Comments (14)

I think the Greek side needs to get on with it and work towards a solution. Surely the world by now knows that it is the Greek side not the Turkish who obstruct a solution. PAGANUS 2nd Feb 2009 07:35 am, I agree with your comments in general but I have to say Turkish side does not have any problems with the Greek!.. side's presence on the island and the fact that the Cypriots have been there a much longer time. In general Turkish had no problems with integration whereever and whatsoever.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A "TURKISH CYPRIOT."

TURKEY, END THE OCCUPATION! END THE OCCUPATION!

Turkey is barbaric. It kills Kurds, refuses to acknowledge its genocide against the ARminians and has invaded Cyprus. There is nothing to "rethink."

It is very heart-breaking for me to see these ridiculous accusations time after time and I know all these hate seeds planted into most of you by incredibly powerful lobbyists can not be removed by my comment posts on a newspaper website but here it goes again:
-Ottomans throughout the history was the most respectful and tolerant empire that is why we still have churces, synagoges and lots of thousand year-old artifacts sitting in our museums and we proudly present them to the world as OUR heritage as people of the world. It is simply ignorant to assume what transpired during war times as ethnic cleansing or massacre or whatever dirty word you might pick to collect sympathy from world so you can sue Turkey's government and get some more money from European Human Rights Courts. When will it be enough? There is serious evidence that 1974 operation was only to save thousands of cypriots with Turkish background from being massacred. It is a decision we are still proud of today, but right now, the fate of Cyprus is in Cyprus' people's hands. Just remember the Kofi Annan plan that was largely accepted by Turkish side and largely rejected by Cyprus side and decide for yourself who has the good intentions and who is out to make every possible solution disappear and then complain about it, blame people and keep hurting innocent people who were actually effected by these events.

As a long-time lover and admirer of both Greek and Turkish cultures (I have lived for extended periods of time in both countries) , I find the tone of most of the postings here generally childish and beneath the dignity of both sides.

Greeks, get over the fact that the Turks are there. I'm sure you don't like it any more than the locals did at the end of the Bronze Age when your cultural forbears arrived on the island, but they didn't leave. They dug in their heels and became part of the mosaic of Cypriot culture. The Turks are not going anywhere - they've been on the island since the 16th century.

Turks, for their part, also need to realize that the Greeks aren't going anywhere and have had a major (some would say decisive) role in shaping the island's culture.

Cyprus' culture is not "Turkish" or "Greek" any more than it is Phoenician, Egyptian or Venetian. It belongs to all and none at the same time. It is Cypriot and only when both sides accept the other side's legitimate complaints will there be a political unity to rule over the island.

lets create a third division and move all peace supporters there and let rest to fight until the end of this idiotism...or we can be radical and hang all the oppositions to peace in the world!

I'm afraid your visit limited you to that mix of Cypriots who are actively working toward a solution, probably many in academics and NGOs on both sides of the divide.

The general feeling is still very much one of distrust, ill will and animosity, partly because both sides have been blaming each other for the conflict, while trying to believe that their own side was innocent.

The fact that the leaders are afraid to point out the unpleasant compromises that would need to be made is a result of them knowing that at this point, the peace process would die an instant death. They need to prepare the entire package and can only then present it to the people.

As a matter of fact, for the first time since the conflict began, both sides have a leader who seemingly genuinely wants to resolve the conflict. In this sense, the leaders are ahead of the people.

It's important to mention that I live in Cyprus, but that I'm not a Cypriot (nor a Greek or a Turk).

As with any public forum on the Cyprus problem, this one is becoming the typical shouting match between both sides. In many ways the comments section will tell the real sorry tale of the intractability of this conflict.

Finally, it is rather sad that all a key newspaper site publishes about this island is a relatively ill-informed post by someone who visited for a short time, rather than devote real resources to covering this endless conflict in which the USA actually plays a pivotal role.

Here with reader responses we are given a clear example of pathetic close-mindedness that has prevented the necessary compromise deal needed for peace.
All have good reasons to be angry, but if we always cling to our negative feelings we will always be ANGRY.
We need to ALL set aside differences to reach PEACE, leave the past behind and find a collective FUTURE.

mge1923 wrote 'Those who don't know their "real" history are bound to make mistakes of their ancestors.' That is a true statement. It is a statement that must be taken to heart to the inheritors of the Ottoman Empire and of Ataturk. The Ottomans disappeared after spilling rivers of Christian blood, and Ataturk created his modern Turkey on a sea of Christian blood. And in modern Turkey one is still not allowed to mention the fate of the Armenians and the other victims of '1923' (interesting choice of handle).

So, please, stay away from assigning blame. Especially since Turkey is occupying Northern Cyprus to enforce the cleansing that Turkey established.

Just last month, many greek cypriots threw stoned to cars and scared the hell out of some turkish cypriots who visited south cyprus to watch a sports event.

It is a sad fact that our greek friends fail to acknowledge that their ancestors are the ones who started this problem by attempting a genocide against turkish cypriots. I think greeks and greek cypriots of today should be grateful to the couragous Turkish leaders of that time who stopped greeks' ancestors from committing such a horrible crime and put all greek civilization under a shame. otherwise they would be in the same boat with Nazis, Serbs, Armenians and Stalin's Russians, who have committed atrocious killings of innocent women and children.

I encourage all my greek friends to surf the web for photos of the crimes of their ancestors, so that they can reflect on today's affairs and find some empathy with their turkish neighbors.

Those who don't know their "real" history are bound to make mistakes of their ancestors.

Unless greeks learn and accept their mistakes of the past, instead of denial and deceit, there shouldn't be a unification of the island.

"By contrast, when the border first reopened in 2003, his Greek Cypriot compatriots lined up for miles to cross."

They probably wanted to go see their childhood homes ... or their parents childhood homes, the majority of which are OCCUPIED by those who took them over in 1974. How can that NOT be called an invasion??

But it is true, the people of Cyprus are not to blame ... even the Turks living in those stolen homes know they don't belong. Why else would they have the previous (true) owners family pictures till hanging on the walls?

Further complications are:

1. The transplants from Turkey, who are NOT Cypriots, but Turkish. Their loyalty is to Turkey, and resist any solution. They are typically refugees from earthquakes in Turkey, which transplanted them to Cyprus, instead of repairing their properties in Turkey.

2. The dependence of the Turkish Cypriot ruling elite on the occupation forces. They are not independent actors, but instead tools of the policy preferences of the Generals in Turkey (not even the elected representatives).

3. Lastly, let us not forget greed: The Turkish Cypriots, and the transplants from Turkey, are occupying property that is far more valuable than what they actually own in the south of the island. They have been very busy trying to sell this 'vacation' property, especially in Britain.

The idea that there was no ethnic cleansing or attempted genocide of Turkish Cypriots by Greek Cypriots is ridiculous. Until influential Greek Cypriots come to terms with the appalling behavior of their community toward the smaller Turkish Cypriot community and stop trying to persuade themselves and the world that each side was as much to blame as the other, there will be no reconciliation in Cyprus.

People like Mr Alexander are the real problem. They are incapbale of looking at the problems from other peoples point of view or they just don't care and hatefull.

Extraordinarily, Mr Stout fails to mention what the Cyprus 'dispute' is about. Let me tell him: it is about illegal invasion, ethnic cleansing and continuing occupation. It is about the forcible deportation of 200,000 Greeks from northern Cyprus; the introduction of 180,000 settlers from mainland Turkey to change the demographic character of the island; the stationing of 40,000 Turkish occupation troops; the systematic destruction by Turkey in northern Cyprus of the island's Greek and Christian character – including the destruction of churches, their conversion into mosques, and the desecration of cemeteries; and it is about 4,500 Greeks slaughtered during the 1974 invasion, the hundreds of Greek women raped and the 1,600 Greeks still missing.

It is absurd, insulting and a complete misunderstanding of the Cyprus issue to say that it is the political leaders on the island who are preventing reunification. Rather, it is Turkey, the occupying power, that is preventing reunification; it is Turkey that is refusing to withdraw it's 40,000 occupation troops from Cyprus; Turkey that is preventing the refugees from returning to their homes; and Turkey that is bringing in colonists from Turkey to try and create 'facts on the ground'.

Peace may come about as a result of an acceptance of the 'other'; but peace also requires that justice is done; and in this case justice requires Turkey withdraws its troops, allows the refugees to return to their homes, and submits itself before a war crimes tribunal to account for the horrors it inflicted on Cyprus in 1974.