Time has solved the Cyprus problem in its own way
By Loucas Charalambous
(Cyprus Mail, 27.04.2014)
I RECEIVED a text message on Monday from Giorgos Lillikas’ party inviting me to a gathering on Wednesday that would celebrate the 10th anniversary of the ‘No’ to the Annan plan.
A few days earlier, Lillikas had also issued a triumphant statement which said, among other things: “In the referendum of April 24, 2004 we rejected the Annan plan and saved the Cyprus Republic and our country. Ten years later, the same forces are attempting to bring it back in a new guise. I urge all of you to join so we can send a message of resistance and assertiveness both domestically and to the foreign decision centres.”
I am ashamed to admit it but I did not attend the celebration. I stayed at home and went through the Annan plan again. I wanted to check some things and make sure I did not make a mistake in thinking, when I received the SMS, that Lillikas was in fact celebrating partition.
By my side I had a copy of the April 14 edition of Phileleftheros which featured the headline, “They want settlers as dowry – Turkish side demands that all settlers stay.” I went to page 173 of the plan. By April 10, 2004 (before the referendum), each side was obliged to submit to the UN Secretary-General a list of up to 45,000 persons that were not Cypriot and would the right to remain in Cyprus.
I remembered that the list submitted by the Turkish side contained 41,000 people and not 45,000. That was the number of settlers and members of mixed families that would have remained in Cyprus after a settlement. Today, 10 years later, Phileleftheros, Lillikas, Papadopoulos, Omirou, Perdikis and their ‘No’ fellow-fighters are apoplectic because Dervis Eroglu wants all settlers, who now number 150,000, to stay. And they forgot that they are guilty of this nightmarish development.
I also looked at pages 12 and 162, which set the time-frames for the withdrawal of the Turkish army and de-militarisation. Three years ago, on January 1, 2011, there would have been 6,000 Turkish and Greek soldiers stationed here, according to the plan. By 2018 only 650 Turkish and 950 Greek soldiers would have been left.
We are now at 2014, and the 35,000 to 40,000 soldiers are still here. The resistance and the “messages of assertiveness” by Lillikas and the other super-patriots failed to get rid of a single Turkish soldier.
I then went to pages 79 to 94 that listed the time-frames for the return of Famagusta, Morphou and another 50 villages and townships. By 24th October 2007 all would have been returned to the Greek Cypriots as well as territory on the slopes of the Pentadaktylos range.
A fortnight ago I had gone for a drive to the Ayios Panteleimonas monastery in Myrtou that is scheduled for restoration. Massive pipes were being placed by the side of the road, from Ayios Vasilios to Panagra so that water that would be brought from Turkey could be taken to the Mesaoria plain. Myrtou, Ayios Vasilios, Skylloura, Kontemenos, Ayia Marina, Larnakas Lapithou and many more villages would have been returned through the Annan plan. They have now been lost for good. I doubt the Turks would be returning territory through which their water would pass.
Ten years on, prospects could not be bleaker. Time has solved the Cyprus problem in its own way. Partition is the repugnant reality. The Turkish army is here for good as are the settlers, whose numbers continue to rise. We have also lost the territory that would have been returned, while Lillikas, Phileleftheros, Omirou, Perdikis and Papadopoulos junior carry on sending messages of “resistance and assertiveness both domestically and to foreign decision centres.”
And they have the nerve to organise fiestas to celebrate their ‘No’ anniversary. They are celebrating their great achievement which was nothing else but the cementing of partition, claiming that they save the Cyprus Republic. The Republic that does not go beyond the Colocassides roundabout in Ayios Dhometios.
The Federation of Canadian Turkish Associations and its member associations all across Canada remember Honorable Mr. Rauf Denktas on the second anniversary of his death. The founding president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Hon. Denktas dedicated his life to promoting the inherent equal rights of Turkish Cypriots. As the chief negotiator of Turkish Cypriots in the UN sponsored peace talks from 1968 onwards, Hon. Denktas had been an ardent supporter of peace and co-existence on the Mediterranean island.
FCTA remembers him – the founder of TRNC, the great leader of the Turkish world, the human and nation lover – the Founding President Hon. Rauf Denktas with respect, love and thankfulness.
On behalf of FCTA’s Executive Committee,
Huseyin Nurgel, P.Eng. President, Federation of Canadian Turkish Associations
.ca/ TurkishFederation TurkFederation
FCTA, The Federation of Canadian Turkish Associations is an umbrella organization representing 19 member associations from Victoria BC to Quebec, which include approximately 50,000 Canadians of Turkish origin and 200,000 Turkic Canadians. The Federation was established in 1985 and is a non-profit organization with no political affiliations. It supports and encourages activities that deal with important cultural, economic, educational, historical, social and religious issues that relate to the Turkish Community in Canada
We hereby declare before the world and before history the establishment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as an Independent State.
· On this historic day, we extend once again our hand in peace and friendship to the Greek Cypriot People.
· The two Peoples of the island are destined to co-exist, side by side.
· We can, and must, find peaceful, just and durable solutions to all our differences, through negotiations on the basis of equality.
· The proclamation of the new State will not hinder, but facilitate the establishment of a genuine federation.
· The new Republic will not unite with any other State.
· The new State will continue to adhere to the Treaties of Establishment, Guarantee and Alliance.
· The good offices of the UN Secretary-General and negotiations must continue.
· The new state will not allow any hostile activity against any country on its territory.
· It shall attach the greatest importance to the preservation of peace, stability and of the balance of power in the region.
The resolution unanimously passed by the Turkish Cypriot parliament underlined that the Turkish Cypriot side, ‘firmly adhered to the view that the two peoples of Cyprus were destined to co-exist side by side and could and should find a peaceful, just and durable solution through negotiations on the basis of equality’.
It also expressed the firm conviction that the proclamation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus would not hinder but facilitate the re-establishment of the partnership between the two peoples within the federal framework and also facilitate the settlement of problems between them.
(Some reflections on the political situation in the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus)
Prof. Dr. Gul Celkan
It has been more than a month since the last elections in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and no political party was able to obtain enough seats in the Republic Assembly to form the government. The Constitution mandates that a government has to be formed within fifteen days following the official announcement of election results and the MP’s taking their oath in the Assembly.
In a country where the population is around 330.000 and where there are only 173.000 registered voters, five political parties plus 7 independent candidates ran to obtain seats in the Assembly. The breakdown of the results is as follows: CTP-BG 38.38%, UBP 27.33%, DP-UG 23.16%, BKP 4.15% and TDP 5.41%. The independent candidates received almost no votes at all.
These percentiles clearly indicated that a coalition government was inevitable. Who will be delegated the responsibility of establishing the government? The general understanding is that the leader of the political party who obtains the majority of seats in the Assembly will be assigned this duty by the President of the TRNC. And as such, the leader of CTP-BG was officially delegated the responsibility of forming the new cabinet.
As is the case in all democratically run countries, the newly elected members of the Assembly have to take the oath prior to performing any duty whatsoever as an elected member of the Assembly. Before contemplating on the election results and the new government, it is worthwhile remembering how all the members of the assembly are sworn in. “ I do solemnly swear that I will preserve and protect the existence and independence of the State; the sovereignty, eternal existence and indivisible unity of the people and the nation state, …adhere to the principles and reforms of Ataturk, …that I will comply with provisions of the Constitution.”
Therefore regardless of what political party the members come from, they have to be sworn in, Thus as citizens, it is our natural expectancy that they will be faithful to their oath and work for the welfare of the sovereign Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. However, the current political situation in the country is very ironic. On one side, there is the Republican People’s Party (CTP) with a completely different vision compared to the Democrat Party (DP). Since CTP got the majority of the votes in the elections, it is the expectancy of both the Assembly and the people that this party rules the government with a partner, hence a coalition government. Considering the approach the CTP has toward the so-called Cyprus Problem, it is to the best interest of the country that they cannot govern the country on their own. They were the forerunners of the Annan Plan and without thinking of any of the consequences, beguiled a lot of the people by convincing them to vote “yes” in the Referendum, which was an utter mistake because having said “yes” to the Plan, the Turkish side readily admitted to giving up their sovereignty rights, their land and most importantly their Republic. Had it not been for an overwhelming “No” from the Greek Cypriot side, today there would have been no TRNC. Due to the majority of the “yes” votes from the Turkish side, when the two sides sit at the table with the UN Secretary General presiding over the meeting, there is always an excuse on the table that both the UN and the Greeks put forth: “you have already consented to giving up your land and your sovereignty by approving the plan, so you have no right to come up with new titles to reach a compromise on.” Had it not been for the “intransigent” attitude of the late President of the TRNC Rauf Raif Denktas, the country would have been wiped off of the surface of the earth, and the inhabitants would have either lost their true identity for the sake of becoming European Union citizens, or migrated to their Motherland Turkey. The choice would have, most definitely, depended on their outlook and beliefs.
The second partner of the coalition government is DP, lead by Serdar Denktas, who is the son of the late President. As expected, the views this party holds are in line with those of the founding and first President of the TRNC RRDenktas. For the DP, ties with motherland Turkey should never be severed but relations should be kept at a level so as to enable the Turkish Cypriots to stand on their own two feet but also get the support they need from Turkey. Having no major economy but tourism and institutions of higher education as the driving force that brings cash flow into the country, and due to the embargoes imposed on the TRNC, hardly any manufactured goods can be exported unless they are via Turkey.
Based on these facts, there are now two opposite views represented in the government. One of the key ministries which is Foreign Affairs is unfortunately assigned to an MP from CTP. Since the Prime Minister is also from CTP, their representation of the country on all international platforms would be very different from how it was formerly represented: very firmly and with no concessions at all. Though the deputy Prime Minister is the leader of the DP, either the PM or the Minister of Foreign Affairs would participate in all the international talks regarding the future of the island giving the entire international community a completely different perspective on the so-called Cyprus Issue.
Just as the two peoples living on the Northern and Southern parts of the island divided by the Greenline are at loggerheads on most issues due to the stubborn and egotistic attitude of the Greek Cypriots, so will be the two partners of this new coalition government. Will they ever find common grounds? Where as one is pro-Turkey, the other is pro-Greek. Putting into oblivion all the tragic events of the past and start living together with the Greek Cypriots again in a Federal Cyprus Republic is the ultimate goal of the CTP, while the DP, in compliance with the oath they have taken, will work for the indivisible unity of the country.
Now, is it not right to say “it takes two to tango?” Tango requires harmony. Will these two political parties that have completely opposing views form a harmonious partnership? On a personal note, I do not see a long-term partnership.
THE MAN WHO SWAM ACROSS FROM TURKEY TO CYPRUS IS NOW READY FOR ENGLISH CHANNEL!
Alper Sunacoglu is a sportsman who will make a big splash and will be talked about alot in the sports community around the world soon. He is a legend of his country.
Erdal Acet, who is one of the trainers of Alper, was the man who broke the world record by swimming across English Channel with a record of 9 hours 2 minutes. Since his childhood, Alper who is a committed follower of Erdal Acet, now going to England to show his respect to his trainer and he is also determined to break the world record of Mr. Trent Grimsey, who also broke the record world record as well as Alper’s trainer Erdal’s record .
Now let’s have a look at what Alper has got to share with us 🙂
Who is Alper ? Alper is one of the most famous national swimmers of Turkey who swam the distance of 78 km from Anamur, from Turkey to Cyprus in smashing 26 hours 15 minutes and moreover he did not use the safety cage. He broke this world record by swimming in a perfect high speed on 4th of September 2010. On 23th of April, 2011 He also swam across Istanbul Bosporus top to buttom from Sarıyer to Üsküdar, a distance of 30 km in 2 hours 25 minutes. After all that he swam perpendicular Dardanel Bosporus from one end to another in 7 hours 12 minutes by ignoring the south wind storm blowing at 8 force. Related with above mentioned successes, he had many interviews, commentated on news both nationally and internationally. His records were also confirmed and announced by Wikipedia to all over the world. The record holder swimmer, Alper now has a target to break a world record by swimming English Channel in 6 hours 45 minutes. If he achieves this, he will gain the title of fastest marathon swimmer in the world, then again this will enable him to secure the world record on behalf of Turkey and Turks.
Here is the Exclusive interview with world famous swimmer, Alper Sunacoglu.
EDITOR: Could you please tell us little bit about yourself?
ALPER: Thank you. I was born in Istanbul and originally I’m an Albanian. When I was about five years old when we immigrated to Adana because of my father’s business. My father and my mother is from Istanbul, I’m from Adana due to the simple fact that I lived all my childhood there. J Currently I’m working in a corporate logistics company as a project manager/ coordinator, A degree certified customs broker and work as a consultant.
EDITOR:You undersigned records which requires significant performance and courage. To swim from Mersin to Cyprus in 26 hours, to swim the straits from the whole length even in the winter season, I mean all of these successes and records do not seem logically possible to many people around the world. I would like you to share with us your journey, your adventure starting from your childhood. How was Alper’s childhood? How was his youth? Why and how come you broke all this world records and accomplishments years after years ? We kindly appreciate If you could tell us all these processes.
ALPER: I had a very naughty childhood and youth with full of troubles which caused lots of complaints from our neighbors. One day I was at top of a roof with a cap, toy pistol and slingshot in my hands, another day I was on top of trees and sometimes even had a fight with gangs. Once upon a time, as far as I can remember I climbed on a pine tree and could not get down and had to wait for the fire brigade to come and rescue me. As you can clearly see, I had a childhood full of adventures. I learned and started to swim when I was five year old. I tried variety of sports such as karate, taekwondo, judo, handball, basketball. However due to my fickleness I did not continue all of these sports. Now as it stands, only pentathlon and swimming is an indispensable part of my sport life. I will still perform these two sports until my health, breath and my power enables me to do so. My grandfather had a major effect in my life and he always said that ‘ Your blood and soul is coming from Ottoman Empire and you are a core grandchild of the daughter of Magnificent Suleyman and Sokullu Mehmed Pasha and your forefathers are the people of that you should really feel full proud of ‘I think that those words were so powerful words which effected my unconscious mind’. I have also listened many of these narratives with a big pleasure J . My grades at school were not very good however I was more interested with history lessons. I thought that our forefathers ride on horses to many distant places, conquered so many countries and came back again by travelling over hundreds even thousands of kilometers. This meant to me that, humankind can walk, run and can even swim these distances if they really wish. Thus, this is how my idea of marathon swimming started. My courage comes from my genetic code and my success comes from the faith of the following sentence. ‘If mankind really and honestly wants to walk, run and swim those distances then this can be achieved.’ I’m also a little bit lucky because most of the famous marathon swimmers are from Adana and I had the chance to be inspired by those swimmers. I listened, watched them and prepared myself to do the best. Sanrı Kardesler who is the famous for the contribution to Adana swimming sports and the deceased swimmer Ayhan Karatas had a big efforts on me . In this regard, once more I want to express my gratitude to them.
EDITOR : Don’t you get bored and get hungry at sea over many hours of swimming and are you not really afraid of sharks? Did you ever face any dangerous circumstances at sea?
ALPER: Of course I did, while I was swimming long distances, I got bored , it is hard sometimes, I had a terrible headaches, sometimes toothache and sometimes I became semi conscious. So, you have different stages, the sportsmen who swim marathon know that after you swim three hours, you face up different stages both in your body and in your mind. If you have decayed tooth , first this starts to ache then headache starts and after that semi conscious and insobriety takes place. If you can not concentrate well enough then you will be defeated to the water and give up the marathon. However, I visit the place of where I will dive into the water and prepare my unconscious mind to the marathon by saying myself that ‘ I will enter to the water from this place and will rise across the seaside’ Unless any unexpected weather conditions occur or totally unexpected accident occurs, I never think to return back or dismiss the trial of record. You asked me whether if I get hungry at sea, and of course, I get hungry, there is a boat and team members that escorts me and my trainers calculate at what time I need to eat, they throw me liquid food bottle to the sea accordingly. When it comes to sharks they are the ruler of sea, so I am afraid of them and they are also stronger than me in the sea. But I never come up against such a life threatening danger up to now except some minor incidents.
EDITOR: Have you got any sponsorship?
ALPER: I had a lots of sponsorship up until now. Adana City Council, IHH Charitable Foundation of Humankind aid, Sisli Council and Mayor of Sisli – Mr. Mustafa Sarı Gul , Ünsped Gümrük Müşavirliği A.S – customs broker company and precious businessman Yusuf Bulut ÖZTÜRK are my sponsors from time to time.
EDITOR: So, what are your new projects that are coming soon?
ALPER: The first project is to swim across the English Channel in less than 7 hours and break the world record. Now the last world record on this belongs to Mr. Trent Grimsey.
Secondly, swimming Naples -Capri Marathon in Italy and swimming across from Izmir to Athens are my latest upcoming projects.
EDITOR: You were on headline news on many occasions but why are you not as famous as you could imagine expected from a person at your caliber?
ALPER: I have only tried to keep everything to myself, all trial of records, projects and I did not intend to become famous up to this date. I have never had focus on and an aim or dream to be famously recognized. Actually to become famous in Turkey is very simple fact if you are on news related to your private life with a model or with a girl who is famous, then you are on, now you’re famous. But this does not suit me, my style and I do not prefer this kind of life. On any given day, if people of my country would know me, I prefer to be remembered by what I have done, with my achievements, successes and my records. And as such all news about myself has been done by valuable media members like yourselves by investigating the real truth of the news in the world by providing access me with an interview. To summarize it all, I have the opinion that if a decent media group supports me that is more than enough for me.
EDİTÖR: A personal question comes to you. Is there a time for love in this busy life. You are a healthy person and why are you not married ?
ALPER: As you say I’m really busy. I always live in a rush between business life and sports life. I can not spare a time to my private life as much as I want. So the relationship is really difficult for me and even more difficult for the other side. In addition to that, I also got married and got divorced when I was very young. At least unless I fulfill my upcoming projects, I do not consider about marriage as for now. But still it is all about destiny in the end.
EDITOR : Why don’t you have a support from government authorities although you have a good relationship with them and sincere photos with a lot of political leaders? Is this related with the social messages that you give?
ALPER: Yes, actually your question has got the answer in it. Unfortunately, I could not get any support of government administration. If they have supported me, I would like to swim from Egypt to Gaza and protest the embargo. If they support me, I can represent my country at open water races hold in different countries. Maybe Turkey is the only country which do not participate in these races. Myself and Swimming Federation delivered our messages about this issue on several occasions to the related ministry but we could not get any reply at all.
EDITOR:You wanted to swim to Imrali Island by jumping from Istanbul Bosphorus Bridge and wanted to give a message that Single State, Single Flag and Single Nation aiming to curse of the terrorism. Even Ayşe Arman – journalist had mentioned about you and many discussions have taken place in the public. Is this project on stand still? Are you really going to jump from the Istanbul Bosporus Bridge?
ALPER: Let me ask you. Do you think, is it really necessary to give this message and make this attempt when you think about the position of Turkey now. As of now, there is no terror so I do not need to curse it 🙂 anymore. In the end, to swim to Imrali is cancelled, I won’t swim. But in coming days may be I can jump from the Bosporus Bridge to give a different message. You will also hear from me for sure 🙂
EDITOR: You’re recognized by your support to disabled children and children with down syndrome. Do you have a plan or dream for them ?
ALPER : I like children and especially girls. Disabled children or children with a down syndrome is very special for me. My biggest dream is to build an Olympic pool and activity rooms for them if I have the suitable support and financial back up accordingly.
EDITOR: Let’s say “Insallah”. I hope that someone sensitive could hear your message so that they could support you to enable yourselves to break the world records and help you to realize your dreams. I hereby wish you a real success and may I also take this opportunity thank you for your sincere answers to the questions which included your personal life.
Cyprus town remains hostage to inertia of Greece-Turkey reunification talks
Once popular with tourists, Famagusta is stuck in limbo within UN’s ‘green line’ buffer zone set up after 1974 Turkish invasion
Caught in the crossfire … deserted hotels seen through a wire fence in Famagusta, Cyprus. Photograph: Petros Karadjias/AP
Cypriots see Famagusta as a lost paradise. Before the Turkish invasion in 1974 the resort on the island’s east coast, with its beaches of white sand, was the main tourist attraction on Cyprus. The town looked back on a rich past spanning several centuries, with Venetian ramparts and the Lala Mustafa Pasha mosque, formerly Saint Nicholas’s, a replica of Reims cathedral built by the French Lusignan dynasty, which ruled the island in the 14th and 15th centuries.
But for the past 40 years Famagusta has been in limbo. Deserted by its residents, closed by the Turkish military and ringed with barbed wire, a large part of the town is waiting for a long-awaited thaw. Thousands of expropriated Greek Cypriots, who have taken refuge south of the “green line”, still refuse to forget their old home. The fate of Varosha, a district that has been empty since the invasion, is a recurrent topic for talks between the two halves of the island. Last year rumours claimed it might be handed back to end the deadlock, which has continued despite the good offices of the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon. But nothing has happened.
“The question has been on the agenda since the 1980s,” says Osman Ertug, the Turkish Cypriot presidential spokesman and special adviser on negotiations with the south. “It is one of the cards we hold, but it is part of an overall agreement and cannot be separated from a share-out of energy resources, or the blockade of sea and airports. The UN security council is mainly responsible for the inertia.”
The financial crisis in the southern part of the island has, momentarily, sidelined the issue of reunification, barely mentioned during the presidential election campaign in February, which brought to power Nicos Anastasiades, generally thought to be in favour of talks with the north. “Dervis Eroglu [the president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus] called him to congratulate him and suggest a meeting. We sent him an invitation to dinner to get the process moving again,” Ertug explains.
Turkey is also keen to restart negotiations quickly. “We should encourage both sides in Cyprus to find a solution together,” the Turkish minister for European affairs, Egemen Bagis, told the Luxemburger Wort daily. “They are like married couples. Turkey, Greece and Britain are like parents who want to save their marriage.” But so far there has been no response to this offer. Sapped by the crisis, Nicosia is reluctant to enter negotiations at a difficult time. “But it never is the right time,” Ertug counters. “There have been seven leaders in half a century, including an archbishop [Makarios] and a communist [Dimitris Christofias], but still no peace. A crisis may offer opportunities too,” he adds.
According to the north, the question of hydrocarbon reserves off the coast of Cyprus could lead to useful negotiations for both sides. Turkey disputes Cyprus’s right to exploit these resources on its own. It is demanding a fair share-out between the two communities.
Both parts of Cyprus certainly stand to gain from greater co-operation. “Gas is an opportunity to kick-start negotiations on reunification,” says Cengiz Aktar, a Turkish columnist and specialist on European affairs. “We must knock down the walls,” advocates the Turkish Cypriot economist Hasan Gungor, another presidential adviser. “The biggest Toyota car factory is located in Turkey but Greek Cypriots import their Toyotas from Japan, despite the fact that they cost less on the other side of the island,” he notes. The cost of separation could be a powerful incentive for both parties to reach a compromise.
This story appeared in Guardian Weekly, which incorporates material from Le Monde
