Cyprus-Forum.com

[michalis5354]

A very interesting article published by the Cyprus mail which reflects precisely the politics :

BRAVO Kate Clerides! More than anything else Cyprus now needs brave politicians willing to speak the truth and expose that their emperor (Papadopoulos on our side; R. Denktash on the other) has no clothes.

The truth of the matter is that the Cyprus problem goes back more than 50 years when Tassos and Rauf had runny noses and running shoes were unheard of. These two gentlemen are brothers in arms when it comes to their steadfastness to their respective causes and neither has ever had the remotest interest or inclination to compromise.

Although Makarios and Denktash agreed in 1977 that any solution would be federal, bi-zonal and bi-communal, in reality the hardliners on both sides take positions that are inconsistent with federalism.

On the Turkish side, this translates into the demand for recognition of the sovereignty of the ‘TRNC’ and a confederal power-sharing arrangement between two equal states. On our side, the hard line successors to Makarios, who of course are more Catholic than the Pope, pay lip service to federalism but in reality insist on a governing structure that is essentially unitary and gives control to the majority Greek Cypriot community in the event of a deadlock. It is exactly the same issue that brought down the Zurich and London Agreements in 1963 and which continues today under its contemporary guise.

Let no one forget that in 1959 when Makarios agreed to the permanent stationing of a small (650) Turkish contingent on the island, our current President was one of the few advisers who did not agree to that and the other compromises that established what was in many ways a functionally federal state even then. In 2004 this symbolic presence was enough to stir our President’s emotions to a high pitch and to call for his resounding No. Our President prefers a 35,000 Turkish contingent stationed on the island indefinitely rather than agree to one of 650!

He also wails that the Annan Plan allows some settlers, a lot of settlers, maybe even all the settlers to stay. So what? If Cyprus needs something almost as much as water, it is cheap labour.

We already import tens of thousands of foreign workers from all over the world to do our dirty work, so what is so awful if some of them are Turks? In any case given that we are now in the EU and someday probably so will Turkey with resulting mobility rights throughout the EU including Cyprus, what is so catastrophic with permitting 50,000 Turks, most of whom have lived on Cyprus for most of their lives, to stay?

Kate Clerides is right. It is not the flaws of the Annan Plan that are the problem. It is the leadership of our governing coalition that is collectively responsible for the continuation of the Cyprus stalemate.
If our leaders were truly committed to a federal settlement any practical problems could be surmounted through negotiations after the establishment of the United Cyprus Republic. That in fact is the nature and essence of federalism: that it needs to be constantly nurtured and renewed in each generation by the communities that comprise the federation.
The reality is that no solution or constitution will be perfect. There will always be a risk of deadlocks and deep-seated grievances that threaten the peace and order of the state. The answer, however, is not to hold out for a watertight constitution. It is simply to agree to dispute solving mechanisms through impartial and if necessary international arbitration that preclude the use of force or the imposition of the will of one community over the other. Such an arrangement would encourage moderation and negotiated dispute resolutions by the Cypriots.
So here’s to you Kate and may others dare to follow your example.



Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2004

[erolz]

Bravo ideed!

[Piratis]

*** Add here millions of bravos for Kate (and all others traitors) from Turks and their allies ***

As we say, the apple will fall under the apple tree. So what could we expect from the doughtier of Cleredes?

It seems that she can not distinguish the difference between an emperor, and a democratically elected president that represents the views and interests of the majority.
She also doesn't seem to have the intelligence needed to understand the difference between the illegally brought settlers that according to the plan that she supports will get the cyprus citizenship, and foreign workers that come to Cyprus to work for a specific time depending on our economy's requirements.

Our president, like the majority of us, accepted federation as a compromise, and we are ready to accept such solution.
Unfortunately the Annan plan didn't provide for a real federation, but it was something even looser than confederation, as Reuters calls it, a "loose association".

[Bananiot]

Yesterday, 400000 Americans demonstrated against the democratically elected George Bush Junior. These traitors should have asked Piratis for permission first ...

[Piratis]

Yesterday, 400000 Americans demonstrated against the democratically elected George Bush Junior. These traitors should have asked Piratis for permission first ...

Those Americans now probably represent the majority of Americans (actually they were always the majority. Bush got less votes than Gore).

In the case of Kate, while she has the right to say whatever crap she wants, not even her own party supported her in what she said in that interview. Its just her, along with a bunch of others that "believe" those things, yet their super minority views are given out of proportion publicity with only aim to hurt the Republic of Cyprus.

[MicAtCyp]

Add another million bravos to all the GC Turkish Ambassadors in here. You do a great job mashallah -mashallah.
How about 400 of you and Bananiots demonstrating against the democratically elected President? That will be fun!

[Bananiot]

Slowly but surely you are revealing your true nature MikAtCyp. I must admitt you had me fooled for a while. Good luck to you, but I just about had enough of jokers calling people with different opinions traitors, be them Vasiliou, Anastasiades, Clerides or poor old Bananiot.

[MicAtCyp]

You are calling yourself "a traitor" all the time!! Whats the problem with you man? Need to see a shrink?

[Chrisswirl]

I agree with Bananiot, if I was American there is no way that I'd say Bush represented my interests! Except, of course, if I was an American oil company manager. In a democratic country, the word if the leader is not the final word, everyone, at all times, has the right to say his or her mind. Mbravo Kate, Erolz and Michalis. The attitude is completely right, out with the old and in with the new. To solve the Cyprus problem we need new initiative and I can't see the two stuborn old men in charge at the moment fulfilling that requirement.