enclaves, a dirty word?

[repulsewarrior]

I have said it before...

Take a map of Cyprus, divided as it is today, and scatter across it about twenty or twenty-five jewels, some Turkish, some Greek, I call Cantons; allowing for two zonal jurisdictions, with many parts: bi-zonal.

Few reply to my query, "what is wrong with enclaves?"

If there are communities of Turkish Cypriots in the south, would it not be normal to allow communities to return as one, Greek Cypriot, in the north.

As well...Both communities will require recognition for the special needs of this minority in their own communities, and with our inclusion into the EU, we can expect to embrace even more dramatic changes to the demographics of the population, offering infrastructural services in a language of choice first, but in many languages.

With the end of the impasse, and a step forward toward the betterment of the human condition, what is wrong with these Cantons "Enclovismenie".

How do you redress the shame, without the redistribution of the population, reciprocally, (as victims and victimisers), with consideration toward the settlers, and their hardship, in this misery.

I believe, for all our sakes, that it is necessary for both to give back some of the homes, to create new homes, and allow others to take back their homes if they wish, or to seek redress for the use of their property.

I cannot believe that Greeks, or Turks can ever continue their barbaric enmity any longer on this island. If the Cypriot people are accepted as reliable partners, in their international affairs, then they will have a government which secures for both its founding partners self-representation as well as a government which is sovereign to secure our individual rights, as people.

[Dhavlos]

I agree with you RW!

people think that 'devolution' or strong local government would eventually cre4ate the enclaves of the 60s. Thats just stupid in my opinion, since devolution would be constitutionally layed down, whereas the enclaves were not 'legally binding' if that makes sense.

It would make a lot more people happy if they could move back, and be safe in the knowledge that the local government thta sevres them, does ACTUALLY serve them ,and is not there to oppress them or make them feel unsafe.

Whereas having two 'federated states' would be too distant to the people, and they would not have this securtity that local govt/devolutuion could give them.

[Birkibrisli]

I think the presence of the settlers makes it impractical to have the cantonal system RW is talking about.These people have nowhere to go in the South.And assuming that they will not pack up and go back to Turkey,their numbers(about 180,000) would dictate the type of solution (a BBF with some ethnic minorities on both sides).That is the sad reality I am afraid.No matter who says what,I am convinced that there are no more than 60-70 thousand real Turkish Cypriots (those with at least one parent born in Cyprus before 1974).More than half of these are born after 1974,hence have no emotional attachments in the South.And most of those 30-35,000 Turkish Cypriots who were born before 74 remember the bad old days of the "enclaves" as Dhavlos was saying.Nothing will make them want to give up the "security" of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

[repulsewarrior]

My point is that settlers are living in houses that can not be defined as homes, because of the question of property rights. Obviously, many will become displaced. If their were Turkish Cypriot enclaves in the south, then it would be possible for their government to offer them homes. I agree absolutely with people who do not ignore this issue and seek to offer them refuge. In a way, they are victims as well, and their living in limbo cannot be solved with their return to Turkey, which by any standard is cruel and unreasonable, without the sensibility of Human nature.

In the Greek Cypriot enclaves, (in the north) there would be, what is natural, as it was since Turks first arrived over two hundred years ago, communities which work cooperatively, having their own neighbourhoods, and an awareness of each's traditions as well as respect for the same. As it was in the past, some will be overwhelmingly Greek, but most likely, in the larger Cantons, many will have as neighbours their counterpart, as well as separate communities.

A bi-cameral legislature for the Republic of Cyprus will reinforce the understanding that each community is equal as founding members, but that demographics will rule the lower house, preventing extremism, while assuring that the governance is transparent. With three votes the citizen will vote from two slates for the upper house, and from one slate in the lower house. Therefore with an upper house divided to have an equal number of seats for Turkish Cypriots or Greek Cypriots (maybe one seat Maronite), the leader, our President is the person, greek, Turkish, or whatever, whose party wins a majority of seats.

If this President had to form their legislation in committee, and if seats for the lower house were mandatory in these committees, then each electoral district, having voted for one, have as a person someone they trust to be independent, and to act in their interest first when voting for the passage of legislation by consensus, and in debate having the assets to express this interest, through their speaker, for our consideration, toward their passing.

Most importantly, in my mind, is the distinct vitality such a geographic division will add to each culture. Two Zones, but many parts, each with a whole and many satellites. Imagine, what the Turkish enclave near Paphos could offer us, and our guests, in terms of service, commerce and hospitality. Imagine Famagusta an open city (maybe the green line painted on the street as it has been for these fifty years, so that we never forget the lives that were sacrificed for this freedom). If the Turkish quarter was opened in Larnaca, and the owners of these places returned, wouldn't that be an exciting place to be? Bogazi (I don't know what it is called now) would be a bustling Turkish Cypriot town.

The Republic of Cyprus, (without the ethnic bias that the present day demographics impose), would concern itself with our individual rights and the governance of our external affairs. The Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots will, through their governments', have a means to express this consideration in our internal affairs. Each will provide for their minority, rights, and each can prosper from further reciprocal refinements so that the service these governments offer may become multi-lingual, beyond English.

If you would like to help me, please go to

http://www.talkcyprus.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2738

Tell me where these Cantons (or enclaves) can prosper.

[repulsewarrior]

Again, I ask for your opinion and your comments.

What is wrong with a bi-zonal and bi-communal state?

Why not enclaves?

[Mete]

Enclaves make things complicated. We cannot even agree on how a two state solution would work. We cannot even agree what the state level responsibilities would be, what the federal government's responsibilities would be, etc. etc. What makes you think that we'll agree on the these with enclaves?

[repulsewarrior]

We do not agree because we have not found the correct solution to this problem.

In terms of social engineering, it was a new science, back when we were given independance, with the freedom to represent ourselves. The actions and reactions of the players proves that the necessary assumptions were not fulfilled... something completely different that would evolve, because we were all prepared to change, in our thinking. The result is this unending impasse, benefiting interlocutors, having seemingly benign affects on Cypriots in the south, and seemingly, while poor, a Cypriot poulation that is burgeoning with its settlers in the north.

How do you propose to solve the massive problem of displacement, with any solution in the future?

I say we seek to profit from the hardship of welcoming these people, the settlers, while we move to greater equity amongst ourselves, respecting the Right of Return, as a People respecting Basic Human Rights, and in a manner that provides for the right of each community to found for themselves a means of Government, for their self-representation, as Nations which have respect for this common goal.

Having recognised the needs of certain minorities, these National Assemblies will provide for its people a means to express their being inclusive as European partners. But, we must provide a State where we stand united in our service to our global partners... in a manner where our support for equality and Individual Rights conform to this larger criteria, the people, they benefit from having two (or more) National identities as well; each to pursue interests toward their own gain, while a State exists to protect their Rights as Individuals, without the bias of Nationhoods.

Gaining from this diversity, a Bi-Zonal state can exist Bi-Communally, having many parts, in the Dominion of the land, respecting the divide which exists today, while returning to Turkish and Greek Cypriots the right to live in communities, as it has been, for all Cypriots, for thousands of years, as stewards to this Patrimony for Humankind... how else?

Cyprus is an island. In all respects, we are very small.

With that in mind, how else can we provide sustainance to our need to be people, equal as individuals, with the same opportunities to pursue our happiness, having free movement, association, and expression, and as peoples unfettered to act for a National interest.

In my mind, there is only one way to suffer our dead and our missing, and that is to act in a manner which embraces the quality of Goodwill amongst all People, first.