food for thought, for both sides ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/opinion/21iht-edgreenway.html?_r=2

October 21, 2009
Op-Ed Contributor
Cyprus and 'Chosen Trauma'
By H. D. S. GREENWAY

“Chosen trauma,” were the words the political psychiatrist Vamik Volkan used to described the way nations, as well as individuals, can seize upon a wrong done to them to the exclusion of any wrongs committed by themselves.

I was reminded of that the other day when the International Crisis Group, which monitors impending troubles around the globe, reported that “negotiating Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders must join forces and embrace a collaborative, federal reunification of the island in the next few months, or see their efforts overtaken by the unstoppable dynamic of a hostile partition.”

Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders may be trying, but a glance at the official propaganda of the two sides reveals how immersed they are in their respective chosen traumas.

As Volkan, a Turkish Cypriot himself, wrote, all the Greek majority ever wants to talk about are the sins of the Turkish occupation, while the Turkish minority is obsessed with how their people were rounded up and put to death by the Greeks before Turkey intervened.

Cyprus emerged as an independent nation in 1960, with minority rights to be guaranteed by Britain, Greece and Turkey, to the disappointment of many Greek Cypriots who fought under the banner of “enosis,” or union with Greece.

Communal strife ensued, with the Turkish minority getting the worst of it. A U.N. peacekeeping force was sent to the island in 1964, but Greek Cypriot nationalists launched a coup instigated by army officers from mainland Greece in July 1974. Five days later, Turkey invaded and took over 37 percent of the island in the name of protecting the Turkish minority.

The island has been partitioned ever since. The Turkish minority voted to set up the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is recognized by no country except Turkey.

Recently, before Cyprus joined the European Union, the Turkish minority voted for reunification under a plan put forth by Kofi Annan, but the Greek majority rejected it.

Even those bare facts are open to interpretation through the lenses of trauma. If you read the literature put forth by the Cypriot Embassy in Washington you will learn all about the “continued illegal military occupation of Cyprus, how Turkey has ignored a series of U.N. resolutions condemning the invasion, and how Turkey has yet to abide by judgments of the European Court of Human Rights for violating the fundamental rights of the Cypriots such as the right to life, liberty, security and the right to the protection of property and the prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment ...”

You will also learn about the 43,000 Turkish occupation troops in northern Cyprus, and how Greeks were pushed out of their homes.

You will learn how Turkey has brought in 160,000 settlers from rural Anatolia, in violation of Geneva Conventions concerning occupied territories.

There is no mention of why Turkey thought it necessary to intervene to protect Turkish Cypriots from being massacred, or of the coup that overthrew the existing order.

Turn to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Web site, and you will learn how Greek Cypriots were unhappy with the equality given the Turkish minority upon independence, and how Greek Cypriots worked to undermine those rights from the beginning.

You will learn how “the Greeks decided to take matters into their own hands and settle their arguments by force.” You will learn how a “decade of violence” ensued, with “25,000 Turkish Cypriots having to flee their homes.”

You will learn how 20,000 troops from Greece entered Cyprus illegally, and how, with enosis right around the corner, Turkey was forced to intervene. You will learn of the unfairness of the world not accepting Northern Cyprus.

I could find nothing about Turkish settlers being brought in to alter the demographic balance, or anything about U.N. resolutions, or courts of human rights.

Yet there is hope in the lure of the European Union for both Northern Cyprus and Turkey itself. If Armenia, with its own chosen trauma of Armenian massacres, can patch it up with Turkey, can a solution for Cyprus be far behind?

Loriot,

You are a racist bigot. No room for you in Cyprus go back home.

Emir Soler,

Here is a little bit of history for you.

TMT killed more GCs from 1955 to 1959 than EOKA killed TCs.

However, from 1963 to 1967 more TCs died then GCs.

From 1968 to 1974 TCs were free to move from one part of Cyprus to another but the GCs had to be escorted from Kyrenia to Greek Nicosia through TCs controlled areas. UN personel was constantly harrased by Turkish Mainland officer nicked name Ringo.

In 1974 GCs losses were much higher then TCs but TCs suffering is still going on, where the GCs managed to over come their difficulties.

Thank god their treating our patience in their hospitals free of charge.

Yes, the failing is the fault of the cheated, not of the cheater.
This is the argument of a fraudster.

Those who doesn’t know Cyprus history 1955 to 1974.
'
Suffering of minority Turkish Cypriots in the hands of Greek Cypriot Eoka thugs and mainland Greek nationalist goes back 1955 to 1960 and 1963 to 1974. Turkish Cypriots was forced to live %3 of the island for 11 years.
‘
Greek Cypriot suffering was from 20th of July 1974 to 23 of July 1974 = total of 3 days.
Second operation was from August the 1st 1974 and ended August the 16th 1974 total 16 days.
Total 19 days
‘
Difference between 16 years and 19 days is huge.
‘
Even in those 19 days, Greeks thugs managed to massacre woman children and old people of 8 Turkish villages and dump the bodies in mass graves.

Once we expel the meddlers in our country, Cyprus will be better place to live in.

If they'd gotten McDonalds they'd have to buy it in the south, Trixi. There are no McD's in the north, just faux-McD's.

It wasn't a dinner, it was a pseudo-dinner. So nothing counts. Not even the pseudo-calories consumed.

maybe they should have just got macdonalds and sat on the green line to eat it,
Big deal two idiots had dinner on the island even if there is two side its still on the same island .

Bambouin from Planet L and Gibratsi, this is well discussed. I hope who ever reads these comments from this two post learn from it. This is the way to forward with our differences, plainly and honestly.

CongratulationBambouin and Gibratsi. You make me proud been Cypriot, we need lot like you two.

Some other idiots can continue writing hate and atrocities of the past.
We only need sensible and positives to be able to go forward. The rest is trash.

Bambouin:
Why was it the fault of the GCs that they were economically more successful than the TCs? This was a result of our entrepreneurial spirit and the self-imposed isolation practised by the TCs? I do understand, however, that the TCs resented the wealth of the GCs, just as the Turks resented the wealth of the Greeks and Armenians at the end of the Ottoman empire and the Jews were resented in Eastern Europe. Resentment tells us a lot about the attitudes of the TCs both at the time of the invasion and now. They strike me as a having a pathological desire to 'best' the Greek Cypriots, rub their noses in the occupation, and blame the GCs for everything that goes wrong for them. It is why they cannot countenance any suggestion of TC wrongdoing – whether it be terrorism in the 1960s or massacres, rapes and looting in 1974.

The point about EOKA B is that it would not have existed without the junta and the CIA. It was an entirely artificial organisation. It had no popular support among GCs. The CIA was expert at finding gangsters, giving them money and weapons and urging them to cause mayhem. Besides, it is simply impossible to understand why Cyprus was partitioned without reference to Britain, the USA, Turkey and Greece. The Cypriots were victims of geopolitics and to suggest otherwise is naive, to say the least.

I see no reluctance to share power with the TCs. But what we want is to share power equitably and democratically and we don't want the TCs to use the power they have as they did between 1960-1963, i.e. in such a way as to make the state dysfunctional and in the service of Turkey.

TCs spoke Greek either because many of them were linobambakoi or because we are the dominant population and Greek was the lingua franca of the island. The idea that we should know Turkish is preposterous.

Bamboiun - for me the gist of the Cyprus issue is the very last part of your post 'if the political will existed'.I shall say no more.

Bambouin - Being of a certain age and as I mentioned earlier a fluent speaker of Greek and Turkish ,over the years I have found out a lot about my fellow Cypriots especially the younger generation.On the whole, yes my contemporaries are sensible and reasonable individuals who lament the fact that Cyprus of the old days has disappeared forever IN CYPRUS.But hold on a minute,I have my Cyprus here in London and I am proud to call myself a Cypriot amongst my non Cypriot friends.My daughter who was born here in London also describes her country of origin as Cyprus.

Yes I want the Cyprus problem to be resolved tomorrow,but hey! in the meantime I enjoy living in London amongst my GC and TC friends.

Bambouin ,I am so relieved there are GCs who see the realities of today and also what CAN be achieved in the real world.
Enosis (union with Greece) WAS the original aspiration of the GCs.After a lot of bloodshed it was realised by the sensible amongst the GCs that it was not to be because although an overwhelming majority of GCs desired it ,the British would not agree and neither would the TCs .On top of that 'mother Greece' was indifferent and would not encourage it.In a way the GCs were abandoned by their 'mother'.In effect independence with a sort of partnership state WAS forced upon Makarios and the GCs.With hindsight I am sure GCs and EOKA B will admit that it was totally wrong to abandon the partnership state in 1963. Any future agreement WILL be a hell of a lot less favourable for the GCs than the partnership state of 1960.

John Alexander, at last you can see the reality: final partition. If it is not going to be the 'velvet way' who do you think will benefit?
Certainly not the RoC. Development and foreign investment will go North from a far greater foreign investor pool than the South has ever seen, not just one Qatari sheikh.

Actually, I agree with Loriot that a new plan will not be that different to Annan and that GCs who think otherwise are dreamers; but those TCs who think that they will be able to negotiate some sort of 'velvet divorce' or an 'amicable partition' are also dreaming. GCs will never, ever accept two independent states. It offers us nothing and the Turkish side everything. The options are: 1. Some form of federation. 2. The status quo, with Turkey angling for recognition of the pseudo-state while its EU accession process grinds to a halt, with all the negative consequences that will have for the region.

"Civil servants are threatening a massive strike" LATEST NEWS FROM ATHENS.
Whether anyone likes it or not, the Annan plan was a scenario acceptable to UN, EU and everybody else except the RoC.
Anyone believing that a future settlement plan would greatly deviate from this is a dreamer.
Since this seems unacceptable to Greek Cypriots final division is a foregone conclusion.

Gibratsi; now you're showing that you're capable of making a reasonable point. See, you don't have to succumb to racist assertions that Greek Cypriots are 'greedy' so and sos who want to dominate Turkish Cypriots. One of the main reasons GCs rejected Annan is because they believed with membership of the EU, they would be able to negotiate a solution more in keeping with European standards. We don't know that we will be able to achieve a better plan than Annan, but we do know that Annan was unacceptable. The question for the Turkish side is this: if it was so committed to a solution in 2004, why after the GC 'No', did it not make one or two more minor concessions, which would have put Papadopoulos in an impossible position? Why was it Annan or nothing? If the Turkish side was sincere about a solution, it would not have embarked on a campaign for recognition of the pseudo-state, but tried to drag the GCs back to the negotiation table.

@ Gibratsi

Turkish Cypriots should really stop hiding behind the Annan Plan. The purpose of the Annan Plan was to give Turkey what it wanted and enter EU negotiations unhindered by the threat of a Cyprus veto. Greek Cypriots unsurprisingly rejected a plan which would effectively legalize the Turkish occupation and deprive them of their basic rights. The Annan Plan was a means to partition with the north becoming effectively Turkish territory independent from the south.

Judging by comments here it seems that this is what Turkish Cypriots still want today. It's as if they voted ONLY for the Annan Plan and not for peace or a just solution. The Annan Plan is now dead and consigned to history. A discredited failure. The question for Turkey and Turkish Cypriots now is whether they can accept a federal Cyprus united under the EU, subject to EU law and the acquis communitaire. Only then can we talk about a solution that would re-unite the island.

John Alexander

Just tell everybody what exactly was wrong with the Anaan Plan in 2004 when most of the refugees would have got their homes back.Famagusta and Morphou and about 200 villages would have been returned to their rightful owners.

In your own language there is a well known saying which roughly translated goes something like this - 'he who wants the lot loses what little he has'.What YOU mean by "Greek Cypriots want their country reunited" is going back to the old days when GCs ruled the roost and subjugated the TCs.Don't tell me that wasn't the case because I know it was, I was there!

Greek Cypriots had it all post independence in 1960 but wanted more.Greed is the same in any language and in any situation.The GCs and only the GCs are entirely to blame for the present situation in Cyprus.So don't pretend you desire for the island to be reunited is out of the goodness of your heart.The only reason the GCs want the island 'reunited' is for them to get the upper hand again.I have news for you,it's NOT going to happen.Partition IS a reality.Learn to live with it.

The Turkish drive for a seperate state is a political move. It's not going to be impacted by social events such as this-though these are fine. Eroglu does what he is told by Turkey. What, is he going to deviate from the policy of the nation which bankrolls his entity?

As for Fevzi and his ilk, they underestimate the frustration for those in the north who are fed up living off of Turkey's 'teat'. Civil servants are threatening a massive strike due to Turkish reduction in aid for 'TRNC', they want to make EU wages. There are plenty of folks in the north not employed in casinos who aren't seeing any reason for optimism with the status quo.

It was couragious of Christofias to cross to the North with his wife for dinner with the Eroglus, definitely a civilised move. There is nothing wrong with being sociable.

However, as the article says, don't read too much into it. The people don't want unification. As Gibratsi says, and as I have always maintained, there won't be a solution. It's going to be partition, let's hope it's an amicable one.

The dinner was an overall positive and constructive move.