been arrested because of alleged membership in the KCK. The BDP Party knows of 3,548 persons who are being held in custody – mayors and municipal delegates, journalists, academics and NGO activists. They were not arrested for violent crimes but for the offense of expressing their opinion. Thus, there is no choice but to call them political prisoners. Their number probably amounts to more than 4,000 persons. Turkish anti-terror legislation allows detainees to be kept in custody for up to 10 years before a trial.

There is no question that the PKK is an inauspicious and Stone Age force, which contributes to the escalating spiral of violence with its attacks, assaults and kidnappings. The question, however, is whether the fight against them justifies the means with which the government, army and judicial system take action against real and alleged sympathizers – and if this policy actually accomplishes something more than a strengthening of the PKK.

In early October, I accompanied the director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s office in Turkey on a trip through southeastern Anatolia. We had many conversations with lawyers, Kurdish politicians and civil society organizations to gain an understanding of the situation.

Just two years ago, it seemed that Erdoğan wanted to take a new approach regarding the Kurds:

Kurdish language media was allowed, and informal negotiations with the PKK took place about bringing an end to the armed conflict. Now the short phase of improved Turkish-Kurdish relations seems to be over. The PKK has resumed its guerilla warfare, and the government of the conservative-Islamic Justice and Development Party (AKP) has returned to the policy of repression of its Kemalist predecessors.

It does not show a willingness to reach a political solution to the conflict that has stirred up animosity on both sides. This is especially true for the two central points of the Kurdish autonomy efforts: permitting [Kurdish] native language schooling and extended local autonomy for Kurdish municipalities and regions. Whoever raises such demands will be accused of supporting the PKK and will be arrested. The publisher of a Kurdish daily newspaper, for example, is in jail. Mayors are being arrested because they printed bilingual information brochures for municipal services.

However, 30 years of violent conflict have shown that the Kurdish issue will not be solved through military means. With the current wave of arrests, the Turkish government is destroying the very force that would make a peaceful solution possible: a civil society opposition that participates in the political organization of the country.

Including the opposition is significant – especially in a phase in which Turkey wants to develop a new constitution. A parting with the ethnic-nationalistic concept of “Turkishness” as the state’s foundation is necessary. The constitution must do justice to Turkey’s ethnic, cultural and religious diversity. A constituent process that does not allow for such a discussion cannot be called democratic. In a reaction to the most recent arrests, congressmen belonging to the BDP declared that a constituent process is not possible under these circumstances.

One wonders if the AKP-led government aims for the BDP to leave the constituent commission. With it, any chance for a new beginning would be lost.

In Germany, Erdoğan presents himself as an advocate for Turkish immigrants. In Turkey, however, he rejects every civil society engagement of international organizations as “inference in internal affairs.” This rhetoric of intimidation seems to be effective. Why else did the German government not speak out publicly against the wave of arrests in Turkey? There is nothing wrong with Chancellor Merkel offering support to the Turkish prime minister in his fight against terrorism. That cannot mean, however, remaining silent in the face of severe violations of constitutional norms.

Ralf Fücks is president of the Heinrich Böll Foundation. This article was first published in the German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung
Monday, November 14, 2011
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=germany-turns-a-blind-eye-to-pressures-on-civil-kurdish-opposition-2011-11-14

We'll have what they are having!

2011-11-13T23:41:00.001+02:00

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!

2011-11-12T21:47:00.001+02:00

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.

Just as they are mutually parallel, these two problems have aspects that invite close comparison. The Turkish Cypriots’ and Kurds’ demands have much in common, as do the Turkish Turks’ and Greek Cypriots’ attitudes and demeanour.

The Turkish Turks’ ‘prescribed viewpoint’ holds that the Kurds are separatist, and this is how the Turkish Cypriots are perceived in the Greek Cypriots’ ‘prescribed viewpoint’.

The name Denktash has since the 1960’s had the same significance in the Greek Cypriots’ prescribed viewpoint as that of Öcalan has had in the Turkish Turks’ prescribed viewpoint as of the 1980’s.

Just as those in the south of Cyprus who wish for peace and argue for equal unity with the Turkish Cypriots have courted the anger of nationalists, those in Turkey who argue for equal unity with the Kurds have had to reckon with similar anger, or even worse.

The vast majority of Turkish Cypriots wish to live together within a ‘United Federal Republic of Cyprus’ under ‘equal and free’ conditions in which they are furnished with all of their rights originating from their ethnic identity. One segment favours incorporation into the Republic of Cyprus without condition or stipulation. Just as there are those who voice support for a United Federal Cyprus on condition of ‘equality’, there also without doubt exist strata who favour ‘separatism’ and a separate state. Certainly, for defenders of the Greek Cypriot prescribed viewpoint and Turkish Cypriot radical nationalist separatists, ‘the notion of living together’ is something that jars the nerves and assaults the ear, but even those furthest on the right are obliged to come out in support of a federation at least in ‘official settings’.

The vast majority of Kurds likewise wish for an ‘equal and free’ unity within the Republic of Turkey in which all of their rights originating from their identity are guaranteed. Regardless of the state and the PKK, there still continues to exist a variety of aspirations about the future among Kurds. While a small segment speaks clearly of ‘separatism’, the supposedly separatist PKK is attempting to win acceptance by Kurds for ‘democratic autonomy’, which falls short even of the ‘European Charter of Local Self-Government’, concerning which the widest possible consensus has been achieved with respect to its inclusion within the new Republic of Turkey Constitution.

At this point, I cannot help drawing attention to what is probably the most hilarious side of this: with a supposedly ‘moderate’ Kurdish leader like Kemal Burkay coming out in support of such a ‘progressive’ solution as a Federation, a supposedly ‘radical’ organisation like the PKK presents society with an ‘astonishingly reactionary’ solution called ‘democratic autonomy’. Side splitting, isn’t it?

Then again, the stance dictated by Turkey’s prescribed viewpoint is certainly more hilarious than this.

Turkey’s prescribed viewpoint promotes ‘separatism’ in Cyprus but ‘rigid unitarism’ within its own territory.

One should look for the logical basis of the rigid unitarism of the Turkish official thesis in the manner in which it accounts for the concept of the state, because, according to the prescribed Turkish viewpoint, ‘people-language-religion-history-culture and national unity’ constitute the fundamental components of the state. Based on this premise, defenders of the official Turkish viewpoint attempt to persuade us of the existence in Cyprus of two separate peoples with separate languages, separate religions, separate historical pasts and separate cultures who, in the final analysis, lack the desire to live together and, thus, of the impossibility of a ‘United Federal Cyprus’. Naturally, they also drag in the conflicts experienced since the 50’s and 60’s and ‘spilt Turkish blood’. Consequently, whenever prim politicians and military top brass speak of Cyprus, looking into our eyes, they promote the cause of separatism and chant the mantra of ‘two separate peoples, two separate states’.

The self-same prim politicians and military top brass, when the geographical setting shifts to Turkey, have until recently adopted a mindboggling position.

This is the root of nonsense to the effect that, ‘There are no Kurds; they are an old Turkish tribe who made a kart-kurt noise while walking in the mountains,’ because if they consented to a Kurdish identity their ‘national unity’ thesis would collapse. And collapse it indeed has! First they progressed from ‘There are no Kurds’ to ‘We have been brothers for thousands of years’ and they now say, ‘We are like hand and glove’ and, amazingly, never miss an opportunity to take off the kid gloves and dish out some punishment!

This is the root of their assertion that, ‘There is no such language as Kurdish,’ because if they accepted this, their ‘national unity’ thesis would come crashing down. Has it crashed down? Indeed it has! They do not seem to be broadcasting in a dialect of Turkish on TRT Shesh, do they?

On the other hand, ‘concerns over conflict and security’, which constitute the basis for their separatism in Cyprus, bear down heavily. In the dirty war in Turkey forty thousand people died over thirty years. The Kahramanmaraş and Çorum massacres fit in here. This is conflict on a scale that far exceeds that in Cyprus. The same goes for security!

We have managed in eighty years to attain the truth that the population of Turkey is not a population consisting entirely of Turks and that not only Turkish is spoken in the geographical arena of Turkey. At the point of accepting the existence of a separate people speaking a separate language, you are willy-nilly obliged to accept that that people has its own history and culture. I mean to say, surely that people whose tongue you ripped out and existence you denied has a bitter history, very different from yours, and has created a bitter culture distilled out of that history. Does this mean to say that ‘joint history, joint culture’ has collapsed?

So just what remains? The ideal of a joint future. The desire to live together.It is in precisely this matter that the omens bode least well.

The decision as to whether to destroy ‘the ideal of a joint future and the desire to live together’, the sole common denominator that ‘will make it possible to live together’ with the Kurds, is now in the hands of the State of the Republic of Turkey.

Turkey is today in full possession of the opportunity to announce that it has abandoned the policy of denial and destruction, of denying the existence of the Kurds, and to prove this:

A civil-democratic constitution based on constitutional citizenship that will indeed turn the country into a common homeland in which Turks, Kurds, Laz, Circassians, Armenians, Greeks, Jews, Muslims, Alevis, Sunnis, Atheists, women and men, people of different sexual orientation, young people and children will be happy to live together and in which they will take pride!

In the face of the PKK’s insistence on the incredibly reactionary notion of ‘democratic autonomy’, an equal and honourable social partnership agreement which includes the European Charter of Local Self-Government and opens the way, within the scope of discussions about a civil constitution, if necessary, to discussion (and is prepared to say that everyone is at liberty to discuss everything) about a federation!

The way in which this dirty war that is on the verge of turning into a blood feud may finally be ended through an honourable agreement without ‘victor and vanquished’ is by producing a civil-democratic constitution to which all of the people living in the geographical arena of Turkey may gladly consent.

This in any case is the fear of the pacifists of radical appearance! The fear of being deprived of initiative, of losing their positions! This is why, instead of sitting down and speedily drawing up a draft constitution, they have propagated the nonsense of democratic autonomy, whose meaning is unknown even to them. In fact, on the day on which we manage to enact a genuinely civil and genuinely democratic constitution, there will no longer be such a thing as a Kurdish problem in Turkey.

Just that day will be the day on which the official Turkish viewpoint as we know it comes to an end, such that this may simultaneously change Turkey’s perception of Cyprus.

Well, of course, we know that Turkey’s concern with Cyprus does not amount to a ‘heroic’ national concern, as has been drilled into our heads. Of course, the truth is known to us that the time has come to spill the beans about ‘strategic interests’ and ‘the desire to acquire a strong position on the energy map’. However, only when the habit of doing business behind the cloak of overblown heroic nationalism dies and when Turkish Turks and Turkish Cypriots agree on a settlement partnership ‘based on equality and mutual interests’ may we discuss the new realities that life has confronted us with.

On that very day, the Turkish Cypriots will be able, at the table at which they sit down with Turkey, to act with a strength deriving from their geographical position and richness, with the honour of being a partner to a solution rather than a ‘kept people’.

The drawing up of a civil-democratic constitution, the formula that will simultaneously make both Turkish Cypriots and Turkey’s Kurds and also Turkey’s Turks happy, has surely got to be too serious and important a task to be left to the AKP alone.

Will everyone quit grumbling, get their noses to the grindstone and draw up a draft civil-democratic constitution and submit this for public discussion, or will people once again come out and say, “No to the AKP constitution?”

Those capitulators who say, “My dear fellow, the Constitution that will be drawn up in Turkey will be nothing but an AKP constitution” appear once again ready to abandon their duties and responsibilities! This is not on! There is enough time ahead! Get your experts together and draw up a draft constitution. Set up your stalls in the open and come out and tell the public what kind of constitution you want.

Either make preparations that will not condemn this country to an AKP constitution and wage open struggle, or remain silent for eternity!

Link to article: http://www.timdrayton.com/a53.html
Translated from Turkish by Tim Drayton.

Welcome to Cyprus ...

2011-11-11T15:43:00.001+02:00

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?

2011-11-11T01:42:00.001+02:00

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''
- Clinton: All Cyprus to benefit from hydrocarbon exploration | Famagusta Gazette Nov 1 2011

Hüseyin Özgürgün on Nov 7th: “Our attitude is clear on this issue, a solution based on two equal states, and this is in line with the U.N.’s approach to the Cyprus issue” Turkish Cypriot "Foreign Minister" Hüseyin Özgürgün said transforming the island of Cyprus into a federation was not an acceptable solution to the Cyprus dispute. - ‘Federation is unaccepetable’ | Hurriyet Daily News Nov 7 2011

May tCypriot puppets stay loyal to their master to the very end. If they do, Hillary will be the first to declare what I have been saying all along: all we have is the Republic of Cyprus in Cyprus, and a minor challenge of how to integrate a few dozen thousand tCypriots back into things. Turkey already knows she is out!

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

2011-10-29T13:01:00.003+03:00

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:

The most significant leverage over Turkey is not her desire to join the EU, since decades will have to pass before Turkey is adequately western, but rather [1] Cyprus's [RoC] energy role as an EU member & [2] the analogy between the rights of tCypriots & the rights of Kurds of Turkey. These two parameters will allow Cyprus to both avoid a BBF [bi-zonal federation] solution, which makes no sense whatsoever because zones are the result of an illegal war, as well as to fix 1960 very much along the lines of the spirit (and the letter) of Makarios' 1963 proposals.

When you hear for the first time an important European or American politician draw the analogy between the plight of the ethnic Kurdish community for rights in Turkey and the rights of the Turkish Cypriot minority, know that the countdown for a free & just Cyprus has begun!

In my view, President Makarios was a statesman who will be studied in international politics' educational institutions as an example of political brilliance in the face of adversity, and how great leaders are often faced with impossible situations.

As Turkey plays the religion card, she should be reminded by our allies that in Cyprus she finds herself in unfriendly infidels' land.

Last, do not forget that Cyprus is more Greek [or gCypriot if you prefer] than Turkey is Turkish!

ΔΕΝ ΞΕΧΝΑΜΕ & ΟΥΤΕ ΤΑ ΠΑΙΔΙΑ ΜΑΣ ΘΑ ΞΕΧΑΣΟΥΝ ΠΟΤΕ! Καλύτερα μιας ώρας ελεύθερη ζωή παρά σαράντα χρόνια σκλαβιά και φυλακή. Τα σαράντα χρόνια σχεδόν συμπληρώνονται & και η ελεύθερη ώρα μόνο για τον Τάσο Ισαάκ και τον Σολωμό Σολωμού! Κι' όλοι εμείς; | WE DO NOT FORGET & NEITHER WILL OUR CHILDREN EVER FORGET. Better to live one hour in freedom than forty years in occupation and prison. Forty years are soon completed and the free hour just for Tassos Isaac and Solomos Solomou! What about the rest of us?

They are angry!

2011-10-28T13:48:00.001+03:00

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. ...
... The state of the Republic of Turkey is very powerful. It is a structure that is extremely difficult to overcome with its police, army, money and giant means. But the BDP-KCK organization has stolen the hearts of the public; it is what the public believes in. When compared to the Turkish state, of course they are weaker, but their voices are loud. Especially when they are not informed properly by the state, when they are excluded, then they have the atmosphere they wish for. Moreover, they are angry."

Why not try Turkey's ideas in Cyprus to address an 87-year problem? 1960? 1974? 2011? Any would do in my humble opinion Mr Birand. I say there is Turkish and tCypriot hypocrisy involved. What do you say?

Two feuding brothers of the earthquake: BDP and the state October 27, 2011 | MEHMET ALİ BİRAND | Hurriyet Daily News

Turkey knows

2011-10-26T09:27:00.000+03:00

"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

2011-10-25T12:33:00.001+03:00

"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?
Turkey will never cede land unless she loses a war. If no "Turkish" Kurdistan comes about the only option for Turkey is to grant her 16-18m [22%-25%] ethnic Kurdish community similar rights to those she vehemently supports for the Turkish Cypriot 10% minority.

In both scenarios, that of "civil" war or rendering Kurds a constitutional minority, Cyprus wins. In the former, Cyprus will break free altogether, without the TSK [Turkish army], the settlers and a large number of nationalist Turkish Cypriots. In the latter, Turkey will be forced to water down her demands in Cyprus because anything she insists on Turkish Cypriots' behalf she will also have to give to her own Kurds!

This is the ultimate win-win for Cyprus. It is only natural as Cyprus bases her arguments on truth, reason, justice and international law.

It is also a huge win for those Kurds who see their future within the current unitary state, perhaps with a different name, such as 'Turkey-Kurdistan'.

Money talks, Turkish regional ambition walks

2011-10-24T10:50:00.000+03:00

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.

Turkey's sudden dislike of its decades old ally Israel and sudden desire to be a ME 'leader' over countries such as Egypt, Syria and Lebanon becomes very clear. But it's too late, the US, the EU, Russia and Israel have all expressed their support for Cyprus' sovereign right to drill within its EEZ and Egypt has underlined its promise to uphold all energy related agreements it made with Cyprus. There is now nothing Turkey can do diplomatically or militarily to stop this. The billions of dollars generated by such a project and the billions of dollars saved by EU states from having another source of energy, closer to the EU than other energy streams, and coming from a fellow EU member state will help regenerate recession hit EU states. In short - 'Money talks, Turkish regional ambition walks'.

Storm in a teacup? DOĞU ERGİL Today's Zaman 23 October 2011

The mother of all questions

2011-10-20T12:50:00.001+03:00

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?

2011-10-19T02:40:00.005+03:00

“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?

Turkish charter panel convenes as cracks emerge October 18, 2011 Göksel Bozkurt ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News

Megalomania

2011-10-18T00:06:00.000+03:00

“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!

Erdoğan: AK Party not out to establish new status quo with charter | 17 October 2011 | TODAY’S ZAMAN

No!

2011-10-17T11:07:00.002+03:00

"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

Can We Write a New Democratic Constitution?
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Nuray Mert - nuray.mert@hurriyet.com.tr

I do not define myself as an “optimist”. In fact, I have been accused of being “very pessimistic” on many occasions, for my comments on politics in Turkey. Nevertheless, observing Turkish politics for so long, I started to think that in fact maybe the opposite was true and I have been very optimistic concerning the political developments.

For instance, years ago, after I gave a talk on my Ph. D dissertation (on Turkish secularism), one of my professors accused me of drawing a “gloomy picture” about the future of secularist politics in Turkey. Yet after only five years we had a so-called post-modern coup of 1997, in the name of guarding secularism that even I could not be able to foresee at the time. More recently, I claimed that the so-called “Kurdish opening” had a zero chance of success for various reasons. Still, I could not foresee that Turkey would regress to the politics of security and confrontation shortly after the “opening”.

Now, I am very scared of being “optimistic” to think that it is only “very difficult” to write a new democratic constitution under the present circumstances. It is no secret that the Kurdish question is the biggest challenge in the way of some sort of political consensus. In fact it is big problem, but not the only problem I am afraid. The government party’s general understanding of the democracy is no less of a challenge, let alone the shortcomings of the main opposition parties.

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!” Kuzu has already stated that he is proud of defending capital punishment last March and often proposes adoption of a ‘presidential system’ in Turkey. Kuzu now clearly stated that “he never liked parliamentary system!” According to him, Turkey is living in a “risky place” on earth and therefore needs further political stability. He claims that “all major events like the coming of the great prophets and ‘the two World Wars’ happened in this part of the world and doomsday may happen here as well, therefore Turkey needs a political system for seven generations”. Kuzu is obviously a “man of foresight” and like many other modern authoritarian politicians, he has “good” reasons to favor stability and historical duty in the name of future generations, at expense of freedom and wellbeing of the living generation.

Since Burhan Kuzu, is the top architect of the new constitution, one does not need to worry much about the future of democracy in Turkey with or without a new constitution.

Turk vs. Kurd on Al Jazeera

2011-10-14T11:22:00.001+03:00

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.

The Turk

Mustafa Akyol is a columnist for two Turkish newspapers, Hürriyet Daily News and Star. His articles have also appeared in Foreign Affairs, Newsweek, Washington Postand Wall Street Journal. He studied political science and history at the Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, where he still lives. His book, Islam without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty is published by W.W. Norton in July 2011. Click here for his blog.

The Kurd
Kani Xulam is a Kurdish activist and the founder of the American Kurdish Information Network.

tCypriots rights enshrined in 1960?

2011-10-13T15:22:00.000+03:00

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?

Isn't that the exact same thing that tCypriots' "protector", Turkey, has just started doing in the Turkish Parliament, trying to root out unjust clauses in its own constitution?

I ask tCypriots to explain to a European or an American (not me, if not deserving enough in their eyes), why did the authors of the 1960 constitution grant guaranteed representation in state positions for the tCypriot then 18% minority 1.67 & 2.22 times their population numbers at the expense of all other communities of Cyprus? These multipliers would be about 3.0 & 4.0 the current tCypriot population of Cyprus!

Turkish soul searching!

2011-10-12T15:41:00.003+03:00

"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."

Can Kurds rely on the Turkish state? ORHAN KEMAL CENGİZ 11 October 2011

Cyprus in 10 minutes (in Greek only)

2011-10-09T15:19:00.000+03:00

Brutally honest

2011-10-07T00:56:00.000+03:00

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.

Now we must be firm with them. Tell them that they have ONE choice only. Seek to be reintegrated into theRoC, which unavoidably will happen on RoC terms. Trying to reason with them will FAIL because they will sooner or later share with you their 1960 "ENSHRINED" rights. They live in denial. If we want to help them, the only way is to SLAP THEM & help them SNAP OUT OF IT. Before it is too late for them.

We now have the FULL BACKING of the entire WESTERN WORLD (incl. Russia). Should tCypriots not make the ONLY CHOICE available, one which will guarantee their human rights to the fullest as EU nationals, they should at least be informed that they are considered an ACCEPTABLE CASUALTY by all, including us. That is HONESTY and it takes courage to be brutally honest.

The Eyes of Zana

2011-10-05T01:09:00.003+03:00

“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.
How sad really! How hypocritical of Turkey to treat 16 million people, 22% of its population, this way and have the audacity to preach Cypriots how to structure their home and the relations between their majority and minority population segments?

The Kurdish question through the eyes of Leyla Zana | Lale Kemal | Today's Zaman | October 3 2011

A bluff gone sour!

2011-09-30T11:34:00.000+03:00

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.

Turkey has upped the ante by raising the Cyprus energy as a matter of national priority but her card truly sucks! Her tragedy is that everyone in the west knows it. And they are not about to share billions worth of energy independence for a "mildly" Islamic Turkey when by law she has no claim at all!

Should Turkey respond militarily, well, no better time like the present, as we are in the company of friends who speak Turkey's language, war, fluently! But will she fire first? The Trojan horse is already in place. 15-16 million Kurds who will bring Turkey to its knees from the inside; Kurds to get their Kurdistan and perhaps even co-sharing of the rest of the country, us to get Cyprus, Russia likely to get a new more favorable Montreaux, and Greece to get a smaller, more manageable, more western neighbor, free of fascism!

Kaizen

2011-09-28T01:06:00.004+03:00

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!

2011-09-27T12:54:00.000+03:00

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?

2011-09-27T01:30:00.000+03:00

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:

Islamists without brakes: When four out of five of the Turkish chiefs of staff abruptly resigned on July 29, 2011, they signalled the effective end of the republic founded in 1923 by Kemal Atatürk. A second republic headed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoDan and his Islamist colleagues of the AK Party began that day. The military safely under their control, AKP ideologues now enjoy can pursue their ambitions to create an Islamic order.

An even worse opposition: Ironically, secular Turks tend to be more anti-Western than the AKP. The two other parties in Parliament, the CHP and MHP, condemn the AKP’s more enlightened policies, such as its criticism of Syria and its stationing a NATO radar system.

Looming economic collapse: Turkey faces a credit crunch, one largely ignored in light of crises in Greece and elsewhere. As analyst David Goldman points out, ErdoDan and the AKP took the country on a financial binge: Bank credit ballooned while the current account deficit soared, reaching unsustainable levels. The party’s patronage machine borrowed massive amounts of short-term debt to finance a consumption bubble that effectively bought it the June 2011 elections. Goldman calls ErdoDan a “Third World strongman” and compares Turkey today with Mexico in 1994 or Argentina in 2000, “where a brief boom financed by short-term foreign capital flows led to currency devaluation and a deep economic slump.”

Escalating Kurdish problems: Some 15%-20% of Turkey’s citizens identify as Kurds, a distinct historical people; although many Kurds are integrated, a separatist revolt against Ankara that began in 1984 has recently reached a new crescendo with a more assertive political leadership and more aggressive guerrilla attacks.

ErdoDan, hero of the Arab street: In the tradition of Gamal Abdel Nasser and Saddam Hussein, the Turkish prime minister deploys anti-Zionist rhetoric to make himself an Arab political star. One shudders to think where, thrilled by this adulation, he may end up.

Looking for a fight with Israel: After Ankara backed a protest ship to Gaza in May 2010, the Mavi Marmara, whose aggression led Israeli forces to kill eight Turkish citizens plus an ethnic Turk, it has relentlessly exploited this incident to stoke domestic fury against the Jewish state. ErdoDan has called the deaths a casus belli, speaks of a war with Israel “if necessary” and plans to send another ship to Gaza, this time with a Turkish military escort.

Stimulating an anti-Turkish faction: Turkish hostility has renewed Israel’s historically warm relations with the Kurds and turned around its cool relations with Greece, Cyprus, and even Armenia. Beyond co-operation locally, this grouping will make life difficult for the Turks in Washington.

Asserting rights over Mediterranean energy reserves: Companies operating out of Israel discovered potentially immense gas and oil reserves in the Leviathan and other fields located between Israel, Lebanon, and Cyprus. When the government of Cyprus announced its plans to drill, Erdoğan responded with threats to send Turkish “frigates, gunboats and … air force.” This dispute, just in its infancy, contains the potential elements of a huge crisis. Already, Moscow has sent submarines in solidarity with Cyprus.

Other international problems: Ankara threatens to freeze relations with the European Union in July 2012, when Cyprus assumes the rotating presidency. Turkish forces have seized a Syrian arms ship. Turkish threats to invade northern Iraq have worsened relations with Baghdad. Turkish and Iranian regimes may share an Islamist outlook and an anti-Kurd agenda, with prospering trade relations, but their historic rivalry, contrary governing styles, and competing ambitions have soured relations.

While Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoDlu crows that Turkey is “right at the centre of everything,” AKP bellicosity has soured his vaunted “zero-problems” with neighbours policy, turning this into a wide-ranging hostility and even potential military confrontations (with Syria, Cyprus, and Israel). As economic troubles hit, a once-exemplary member of NATO may go further off track; watch for signs of Erdoğan emulating his Venezuelan friend, Hugo Chávez.

That’s why, along with Iranian nuclear weapons, I see a rogue Turkey as the region’s greatest threat.

National Post

Daniel Pipes is president of the Middle East Forum and Taube distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University. © 2011 by Daniel Pipes. All rights reserved.

Turkish Cypriot isolation: another neo-Ottoman myth!

2011-09-26T13:59:00.000+03:00

Civil war

2011-09-25T10:53:00.001+03:00

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."

Does the PKK plan to incite civil war? | 25 September 2011 | EMRE USLU | Today's Zaman

Cyprus' Ithaca in sight?

2011-09-20T11:29:00.001+03:00

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

2011-09-13T01:52:00.000+03:00

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 'Free Cyprus' petition is almost ready (to replace previous version 'Common Sense for Cyprus'). Get involved to promote it here.

The Petition We Must All Sign

2011-09-09T20:39:00.000+03:00

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.
Please help empower Cypriot political leaders by co-signing this petition & letting all your Cypriot and international friends to sign as well.

On the petition's blog you will find translations of the petition in other languages as well (more to be added as we go along & please let us know if you can help).

The goal is for 300.000 signatures by July 1st 2012, the day Cyprus assumes thePresidency of the Council of the European Union.

It is no secret Cyprus has a Turkish problem.

The common will of Cypriots was captured in the resounding 76% of 'NO' votes in rejecting the 2004 Annan nonsensical concoction aimed to serve non-Cypriot interests. People from all walks of life, from the left to the right and beyond, came together to offer their wisdom and common sense, against foreigners urging and even threatening them to succumb. Cypriots sent the message that democracy, international law and human rights cannot be tailored or trimmed to suit foreign designs.

Click here to go direct to the petition or keep reading:

The "Commom of the Cypriots ("Κοινόν Κυπρίων") of our generation is our common will to give a thunderous 'NO' to a foreigners' plan aiming to legitimize two unforgivable wrongs. The extorted constitution of 1960 which solved Great Britain's "Cyprus problem" & the 1974 invasion that solved Turkey's "Cyprus problem", both at the expense of Cypriots. The fact is that Cypriots never actually had a Cyprus problem. Cypriots' only problem is Turkey since she started planting & nurturing the seed of division in the 1950s by exploiting the Muslim minority of our island and Britain's desire to maintain a sovereign military colonialist presence on Cyprus.

Our "Κοινόν Κυπρίων" today is no other than Cypriot common sense, western common sense, against Turkish hypocrisy and fascism!

We need a simple message to give our party leaders, Cypriot politicians, regardless who they may be for each of us, left, center or right of the spectrum, or in government.

We need to lead our leaders, like we did in 2004, and for this we must not antagonize them. After all they are bound by a series of mistakes, with each mistake tracing its roots to Cypriots fighting for their most universal of rights against the designs and interests of foreigners.

We cannot replace our politicians at the negotiating table but there is nothing stopping us from giving them a mandate so powerful they cannot ignore: our Cypriot common sense, our western common sense, our generation's "Κοινόν Κυπρίων"!

Please help me empower our leaders by signing the petition below.

You can e-mail me at: abettercyprus@gmail.com

Vote YES to western common sense!

2011-09-08T13:56:00.000+03:00

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

2011-09-08T09:53:00.000+03:00

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

2011-09-07T21:48:00.001+03:00

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?

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan renewed a call Tuesday for pro-Kurdish deputies to end a parliamentary boycott, but insisted that their absence from the legislature was no loss for democracy.

The participation of the Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, in parliamentary work would be “good in terms of democracy,” Erdoğan told reporters when asked about a BDP convention at the weekend that signaled that the boycott would continue.

“But if they do not come, 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.”

BDP-backed candidates won 36 seats in the June 12 elections. But the deputies have refused to take their parliamentary oaths and shunned Ankara in protest of rulings that denied release to six colleagues who were elected from jail and stripped one of them of his parliamentary seat.

PM calls BDP to Parliament | September 6, 2011 | Hurriyet Daily News

Cyprus bolsters EU's energy security

2011-09-07T17:57:00.001+03:00

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':

"I am very surprised by the recent statements of Turkish officials against an EU member state. Turkey, an EU candidate country, must refrain from threats against an EU member state that also undermine EU's energy security," underlined the EPP President.

"Needless to say, Cyprus is a European pilar of stability in the eastern Mediterranean and, as such, will play a central role in bolstering the EU's energy security," President Martens added.

Note to editors: 
The EPP is the largest and most influential European-level political party of the centre-right, which currently includes 74 member-parties from 39 countries, the Presidents of the European Commission, European Council, and European Parliament, 17 EU and 6 non-EU heads of state and government, 13 members of the European Commission and the largest Group in the European Parliament.

For more information: 
Kostas Sasmatzoglou, Spokesman, Tel. +32-2-2854147 Javier
Jiménez, Senior Press Officer, Tel: +32-475480446

http://www.epp.eu/press.asp?artid=1630&fullview=1

How different really?

2011-09-07T17:15:00.000+03:00

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

2011-09-06T14:13:00.001+03:00

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."

"With the reading out of the way, the two leaders had to withdraw to their private rooms, with their respective advisors, to discuss the content of the document submitted by the other side. Big Bad Al gave the two 45 minutes to do this, but the comrade was unhappy, insisting that he needed an hour. He was granted his wish, but being a slow reader did not emerge from his quarters until an hour and 20 minutes later."

"And then it was time for lunch. Once they had finished lunch, Yiorkos Iacovou made a ground-breaking suggestion. “Why don’t we have a coffee,” he asked. This was considered a brilliant idea as it would prevent anyone requesting time for a siesta."

"After the coffee they returned to the meeting room, talked intensively about the proposals for 20 minutes and then stopped, because they had to discuss what the UN would tell the media about the meeting. This sorted, the two leaders, drained and exhausted by the intensity of the five-hour procedure, went home, content that they had added another small brick to the slow but steady building of the bi-zonal, bi-communal federation."

Tales from the coffeeshop: Pol Pol might just do it | Patroclos | September 4, 2011

I THINK we owe the one-man investigative committee and Charles Laughton lookalike, who was appointed by the comrade president to find out which morons were politically responsible for the Mari blast, a mild apology. This was not imposed on us by a malignant lawyer, but is voluntary.

When Polys Polyviou was appointed this one-man investigative committee, our establishment laughed at the decision and concluded that “nobody could muddy the waters and confuse people with his findings better than a smart and experienced lawyer... who are experts at complicating the most straightforward and clear-cut issue.”

Instead, the way he has been conducting the investigation, which begun on Monday and was open to the public, suggest he will show no favours to anyone. He has showed an admirable determination to get to the bottom of things rather than to confuse anyone, which is why we felt the mild apology was in order.

Pol Pol, who had read all the documentation and asked the right questions, lay into his guests, picking up the holes and inconsistencies in their answers. And once he established what mistakes were made, he gave the official under questioning, a brief and patronising lesson on how a sensible person would have acted under the circumstances.

On Friday, he asked foreign ministry official, Costas Miltiades how long he had been serving at the foreign ministry and was told 20 years. “And you are still sane?” asked Pol Pol disdainfully. It is these little touches that assure us that the committee may do a good job.

RESPONDING to one of Marcos Kyprianou’s answers, Pol Pol remarked that “the average citizen, who considers the government unitary, could not but be disappointed”. Now this comment was not meant to be humorous, but one had to laugh.

Since when can a scion of old money, educated at Oxford and Princeton, a big-shot lawyer of the rich and powerful, locked away in his oak-panelled offices, know what the average citizen thinks? How many times a year does Pol Pol talk to the average citizen?

My guess is not more than five otherwise he would not have such a high regard for the average citizen’s political thinking and claim Mr and Mrs Average were disappointed because the government was not unitary.

As an average citizen, I can safely say that I found it very easy not to feel the slightest bit disappointed when I heard Marcos’ admission.

SO FAR, apart from revealing that our government was not unitary, the investigation has been corroborating what we knew all along - that the government decided to keep the cargo here, refusing to co-operate with our EU allies and the UN, because the comrade president wanted to keep his fascist dictator chums in Syria and Iran happy and at the same time snub the hated Yanks and the EU.

And the pretext was the Cyprob - the fear of recognition of the pseudo-state, according to Marcos, by the comrade’s friends. The rather populist Pol Pol embarked on another didactic rant when he heard this. “The bugbear of recognition of the pseudo-state by Syria and disreputable states of this type led to political distortions,” he decreed.

Will he raise the issue tomorrow when questioning the comrade president, the man who was politically responsible for the government sucking up to Syria and Iran? Tomorrow provides Pol Pol’s big test as he will be questioning the guy who appointed him and urged him to investigate everyone including the president.

Will PolyP be commenting on the comrade’s answers, telling him that the average village idiot would have handled the issue of the containers with more intelligence than the government?

WHAT IS really incredible is that the comrade has agreed to appear before the committee.

With so much damning evidence - a document published yesterday showed that he had been informed about the dangers posed by the container a year before the blast by the head of his diplomatic office - does he believe he will be able to convince anyone that he had no responsibility for what happened.

Even more incredible is that his associates have been telling hacks that they were confident their boss would emerge from the questioning smelling of roses. Is the guy so deluded, or will he play the humble man of people and shed a few tears in order to win the sympathy of his appointee and the public?

It remains to be seen, but I suspect that agreeing to appear before the committee might be as colossal an error of judgement by the comrade as insisting on keeping the munitions containers in Kyproulla and appointing Pol Pol as a one-man committee and giving him a free rein. Then again, his pitiful lack of judgement has proved the strongest quality he has brought to the presidency.

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.

With the reading out of the way, the two leaders had to withdraw to their private rooms, with their respective advisors, to discuss the content of the document submitted by the other side. Big Bad Al gave the two 45 minutes to do this, but the comrade was unhappy, insisting that he needed an hour. He was granted his wish, but being a slow reader did not emerge from his quarters until an hour and 20 minutes later.

And then it was time for lunch. Once they had finished lunch, Yiorkos Iacovou made a ground-breaking suggestion. “Why don’t we have a coffee,” he asked. This was considered a brilliant idea as it would prevent anyone requesting time for a siesta.

After the coffee they returned to the meeting room, talked intensively about the proposals for 20 minutes and then stopped, because they had to discuss what the UN would tell the media about the meeting. This sorted, the two leaders, drained and exhausted by the intensity of the five-hour procedure, went home, content that they had added another small brick to the slow but steady building of the bi-zonal, bi-communal federation.

THE LATEST desperate attempt to salvage something of his battered reputation, by the comrade may give rise to a new diplomatic practice - one state leader sending another a ‘happy birthday message’.

Earlier this week the comrade turned 65 and he received birthday wishes from no less than three respected leaders - Dmitri Medvedev, Angel Merkel and Karolos Papoulias. How did they know that it was the Dikomo darling’s birthday?

The government in Nicosia, apparently informed the embassies of Russia, Germany and Greece here, and implored them to send a birthday message, as the comrade was feeling a bit down and needed cheering up. They all obliged, taking part in this crude farce, with gushing messages that the government passed on the media.

Merkel’s message, among other idiocies, said: “During your entire political career and especially as president, you served your country and Europe in the best possible way.” Well, her secretary had to say something nice about the birthday boy, as she did not have time to buy him a present.

WHAT ON earth was our foreign minister Erato Kozakou-Markoulli doing attending the conference for Libya in Paris? This was a donors’ conference anyway and we are in no position to donate funds for the rebuilding of Libya when we cannot afford to rebuild the power station we blew up.

In fact, the French organisers of the conference had not bothered to invite Kyproulla, prompting Erato to complain and demand an invitation. The organisers told Erato that there was no point inviting us as we had not recognised the rebel government, remaining loyal to Mad-dog Gaddafi. This prompted our government to announce that we recognised the new Libyan government.

The organisers may also have remembered that we had snubbed the first conference on Libya at the start of the year, our foreign minister not even replying to the invitation, while our government condemned the NATO air strikes. This could be the reason President Sarkozy, in a show of pettiness, refused to send his birthday wishes to our leader.

BELEAGUERED Syrian president Bashar al-Assad would be pleased to know that he does not only enjoy our president’s unstinting support. Archbishop Chrys is also a big fan of the ruthless Syrian dictator, because he was nice to Christians.

He expressed his admiration for Assad, while at a conference of Orthodox Church leaders in Istanbul and was asked if he was worried about the dominance of extremists in Syria. He said: “At present there is a government that is low-key, respects citizens, minorities and the Christians there. If the opposing side prevails, if Assad falls, I fear that the Christians would leave Syria.”

MEGA TV and the Church, I hear, have agreed on a velvet divorce and the Broadcasting Authority has already been informed about the separation. We do not know if the Church will bring back the indescribably boring Logos TV, but Mega’s Greek owners have decided they want nothing to do with Archbishop Chrys.

The decision for the divorce was taken after Chrys served the station’s news bosses with an ultimatum. He demanded that he was given the right to decide what news was reported on the station’s main TV news show and the order in which the stories would be presented. In short, he wanted to be news boss. The Church had the majority holding in the company that run the station and could do what he liked, he argued.

The Greeks, to their credit told him to go to hell. What serious news organisation would want some ignorant priest who believes Assad respects his citizens running its news department? Head honchos from Mega are currently looking for other partners to carry on broadcasting in Kyproulla.

WE WERE a bit too kind to the new finance minister Kikis Kazamias last week. The guy is behaving as just another poodle of the union bosses, begging them to make a few tiny concessions so that the government can claim it was taking measures for the economy. The begging of the last few days did not yield any results but it is set to continue this week. When he is back at his office he should ask one of his flunkeys to means-test those collecting the ‘polyteknos’ (family with more than three children) state assistance, because the taxpayer has been paying welfare to a fabulously wealthy Russian oligarch, who has Cypriot citizenship.

The Russian had wanted to buy a 12-seater vehicle for private use – to take his family and visiting friends on excursion - and despite appealing to a host of government departments he was told that he was not eligible to own such a car. Licences for such cars were given only for commercial use. No matter how hard his representatives argued with officials the answer was negative; officials feared that the owners of the 12-seater vehicles would protest that the oligarch would use his car to take away business from them.

Then someone had the idea that the oligarch, who has a large family, could apply for a 12-seater vehicle as a ‘polyteknos’, which he was. He applied and was immediately given the required licence to purchase the 12-seater. A couple of months later, he also started receiving a monthly cheque from the state.

He did not have a clue what it was for and asked his auditors to investigate. They established that the billionaire Russian was being given cash assistance from the state for being a ‘polyteknos’, without ever applying for welfare. When it comes to wasting our money nobody could accuse our state services of being inefficient.

The perils of boob jobs

2011-09-06T09:16:00.000+03:00

"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."

"In that eventuality of political terrorism that Turkey has no legal binding over its claims, threats of terrorism towards European Members states, in total burden of UN, International Laws of Sea and in compromise of European Law are totally punishable, and in that eventuality that EU territories or European citizens are exposed, then in that case the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) and the Unions Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) will be put to practice."

"If Turkey escaltes the threats to an act of politcal terrorism and war, then in that case member territories will be protected under the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) and the European Union Military Operation framework."

"Finally, The Republic of Cyprus has every legitimacy in accord to International and European Law, and the off shore drilling is in total support of the European Union, and Turkey not."

-- EU Official, 05 September 2011, 20:31 --

The comment appeared on Today's Zaman article "Cyprus: Gloom and doom' by AMANDA PAUL on September 4 2011.

Flag of Republic of Cyprus v2.0

2011-09-05T11:47:00.004+03:00

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.

Turkish clown culture

2011-09-05T09:44:00.002+03:00

How Turkish of Bağış, Turkey's Minister of EU Affairs, to issue military threats! How rich of him to invoke international law when Turkey grossly violates international law!

Q. Greek Cyprus has declared that it will begin oil exploration in the Mediterranean on Oct. 1. Can you comment on this?
A. Bağış "The kinds of things that have happened in the past [Turkish naval interference with exploration] whenever the Greek Cypriots have made such attempts may well happen again. That is how serious Turkey is. Doing this in waters where they have no jurisdiction is illegal. Turkey will rely on international law to pursue its rights to the fullest extent."

Q. Will the navy send a fleet?
A. Bağış "This is what we have the navy for. We have trained our marines for this; we have equipped the navy for this. All options are on the table; anything can be done."
Turkish minister warns Greek Cypriots about oil exploration in Mediterranean 04 September 2011 SERVET YANATMA

Cyprus, the whale

2011-09-04T23:53:00.000+03:00

Because of Cypriot gas, if indeed found, the EU and its allies [USA, Russia, Israel] will pay much closer attention to Turkey's bullying tactics. I predict a tsunami of positive decisions and actions for the Cyprus Republic. Let us prepare our ideal solution of re-integrating back whatever population of authentic tCypriots still remain in Cyprus, as well as those who wish to return.

Our leaders are criminally negligent if they do not already have 1960 v2.0 ready, an offshoot of Makarios' 1963 ideas adjusted for the acquis communautaire & planned sensitive reversal of all ill-effects of 1974. It may be hard for many of you to believe but a large percentage of tCypriots hope we prepare & will thank us for being ready to reintegrate them into Cypriot society and norms.

I wish yet again to urge all of you for a paradigm shift. We have goodness in our hearts & western reason in our minds. We can easily place ourselves in tCypriots' shoes and come up with logical safeguards for their community. However, we the people, unlike some gCypriot politicians, must not communicate to foreigners, tCypriots or worse our elected politicians through our words and actions that we recognize any right of veto to the tCypriot community which hardly surpasses 10% of population today.

Returning to the 1960 agreements is simply not acceptable. It cannot be if we have any historical sense and Cypriot pride left. Furthermore, tCypriots chose to exit those agreements anyway following Turkey's advice. They cannot expect their rights back a few decades later upon request as if nothing happened, as if the Republic of Cyprus is now the same Republic they left behind. Especially when their utterly idiotic policy of self-segregation resulted in so much suffering. A large percentage of tCypriots recognize that the community will need to negotiate its way back in and it is ludicrous for them to insist on the idiotic "rights" Turkey extorted on their behalf in 1960.

Let me close these thoughts by stressing again the mistake in our thinking and the urgent need for a paradigm shift. It is wrong to allow ourselves to recognize that the tCypriots, a mere 10% of Cypriot population today, are entitled to veto rights and obscene guaranteed representation within the Republic's structures. They are certainly not! The tCypriot veto & the foolish equating of 18% to 82% were two of the main problems of 1960. Dynamite at the very foundation, masterfully planted to prepare for the completion of TAKSIM/ PARTITION.

The same forces that prepared the TAKSIM strategy, Ergenekon et al, still influence/shape Turkish foreign policy to this day and regard Cyprus as the their most valued prize. We must let them know who is boss in Cyprus! I can think of no better way than the Cypriot people mandating their leaders, regardless of political faction, the basis upon which they are allowed to discuss an agreement on our behalf. Our mandate must stress to our leaders that they ought to dictate the solution, taking into account tCypriot legitimate concerns but without necessarily seeking the agreement from a small minority, whose political will was hijacked by Turkey since long ago anyway.

A Celt with Bouboulina's soul

2011-09-04T10:34:00.000+03:00

I would be willing to bet that most of Greeks and gCypriots have no idea of the unconditional love for Hellenism emanating from Scotland. A comment by Aine O'Neill, our Laskarina Bouboulina from "Darkland" (Σκωτία), made an impression on me and I wish to share it with you.

"I come from a country which has a first class education system ie Scotland as acknowledged by England which admits that for generations the Scots have outperformed their English counterparts, we gave the world countless discoveries and inventions ie television, telephone, anesthetics, penicillin, antepsis, inflatable car tyre, fridge, fax, bicycle, logarithms, radar, the list is endless, all over the world our inventions and discoveries are used on a daily basis, the world's leading doctors including plastic surgeons are Scots, our ingenuity and expertise are second to none ..."

"I am of Irish ancestry hence the Irish flag and my Irish name. I have supported the Cyprus problem for thirty seven years and have been actively involved since then in London. I read and write Greek having had a private Athenian tutor twenty six years ago, I liken the occupied north of Cyprus with the occupied north of Ireland both artificial states and as an Irish republican we want the north back to be reunited with the south and as a Scottish nationalist I want a full independent Scotland as we have nothing in common with the English, ie language customs etc."

"Scotland shares a common history with Greece ie Doric (Δωρική) which is spoken in Scotland and was used in Makedonia, we have the same saint Aghios Andreas, Edinburgh is known as the Athens of the north because of its architecture, our music and dancing has its roots in Greece, the kilt originated from the foustanella, the word Σκωτια comes from Σκωτος meaning the dark, we know that Alexander came to Scotland not to conquer but to have a look and obviously perceived Scotland as a dark country as it's weather is usually wet and cold. We have a saying that we would rather die than be anybody's slave similar to ελευθερία η θάνατος."

"I see Cyprus as a Hellenic country it was, it is and it will always be Greek. I have said before and I'll say it again the Turks from Cyprus are a minority no more no less than the other minorities ie Latins, Armenians and Maronites and to give the Turks majority status which they believe they have a right to is deeply insulting to the other minorities. In fact the Latins have been there far longer than the Turks from Cyprus and you don't hear the other minorities demanding status as co-founders. The Turks from Cyprus are co founders of nothing it's all in their little non existent brains, they were an 18% minority much less now I believe and must accept minority status in a majority Greek country ( Greek as in Hellenistic not enosis with Greece). Anybody can debate with me but make sure they know their subject matter as I do because what I say is factually correct I don't make unfactual comments and I won't be insulted by an uneducated thief such as .... or anybody else for that matter."

" ... I know and that's what binds us plus I have a Greek soul, I love the music and dancing, attend most of the concerts in London, play nothing but Greek music in the flat and in the car and I have a home in Chania, Crete where I'll move to next year. I stalled my young nephew in the Greek school system in London and he helps in the local Greek church every Sunday as we left the Catholic faith four years ago and were re-baptised Greek Orthodox, he has a godmother who is half Greek Cypriot, his other one is Athenian and mine is Greek Cypriot so although I love Scotland and Ireland with a passion I equally love Hellenism."

"Yes Antifon post the link there are two more things, firstly we were told that Aghios Andreas remains were taken to the monastery in Iona for internment, Iona is a small island in Scotland I was told this in primary school, also the bagpipes originate from the gaida from Greece, plus we are warriors like our Hellenic cousins, a gCypriot once likened me to Boumboulina a compliment indeed."

"MA. English unis accept low grades in the A levels for entrance qualifications whereby if an English person wants to study at a Scottish uni he/she must have the highest grades in the A levels. Gordonstoun a public school in Scotland had former pupils such as Alexander Onassis and Stavros Niarchos, the unis are full of Greeks and Greek Cypriots who know the benefits of a Scottish education.Glasgow has the Greek dancing groups, Hellenic clubs and a high proportion of the students don't return home but stay in Glasgow, the community is thriving."

http://www.facebook.com/groups/180807418654752/?view=permalink&id=191894334212727

Understanding leverage for dummies

2011-09-03T18:28:00.003+03:00

The picture says it all, dummies et al.

Credit to m and his post at Cyprus Mail's New Turkish threats over drilling | September 3, 2011 which is also listed in full below.

New Turkish threats over drilling | Published on September 3, 2011 | Cyprus Mail

TURKEY’S EU Affairs Minister Egemen Bagis yesterday issued a number of threats at Cyprus in daily including one to send naval vessels to the drilling area.

Bagis was quoted in Zaman newspaper as saying that when explorations were made in the past, ships from the Turkish military fleet “were quick to make their way to the area”.

“It’s for this reason that we built our army and trained our soldiers,” said Bagis claiming that “it is illegal to explore waters that do not belong to them.”

“The Greek Cypriot side had tried to make similar moves in the past but there are some who remember what they went up against,” he added.

He also stated that Turkey will make use of all its rights under international law and will act accordingly.

Drilling is due to begin on October 1.

The root of Turks' minority thinking

2011-08-31T18:31:00.001+03:00

Reuven Eliaz sheds light on the concept of the dhimmi (appeared as a comment at this thread) which explains why Turks cannot reconcile themselves to being a minority living under a Greek majority.

"Since its inception, Islam has divided the world into two parts: the "dar al-Islam," or "realm of Islam," which means territory that has already been conquered in the name of Islam, and the "dar al-harb," literally "realm of the sword," meaning territory that has not yet been conquered in the name of Islam.

Once a country has been absorbed into the dar al-Islam it cannot be forfeited or allowed to revert to the dar al-harb. This is how Muslims view Cyprus (and Israel and, for that matter, Andalusia. This is because one of the pillars of Islam is that Muhammad was the last and the greatest of the prophets. Anyone who professes a monotheistic religion that pre-dated Islam (meaning Christians and Jews) may continue to reside in the dar al-Islam, but only as "dhimmi," meaning "protected" persons (protected from death). Dhimmi can never be accorded full political rights, however, since a non-Muslim by definition can never equal a Muslim inside the dar al-Islam.

Muhammad was the greatest and last prophet because all those prophets who came before him (which, in Islam, includes Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Jesus, and Mary) failed. Muslims will actually tell you that Moses and Jesus were Muslims. They were sent to deliver the Quran, but the Jews and then Christians mis-transcribed what they received and it came out as the Torah and the New Testament, respectively. They were failed prophets due to the inadequacy of the Jews and Christians. That's why God had to send Muhammad, to finally deliver His true message.

To cut a long story short, this is why the first thing that Muslims do after capturing a city in the name of the dar al-Islam is to turn its pre-Islamic religious sites into mosques. That's what they did with the ka'abah in Mecca, Hagia Sophia in Constantinope and the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, as well as pre-Turkish churches in Nicosia which remain mosques today."

Whose problem?

2011-08-31T16:09:00.006+03:00

Many of us have come to endorse that "the story is what we have to give for taking". It seems to me Turkey and Great Britain carved out this mental box for us and maintain it through Turkey's military might and deep-state über propaganda machine, coupled with British "wash the hands of" stance until time conveniently takes care of the problem.

I say that we gave too much already back in 1960. What is truly long overdue is we complete April 1st 1955's goal of self-determination. Cypriots demand to run their country without tyranny of the minority or foreign meddling. I say it is solely a story of 'taking back' what should have never been given in the first place.

The story is not about what we have to give for taking, as we have been conditioned to think. This story is the foreigners' story, those who pay lip service to a "Cyprus problem", when in fact Great Britain solved her "Cyprus problem" in 1960 and Turkey solved her "Cyprus problem" in 1974.

Our story is profoundly different. It has to be, for we have a different problem, a Turkish problem mainly, coupled with excessive doses of British hypocrisy. How about Cypriots assertively solving their Turkish and British problems? I say it's as easy as escaping the thinking we have allowed foreigners to box us in.

In my next post, "Connecting the dots for Cyprus ... the solution!", I will attempt to explain how we can do so and it starts by taking back control of the agenda, something we lost back in 1960.

Connecting the dots for Cyprus ... a clue!

2011-08-31T02:58:00.001+03:00

Two weeks ago, on August 15, I presented the graphical depiction of the Cyprus puzzle as a set of nine dots asking you to try to connect the nine dots using four straight lines without lifting the pencil from the paper. I suggested that each of the nine dots could stand for:

The sizable section of tCypriot society that genuinely wants Turkey out of a united Cyprus.
That gCypriots always negotiated in good faith and based on just and universal principles.
Cyprus (RoC) being a very successful state, both democratically and economically.
Cyprus being a member of the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU).
Turkey's blatant violations of UN resolutions, as well as her own obligations stemming from 1960.
The European Court of Human Rights' decisions favoring gCypriots and the RoC.
Turkey's violation of the Geneva Conventions with her colonization policies.
The west's losing confidence in Turkey's desire to being a solid partner of the west.
Cyprus' new role as an energy route for the EU and potentially a huge energy source as well.

Today I provide a clue and urge you to solve the Cyprus puzzle. No one else but Cypriots will in the end solve it. If you feel otherwise you best rethink as you may be in this matter criminally naive.

Can you solve it now?

Bilingual states?

2011-08-30T23:08:00.000+03:00

Greek Cypriots [90%] agree to having a bilingual Republic of Cyprus for the sake of their 10% ethnic Turkish community. Do ethnic Turks of Turkey [75%] agree to having a bilingual Republic of Turkey for the sake of their 22% ethnic Kurdish community? If not, why not? What does this say about ethnic Turks?

My advice to Erato Kozakou Markoullis

2011-08-28T15:46:00.005+03:00

Dear Minister,

I will be brief. While formal discussions continue based on the 77-79 high-level agreements we need to offer an alternative channel to tCypriots, those tCypriots who feel that their "official" political will has recently been hijacked by Turkey via the illegal settlers, just as it was hijacked by extreme nationalists in the 50s and 60s. An alternative channel to express their ideas for going forward as well as to share with them how we ideally see our joint future. Turkey's recent grand posturing presents the perfect alibi, if at all such a need exists, for the Republic of Cyprus to initiate a parallel "informal" discussion with a different agenda, an alternative to allow for the expression of the minds and hearts of thinking-Cypriot-first tCypriots, of all Cypriots.

The new agenda must steer away from the BBF which perpetuates the ill-thought 1960 "equality" as well as the illegal and heinous consequences of 1974. It must concentrate instead on an agreement on the basis of a unitary state with elements of local and communal self administration on issues of low level politics. It's second pillar must be how to undo, with as much sensitivity as possible and as fast as possible, the awful repercussions of the invasion and the division. Such a bold initiative can yield amazing results by liberating healthy forces in the society regardless of ethnic origin.

Besides, it is just the international aspect of the problem that must be dealt solely under UN auspices. Cyprus can lead any initiative she sees appropriate in order to solve an internal issue, just as Turkey takes her own initiatives to address her own ethnic minority problem. Not taking the initiative is a sign of weakness, a shameful admission of "limited sovereignty". This is unacceptable when four out of five UNSC permanent members went out of their way to proclaim the Cyprus Republic's sovereignty in the recent right "to drill or not to drill" debate.

Sincerely,
Antifon

It's Cyprus-like rights, stupid!

2011-08-27T12:36:00.002+03:00

To all my Kurdish friends: It's Cyprus-like rights, stupid! [to paraphrase Bill Clinton's famous 1992 campaign slogan]

If Kurds are sincere in their desire to live side by side with ethnic Turks within common borders then they are being political imbeciles if they do not make their demands as simple and effective as: "We want not more, but not less, than Turkey has been trying to secure for the Turkish Cypriot ethnic minority [circa 15%] in Cyprus". It is a concise and powerful message:

[1] It cripples Turks' nationalistic argumentation
[2] It is easily understood by the west (Cyprus is an EU member)
[3] It guarantees minimum community rights beyond Kurds' expectations

To my Kurdish friends, with love I tell you, if you cannot see the sheer power of the message then you are either insincere in as far as your political goal or simply political dwarfs!

I have been exploring this very analogy on my blog for almost a year now! I hope I am successful in converting you to my way of thinking. For your sake, as well as Cypriots'. My motive is selfish: I believe that if Kurds ask for Cyprus-like community rights in Turkey itself then Turkey will be more likely to abandon her insincere, irrational, illegal and outdated demands in Cyprus! The end result can be a win-win-win for the Kurdish, Turkish and Cypriot peoples. Extreme nationalism, wherever it may reside, will be the only loser!

Comment first made on Aug 26th 2011 8:07 GMT on The Economist's article Giving war a chance - The Turkish response to a surge in Kurdish violence has been swift and hard | Aug 27th 2011 | DIYARBAKIR AND ULUDERE

Wandering in the desert

2011-08-26T16:31:00.001+03:00

Turkey's 1980 junta constitution is broken. So is Cyprus' 1960 one. Both UN nations must find the right balance of rights for their double-digit ethnic minorities. Turkey uses force in both countries to "define" those rights. Is it about time we publicly debate why the majority ethnic Turks of Turkey find totally unacceptable for Turkey's Kurds those rights that the majority ethnic Greek Cypriots are willing to grant Cyprus' ethnic Turkish Cypriots? In doing so we will uncover, for the entire world to see, the prevalent fascism that permeates the thinking of Turkey's leaderships.

Why revisiting 1963 makes sense?

2011-08-26T02:00:00.001+03:00

I do not particularly care for the man, the priest or his legacy. I am interested in the man's ideas and how useful they may for us today going forward. For as sure as hell the current basis of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation (BBF) is not a step in the right direction, as it not only builds on the bogus equality of 1960, it introduces zones as well, zones which were never part of Cyprus, not in the over 3.000 years of gCypriots living here at least (can't be sure about the paleolithic and neolithic eras).

Let me give you the short version why I think the 1963 ideas make sense:

The Republic of Cyprus (RoC) runs on a crippled 1960. It ran successfully for 50 years, with one exception: the tCypriot minority abandoning the RoC in the 60s based on some ill-thought advice by Turkey. But tCypriots will sooner or later ask to be reintegrated, as not only are they running out of options, but mainly because the gCypriot majority has already distanced itself from the BBF idea, regardless of what its leaders say, and won't sacrifice the security and stability of 1960 on a whim.

If I were a tCypriot I would say "I want back; give me what is written in 1960". gCypriots must be ready to respond. An agreement on the basis of a unitary state with elements of local and communal self administration on issues of low level politics must be the goal. Much like Makarios' 1963 ideas were about. Those ideas are a very good place to start, and with a bit of tweaking they can be made to comply with the EU acquis communautaire. A 1963 based solution can be implemented far easier and certainly with a lot more confidence, as both communities are familiar with the 1960 constitution on which it will build. The biggest challenge will be to figure out sensitive ways to undo the damage of the occupation and division.

Unless we have a firm position on how 1960 should change we make it easy for Turks to say "if no BBF, then partition" [I say Turks because, let's face it, they are running the show, not the tCypriots]. That is certainly what we do not want and will never accept. Thus I sincerely hope our leaders are not waiting for me to point out how essential is to have our 1963-based position ready to be shared and negotiated upon. Look at the cartoon for Christ's sake! Do you dare to tell me it's going to be a lot different?

To think unconventionally is a matter of survival

2011-08-25T14:57:00.000+03:00

If we (gCypriots) want to go back to our homes we must learn to speak the language of the occupier, divider, ethnic cleanser and colonizer: fascism! Not to become, but to understand the messages he sends, as well as respond in ways the fascist can appreciate. A paradigm shift is necessary. In addition to the usual arguments based on international law, justice and morality which any fascist anywhere evades, arguments that a fascist can in fact process and respond to must be employed. Such arguments should take the game away from home and into the fascist's own turf. Then he'll notice!

Anyone solved the Cyprus puzzle yet (click link)?

And here is the same cartoon from a Kurd's perspective:

A Kurd of Turkey and a Cypriot see eye to eye!

2011-08-25T01:08:00.002+03:00

Baran [a Kurd], 24 August 2011 , 05:59 "@Antifon, your blog, http://bit.ly/qmY246, is excellent and I highly recommend it to all thinking people whatever their nationality. Kurds and Kurdish leaders have been saying for some time now that they want the same rights, freedoms and status successive Turkish governments have belligerently and violently demanded for Turkish Cypriots.... but their voices are not being heard as much as they should! Sadly, it seems more blood, death and destruction are needed for the Turkish mentality to change! ..... It doesn't take much for the dormant Kemalist virus to flare up and rob the best of the Turks of their sense of fairness and most critical faculties! ...... Nevertheless, your optimism can be infectious and therefore I thank you for your insight! Keep more coming please ......"

See entire exchange & link to the article in reverse order below:

Antifon, 23 August 2011 , 13:06 "@Baran (22/8, 15:09), you ask an extremely good question. Another very good question is: why aren't more Turks and Kurds in Turkey asking the same? Where is decent Turkish and Kurdish COMMON SENSE? The argument is immense! As I say on the first page of my blog: Linking the Cyprus issue to the Kurdish issue of Turkey is the only effective way to [A] uncover Turkish hypocrisy on her approach to majority-minority community relations [B] bring about a fair and permanent settlement to Cyprus' Turkish problem and [C] help bring community status recognition for the close to 20 million Kurds of Turkey. A win-win-win for the Kurdish, Turkish and Cypriot peoples. It may also bring about the first ever truly democratic constitution in Turkey's history!"

Baran, 22 August 2011 , 15:09 "All that Mr Erdogan needs to do to end the bloodshed between Kurds and Turks is to address all citizens of Turkey and say the Kurdish citizens of Turkey are entitled to the same rights, freedoms and status Turkey so aggressively advocates for a relatively handful Turks who are citizens of another independent country,that is, Cyprus! ...... That would be morally the right thing to do as well. So, what or who is stopping him? Does he or his cronies enjoy seeing flag-draped coffins? Do his cronies financially, economically benefit from the senseless spilling of young Turkish and Kurdish men"

Antifon, 22 August 2011 , 01:22 "Why not use your ideas in Cyprus to address the Kurdish demands? After all, Kurds are doing to you today exactly what you taught the Turkish Cypriot minority of Cyprus to do in the 1950s and 1960s: defiance, terrorism, self-segregation. Study this document as it may give you ideas: http://bit.ly/qmY246"

Darkening clouds over Turkey 21 August 2011 ÖMER TAŞPINAR | Today's Zaman

A Kurd asks "What is stopping you Mr. Erdogan?"

2011-08-23T13:24:00.001+03:00

Baran , 22 August 2011 , 15:09 [A Kurdish post on Today's Zaman] "All that Mr Erdogan needs to do to end the bloodshed between Kurds and Turks is to address all citizens of Turkey and say the Kurdish citizens of Turkey are entitled to the same rights, freedoms and status Turkey so aggressively advocates for a relatively handful Turks who are citizens of another independent country,that is, Cyprus! ...... That would be morally the right thing to do as well. So, what or who is stopping him? Does he or his cronies enjoy seeing flag-draped coffins? Do his cronies financially, economically benefit from the senseless spilling of young Turkish and Kurdish men"

Darkening clouds over Turkey 21 August 2011 ÖMER TAŞPINAR | Today's Zaman

The essence of Turkey's "Kurdish" problem & Cyprus

2011-08-22T23:30:00.003+03:00

Şahin Alpay, Turkish journalist: "The problem, in fact, is essentially the denial of Kurdish identity and the non- recognition of the Kurds' democratic rights. There is no way to solve the PKK problem without the resolution of the Kurdish problem. Even if the unlikely is achieved and the PKK is suppressed entirely, another violent organization may form in its place so long as the Kurdish problem remains unresolved."

Antifon: "Aren't we pitiful allowing ethnic Turks to assume the moral high ground and preach us on how to treat our ethnic minority while their thinking vis-a-vis their own 22+% ethnic minority is light years behind? Aren't we pathetic for not having turned this analogy into our flag in raising awareness about Cyprus' Turkish issue in the western world? Perhaps it is not too late."

Şahin Alpay: "In order to resolve the Kurdish problem, what Turkey really needs is to renew itself on the basis of liberal democratic principles. If Turkey is to preserve the principles of “one flag, one nation, one homeland and one state,” as in the latest statement by the National Security Council (MGK), the state, the nation and the citizenship of Turkey has to be redefined. The constitution to be adopted should define the state not as a “Turkish state” but as the “state of Turkey” and the nation not as “the Turkish nation” but “the nation of Turkey.” The definition of the citizenship of Turkey should refrain from making any reference to any ethnic identity."

Şahin Alpay: "Turkey needs to be restructured not as a “nation-state” but as a “country-state.” This restructuring would actually mean a return to the founding philosophy of the Republic of Turkey as established at the end of the War of Independence. This war was not fought by the “Turkish nation” but by the “nation of Turkey” -- by the various ethnic groups that made up the population of the country at the end of World War I -- that resulted in the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. And the state they founded was not a “Turkish state” but the “state of Turkey.”"

A comment by shubert , 22 August 2011 @ 09:30 "@necati: The issue is not who is in the editorial section in Todayszaman. You and your arrogant politicians just don't get it. This writers are telling the truth. Turkey is denying the existence of kurds, is denying kurdish identity, is banning them from education in mother tongue and is assimilating them. These writers are just trying to do you a favour. They are trying to put it through your head that you are wrong and kurds are right. Please don't just complain, read, get educated and accept the truth. shubert"

Not nation-state, but country-state 21 August 2011 ŞAHİN ALPAY | TODAY'S ZAMAN

Homer: the sexiest thing in Cypriot waters in a very long time!

2011-08-22T19:09:00.000+03:00

Noble Energy will use the Homer Ferrington rig currently drilling at the Noa field, near Yam Tethys offshore from Ashkelon.

Noble Energy brings forward Cypriot drilling Amiram Barkat 14 August 11 GLOBES

The Cypriot media report that Noble Energy Inc. (NYSE: NBL) will begin drilling an offshore exploratory well at Block 12 on September 21. The well is located in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone, just 12 kilometers from Israel’s Leviathan gas field, and previously Noble Energy had reported that it would not begin drilling until October.

Noble Energy will use the Homer Ferrington rig currently drilling at the Noa field, near Yam Tethys offshore from Ashkelon. Noble Energy and Delek Group Ltd. (TASE: DLEKG) jointly own Noa and Yam Tethys. Noble Energy obtained the concession for Block 12 in 2008, and its Leviathan and Tamar partner Delek Group has an option to acquire 30% of the concession through units Avner Oil and Gas LP (TASE: AVNR.L) and Delek Drilling LP (TASE:DEDR.L). Delek Group is seeking an amendment to the Securities Law (5728-1968) to allow it to exercise the option, and expects to obtain the amendment within a few months.

Noble Energy has never disclosed figures about the potential gas field at Block 12, but Cypriot Commerce Ministry Energy Service director Solon Kassinin has said estimated the field at 10 trillion cubic feet, making it larger than Tamar, but 60% smaller than Leviathan. Kassinin did not mention the geologic probability of the reservoir. All the fields are located in the deepwater Levant Basin.

Why Russia's support for drilling is special?

2011-08-21T16:48:00.000+03:00

Four of the the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council have proclaimed the Republic of Cyprus' sovereign right to drill off its shores, namely the EU (UK & France), Russia and the USA.

The position of Russia is especially important. Russia's stance could not have been taken for granted, despite the excellent relations. Russia could have perceived our energy adventure as competing and detrimental to her own energy and geopolitical interests. Bear in mind that aside from the huge financial repercussions the possible gas find has major strategic value as it provides as alternative energy route to the west, something which both the EU and the USA (NATO) find extremely appealing, since currently the EU depends heavily on Russian energy flows.

The fact that Russia threw her weight behind the Republic of Cyprus in light of the above explains our Foreign Minister's thrill!

_____________________________________

Minister thrilled at Russia’s support | Stefanos Evripidou August 21, 2011 | CYPRUS MAIL
FOREIGN MINISTER Erato Kozakou Markoullis yesterday expressed her “absolute satisfaction” with the Russian Foreign Ministry’s response to Turkey’s sabre-rattling ahead of drilling in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

“The response of the Russian Federation to our representations was immediate and sends a strong message to Turkey and the international community in general,” she said.

“We are truly grateful for this steadfast stance of Russia, which has always been and continues to be a shield and support against any threats by Turkey, a shield based on international law and UN resolutions,” added Marcoullis.

In an official press release, the Russian Federation clearly expressed Cyprus’ sovereign right, based on international law, to carry out explorations and drill for hydrocarbons in its EEZ. The press release referred specifically to the Law of the Sea, which Russia and Cyprus have signed, though Turkey has not. Cyprus has also signed agreements delineating its EEZ between neighbouring states, namely Lebanon, Egypt and Israel. Some reports suggest Lebanon’s parliament has yet to ratify the treaty due to pressure from Turkey. The Russian statement also called on Turkey not to link the actions of the Cyprus Republic, which are based on its sovereign rights, with the process to solve the Cyprus issue.

Cyprus has signed a production-sharing contract with Houston-based Noble Energy. The company has a concession to explore for hydrocarbons in an offshore field in its EEZ, southeast of Cyprus, known as Block 12. Noble also has a stake in exploratory drilling currently underway in nearby gas fields in Israel’s EEZ. Drilling in Cyprus’ Block 12 is expected to start by October 1.

The Eastern Mediterranean basin is believed to contain massive amounts of natural gas reserves.

In recent weeks, the Turkish leadership has warned Cyprus against making any moves that might ignore the rights of Turkish Cypriots, saying that if gas exploration goes ahead, it will take “appropriate measures”. The Turkish foreign ministry has also made representations to Washington, warning that drilling in Cyprus’ southeast waters could jeopardise the ongoing peace process when it’s at a crucial stage.

Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu’s top aide Kudret Ozersay has also warned that the Turkish Cypriots will start taking unilateral steps to exploit resources in the island’s northern third if the Cypriot government goes ahead with plans to explore and extract its natural resources.

According to the Turkish Cypriot press, Ozersay met with Israeli Ambassador to Cyprus Michael Harari on Friday, where the two likely discussed Cyprus and Israel’s plans to extract and distribute their natural gas resources.

Yesterday’s Phileleftheros reported that the Turkish Navy and Air Force are planning military exercises in the Eastern Mediterranean and Aegean starting from September 15.

Last Wednesday, the US administration said it was aware of Turkey’s position on the issue, adding however, that it strongly supports all countries’ plans to secure energy supplies through better energy diversity.

The Cypriot minister said she will raise the issue before the EU Council of Ministers at their next ad hoc meeting on September 2 and 3.

The Turkish response to scheduled drilling will also be discussed during a meeting with her Israeli counterpart Avigdor Liberman in Israel this Wednesday, she added.

The tail wagging the dog is simply not natural!

2011-08-20T19:20:00.000+03:00

The Cyprus puzzle will be solved when we can all agree that the tail wagging the dog is an unnatural state. I spent a good part of an hour last night laughing with this metaphor first made, in the context of Cyprus' Turkish problem, by David Edmond at the Lobby for Cyprus Facebook page.

All of thinking Cypriot-first tCypriots need to get together, take care of whatever insecurities they have as a community, bear in mind that they will be addressing a majority community with even bigger insecurities, and come up with a plan to be reintegrated into the Republic of Cyprus (RoC).

Both the 1960 idiotic minority ultra rights, dynamite at the foundations really, and the despicable bi-zonal, bi-communal federation (BBF) idea are the wrong basis to build a future on. The BBF idea tries to make sense of it all in a totally wrong way, not only by taking as a basis the bogus 1960 interpretation of equality but in addition it incorporates the unlawful and heinous repercussions of one of the most violent and uncalled for crimes of the 20th century post WW-II, the invasion, division, occupation, ethnic cleansing and colonization of Cyprus by Turkey.

Two reasons necessitate that tCypriots act, and that they act now!

Turkey may be headed for internal trouble as discussions for a constitutional overhaul will not be including the BDP, the Kurdish party, which abstains from the Turkish parliament since last month and declared Kurdish autonomy on July 14th. If indeed things take a turn for the worse in Turkey, it will have repercussions in Cyprus and especially tCypriots. The certainty is that Turkey will not be able to avoid the comparison between the rights its sees fit for a 10% minority of Cyprus and a 22+% minority of Turkey. tCypriots must realize that their rights would be significantly less than Makarios' 1963 proposals prescribed if they enjoyed the same rights Kurds enjoy in the Republic of Turkey today.

Second, in a couple of months the RoC may be an energy superpower and RoC representatives have already made it abundantly clear that the proceeds belong to all legal RoC citizens. At present, tCypriots are not such citizens, aside perhaps from holding a Cypriot passport, thus not only not enjoying their full rights as RoC citizens but also limiting the rights of gCypriots who cannot enjoy their lives and property in their towns of Keryneia, Lapithos, Varosi, Morphou, etc. gCypriots will be even less willing to deal if sitting on such a treasure. Four out of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, UK (EU), France (EU), Russia and the USA have already proclaimed RoC's sovereign right to explore for hydrocarbons.

I can think of a third reason why tCypriots need to act now. It will be a unilateral deposit in Cypriot community relations' mending. It will go a long way in the very sensitive Cypriot heart. Notice how I did not distinguish between 'g' and 't', as I believe it to be the same in kindness and sensitivity. Unilaterally pursuing the just and right solution for Cyprus is vastly different than waiting until one has no other choice. Because the combination of energy and the Kurds may simply leave tCypriots no other choice than to seek their reintegration back to the RoC.

No matter what decisions tCypriots make, my friend David's metaphor puts matters in perspective: the tail cannot be allowed to wag the dog, as 1960 prescribed or a BBF tries to do! It's simply not natural.