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repulsewarrior
Ministerial
Joined: 06 Jan 2006
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Sending a message of peace to the younger generations
January 31, 2010
By Helen Christophi
PANICOS Neocleous, author of the 2009 book, The Ignored: 1974, which presents 50 interviews with former Greek Cypriot soldiers about their experiences fighting during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, is preparing a new volume of interviews, this time including accounts from Turkish Cypriot and mainland Greek and Turkish participants and their families.
Neocleous says the purpose of his first book was to demonstrate how the Greek government and military “betrayed Cyprus”, as well as to highlight the behaviour of the Turkish military and the United Nations during the war. And more than anything, Neocleous wanted to show how the “Cypriot government ignored its own Greek Cypriot fighters”. But he characterises his current collection as a tool for “sending a message of peace in Cyprus” to the country’s younger generations.
“They are the stories of Greek and Turkish Cypriots,” says Neocleous. “All I meet, the people who suffered [during the invasion], speak of peace. We will try to use this as a message for the young people to work for peace.”
Neocleous has collected nine accounts thus far, but the story of Soyat Kafatar, the sole survivor of an 84-person massacre of Turkish Cypriots in the village of Tochni by EOKA B forces in the summer of 1974, stands out as an example of the book’s purpose. Soyat, his father, and the other males of the village were arrested, bussed to the fields outside Agia Phila, and shot dead. All except Soyat, who survived by virtue of his father’s brains having splattered onto Soyat’s face when he was shot in the head, and the killer skipping over Soyat on the assumption that the detritus in which he was covered was his own.
Soyat played dead until the soldiers left the field to fetch bulldozers to dispose of the freshly-killed corpses. He escaped into the woods and eventually settled in the village of Bouno in the occupied north of the island.
At the end of the interview Neocleous asks Soyat to characterise his feelings toward Greek Cypriots: “Love,” responds Soyat, followed by a resolve to “not blame all Greeks for the evil done”.
Soyat’s story is not the only one in Neocleous’ books that has resulted in forgiveness between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. An account in The Ignored tells how a Turkish Cypriot soldier, Fat’hi Akinci, fired what should have been a fatal bullet into the head of a Greek Cypriot fighter, Yiannis Maratheftis, led to their meeting 35 years later and formed a warm friendship.
Now, schools are inviting Neocleous’ Greek and Turkish Cypriot interviewees to speak to students about peace. They made one presentation in Limassol last December and are scheduled to make a second presentation in the same city next month.
“The majority of young people do not know what happened in Cyprus,” Neocleous asserts. “Many of the pupils are hearing this for the first time, and from those who lived it, from the people who suffered in the war. I want to leave the truth for future generations.”
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31/01/2010
Steve comments:
Erden, there are plenty of Greek Cypriots who acknowledge 2 sides to every story & who know that there were wrongs commited by both sides in this conflict. Both sides still suffer from the tragedy of 1974.
31/01/2010
Erden comments:
Finally, a Greek Cypriot who acknowledges that there is 2 sides to every story and Greek Cypriots were not as innocent as they like to believe. Well done
31/01/2010
Phil Read comments:
This is a great initiative. However perhaps it should be todays politicians and the Archbishop that the initiative is aimed at.
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/cyprus/sending-message-peace-younger-generations/20100131 |
...truly, an advance in the way we look at ourselves; most hopeful. |
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repulsewarrior
Ministerial
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Last week, I visited the Ledra Street crossing. Officially, I was there to inaugurate a reconstruction plan for buildings that had fallen into disrepair in the old buffer zone. More personally, I wanted to see for myself the divide that for too long had kept Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots apart. As I walked the street, people from both communities crowded around and began chanting, “Solution now! Solution now!”
As a Korean, I know only too well the pain of a land divided. I also know how difficult reconciliation can be. That is why I went to Cyprus – to show my personal support for the efforts to reunify the island, and to push for further progress.
Cyprus is at a critical juncture. The Greek Cypriot leader, Demetris Christofias, and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart, Mehmet Ali Talat, are working hard to reach an agreement. But it will elude them without a further concerted push.
http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/kimoon13/English |
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repulsewarrior
Ministerial
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New dates set for talks
AGENDA: Nami and Iacovou
NICOSIA---The two leaders in Cyprus will meet again for direct UN-brokered talks on February 24, March 4, 16 and 30, an official announcement said on Friday.
“In coordination with the United Nations, four dates proposed by President Christofias were accepted,” added the official announcement.
On Thursday, Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat urged the Greek Cypriot side to agree to more talk sessions in order to build up momentum before ‘elections’ in the breakaway north in April.
Reunification talks are taking a break after the second phase of intensive negotiations wrapped up on January 29.
There have been contacts between senior aides George Iacovou and Ozdil Nami to map out an agenda.
http://www.cyprusweekly.com.cy/main/92,1,283,0,5912-.aspx |
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repulsewarrior
Ministerial
Joined: 06 Jan 2006
Posts: 2152
Location: a cypriot in canada
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New dates set for talks
AGENDA: Nami and Iacovou
NICOSIA---The two leaders in Cyprus will meet again for direct UN-brokered talks on February 24, March 4, 16 and 30, an official announcement said on Friday.
“In coordination with the United Nations, four dates proposed by President Christofias were accepted,” added the official announcement.
On Thursday, Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat urged the Greek Cypriot side to agree to more talk sessions in order to build up momentum before ‘elections’ in the breakaway north in April.
Reunification talks are taking a break after the second phase of intensive negotiations wrapped up on January 29.
There have been contacts between senior aides George Iacovou and Ozdil Nami to map out an agenda.
http://www.cyprusweekly.com.cy/main/92,1,283,0,5912-.aspx |
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repulsewarrior
Ministerial
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Location: a cypriot in canada
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Making it easier for Turkish Cypriots to get their property back
By George Psyllides Published on February 20, 2010 +
THE GOVERNMENT has prepared an amendment to the law on Turkish Cypriot properties, to allow their return in certain cases.
The bill, which had been kept under wraps because of the sensitivity of the issue, was meant to be approved on Thursday but was postponed until next week.
The current law, as interpreted by court decisions on an appellate level, does not leave room for release of the property as long as the state of emergency is still in force.
After the 1974 Turkish invasion, the Republic put all Turkish Cypriot properties – in the government-controlled areas -- under the guardianship of the Interior Minister, who prohibits their sale, exchange and transfer because of the state of emergency.
Properties have been returned to the Turkish Cypriot owners or they were paid compensation or both, but this practice has not been enshrined in the law.
The ‘classified’ report accompanying the bill said it was deemed necessary “on one hand to deal with cases in which the guardianship status of the property potentially violated the European Human Rights Convention and on the other hand avoid a situation where the law, due to its absoluteness, constitutes denial of property.”
The changes were prompted by a recent case before the ECHR in which the Republic settled to pay a Turkish Cypriot €500,000 as damages for loss of use of one-and-a-half houses (she is co-owner in the second) in Larnaca in which Greek Cypriot refugees are living.
The main changes to the law that would allow the Guardian to release a property concern cases where: the Turkish Cypriot owner lived abroad -- where he went before or after the invasion and continues to live there or will return to live in the government-controlled areas.
Previously only Turkish Cypriots who had left before the invasion could claim their property.
The bill also says that properties whose owners settled permanently in the government-controlled areas, and homes whose owners or families are planning to move into for permanent settlement, are factors that will be considered positively when examining an application.
“The said amendment of the law – which is retroactive – has the potential to prevent the examination of cases by the ECHR before the Turkish Cypriot applicants exhaust the remedies provided by the Republic,” the accompanying report said.
According to the report, a number of Turkish Cypriots appeal directly to the ECHR, without seeking recourse at Cypriot courts, saying that the current law allows restrictions on the right to property.
“The Turkish Cypriot owners consider that they have no chance of success in Cypriot courts,” the report said.
The change will also give time to the government to “gradually” adopt the necessary legal measures in the cases the applicant is not vindicated by a local court, the report said.
However, the report said, if they are vindicated by the ECHR the republic would have to comply with the decision inside “suffocating timeframes” to ascertain that the rights of all Turkish Cypriot owners are not violated and not just the applicant’s.
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/cyprus/making-it-easier-turkish-cypriots-get-their-property-back/20100220 |
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repulsewarrior
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Eroğlu, speaking to diplomatic correspondents in Ankara late on Thursday, made the remarks when asked to comment on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s recent statement that Turkey is ready to pull its troops from Cyprus in the event of a deal.
Eroğlu said this issue will not be on the agenda as long as there is no peace deal in Cyprus. While recalling that Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly said “no” to a UN plan to reunify Cyprus in 2004, Eroğlu said the plan had proposed a significant withdrawal of Turkish troops from Cyprus.
The much-hyped speculation surrounding the KKTC’s “hard-liner” prime minister, who is the favorite in the upcoming April 18 presidential election in the KKTC, is that reunification negotiations -- currently led by Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat and Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias -- will come to a halt once Eroğlu becomes president. Noting that if he is elected president his priority will be to advance the negotiations, Eroğlu said, however, that Turkey’s security guarantees in Cyprus were a requirement for the Turkish Cypriots.
Meanwhile, the UN secretary-general’s special advisor on Cyprus, Alexander Downer, praised Erdoğan for his remarks on a possible troop withdrawal made during a rare interview with Greek Cypriot newspapers over the weekend. Downer, speaking to reporters on Thursday, said this is the first time a Turkish prime minister has specifically and clearly supported a bizonal, bicommunal international entity based on federal political equality. Downer said Erdoğan’s remarks were indicative of the positive atmosphere and the progress of the Cyprus reunification process.
06 March 2010, Saturday
TODAY'S ZAMAN İSTANBUL
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-203525-no-troop-withdrawal-from-cyprus-without-deal.html |
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repulsewarrior
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| 24 March 2010 – Work is set to begin on a new crossing point that will link the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities on the Mediterranean island after the United Nations signed a contract today with a local joint venture. |
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Civilian traffic will be able to flow again through the buffer zone running across the area as a result of the project, which is being funded by the European Union (EU), the United States Agency for International Development and the Government of the Republic of Cyprus.
UNFICYP’s chief of mission Tayé-Brook Zerihoun described the signing by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) as “further tangible evidence that when there is a will, even what seem to be the most intractable problems can be solved.”
The contract follows an agreement last year between Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat on the opening of a buffer zone crossing at Limnitis/Yesilirmak.
“Getting to today’s signing was far from easy,” Mr. Zerihoun said. “But thanks to the perseverance and cooperation of the two sides, and particularly of the two leaders, as well as the untiring effort of many in the international community, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots – and all the people of Cyprus – are now taking one more determined step in their pursuit to remove obstacles to peace, reconciliation and prosperity in a reunited island.”
After a trial crossing by ambulances from both communities, UNFICYP enhanced the patrol track in the buffer zone to a standard suitable for emergency use by civilian traffic in advance of the road’s construction. |
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=34184&Cr=cyprus&Cr1= |
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repulsewarrior
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| Over 200 companies so far have asked to be included in the bicmmunal Directory of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot Businesses, the compilation of which has been undertaken by the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) and the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce |
http://www.financialmirror.com/News/Business_and_Finance/19816 |
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repulsewarrior
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| Eroğlu, the frontrunner of the election campaign according to all public opinion polls, including those sponsored by incumbent Talat, avoided all throughout the campaign engaging in a controversy with the Turkish political leaders. Most probably, if the elections bans were not in force, he would still not make any remark on Erdoğan’s cunning intervention in favor of Talat. Yet, perhaps some other people might have come up with some counter arguments. Erdoğan avoided that as well by making the intervention after the bans entered into force. |
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=8220free8221-elections-2010-04-18 |
eroglu is elected amidst much pessimism that he will not continue the drive for an end to the Problem. it appears as a victory for the Army, as it appears that Erdogan fought hard for a Talat win. what is most telling i think is the choice of Denktash as the cheif negociator... |
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repulsewarrior
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Location: a cypriot in canada
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repulsewarrior
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Location: a cypriot in canada
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repulsewarrior
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Ms. Buttenheim will now serve as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of the UN peacekeeping mission known as UNFICYP, which has been stationed in Cyprus since 1964 after an outbreak of inter-communal violence.
Ms. Buttenheim succeeds Tayé-Brook Zerihoun of Ethiopia, who was appointed in April to serve as the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs for the Secretariat in New York.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=34894&Cr=cyprus&Cr1= |
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repulsewarrior
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Posts: 2152
Location: a cypriot in canada
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repulsewarrior
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The Pope suggested three ways in which “moral truth” could spread harmony around the world.
First, officials need to act responsibly on the basis of factual knowledge, so that they may “consider dispassionately the concerns of all involved in a given dispute”. The Pontiff called on involved parties to “rise above their own particular view of events” and acquire an objective and comprehensive vision. Those tasked with resolving such disputes can make “just decisions and promote genuine reconciliation when they grasp and acknowledge the full truth of a specific question”, he said.
“A second way of promoting moral truth consists in deconstructing political ideologies which would supplant the truth. The tragic experiences of the twentieth century have laid bare the inhumanity which follows from the suppression of truth and human dignity,” he added.
A third call was to base positive law upon ethical principles of natural law. “Individuals, communities and states, without guidance from objectively moral truths, would become selfish and unscrupulous and the world a more dangerous place to live,” he warned.
In his address, the Pope called on the public officials present to “be committed to serving the good of others in society, whether at the local, national or international level.”
He pointed to the importance of truth, integrity and respect in public service and in building personal relationships with others. “In countries with delicate political situations, such honest and open personal relationships can be the beginning of a much greater good for entire societies and peoples.”
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/cyprus/pope-benedict-you-must-rise-above-ideology/20100606 |
...the Pope visits Cyorus. |
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repulsewarrior
Ministerial
Joined: 06 Jan 2006
Posts: 2152
Location: a cypriot in canada
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THE LEADERS of the two communities yesterday continued talks over the thorny property issue and scheduled four more meetings by the end of next month.
President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu met for two hours yesterday and continued discussion on property, the UN said.
The UN Secretary-General’s new special representative Lisa Buttenheim said that the two leaders have agreed to meet four more times between now and the end of next month.
The meetings have been scheduled for June 23, and July 9, 22, and 28, Buttenheim said in short statement to the media.
The UN official did not reply to reporters’ questions on the substance of the meeting, which she said was conducted in a “friendly atmosphere.”
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/cyprus/four-more-meetings-end-july/20100616 |
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