From: baysan@en.ecn.purdue.edu (Okan Baysan)
Subject:  To all the Greek Cypriots
Summary: Political tactics + emotional attitude 
Keywords: Enosis, Athens, Junta, Vasiliu, Ghali, Eoka, Palikaria
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 93 21:29:58 GMT
Expires: January 1995

In article <C0o4tr.9vI@acsu.buffalo.edu> v999saum@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Varnavas A. Lambrou) writes:

>Through my questions, I am trying to understand you, the Turkish Cypriots.

  You have to do more than that. You have to put yourself in place of a 
Turkish Cypriot first, than be proud of it, and then try to understand 
what they went through during 1963-1974. This is kind of hard for you to
do because you have to starve to understand what the hungry people in Africa
are really going through. The pain and suffering that the Turkish Cypriots
had from the Greek Cypriot relentless attacks during those times are still
fresh. It's hard to believe that you will ever feel that.

>I am not trying to blame anyone for what had happened in Cyprus. There is no 
>point in doing this; we, the Greek Cypriots have our opinions, you have yours.

True.

>The point is to try to communicate in a civilised manner, in order to come to 
>some agreement between us.

What do you think the negotiators of both sides have been doing? Playing 
games?

>Let us not try to find things that separate us, but things that unite us.

Eating yogurt and drinking rakI/ouzo. Wow, let's get together...

>And one thing, which I want to believe is common, is the freedom of people
>to live and prospere in their country.

Same for the Turkish Cypriots. They want to live free from fear of Enosis
and Greek Cypriot Palikaria attacks. They are fed up with this.

>I am not living in a fantasy world. I know that the gap between the Greeks
>and the Turks of Cyprus is big, and is getting bigger every day. But as 
>reasonable human beings, we should compromise in order to live together
>again. 

Yeap. In this case, don't you think the biggest compromise is to accept
what we have today, since it prevented the killing of more innocent Turkish
Cypriot lives and mass graves? Better yet, the biggest compromise for the
Greek Cypriots will be to accept the Turkish Cypriots NOT as a minority but
as their EQUAL partners in a federal government. There is no single proof
from the Greek Cypriots that this is/will be the case.

>A small number of people have answered my questions, and from all of you I
>got the main idea: You want to be recognised as citizens of one state. You do
>not want to live for ever in a pseudo-state, a protectorate of Ankara. You want
>a future. Now what are you?

Now let's see what you concluded from that small number of replies. First of 
all, how many responses did you get? Do you mind posting a list of names? 
Or do you just make up as you go? We want this we want that...  Lambrou 
now knows what the Turkish Cypriots want. Clap clap clap.
As to your "Now what are you?" question, do you really care what we are?
Why don't you care so much about the Somalians, or whoever, but Turkish
Cypriots? 

>In the other hand, we, the Greek Cypriots have the internationally 
>recognised and respected government for the whole of Cyprus. What do we want?

You want Cyprus in whole, undivided, single, one. You want ENOSIS, union with
Greece. Need I say more? When was the last time you were in South Cyprus?
Do you know some priest by the name Chrisostomos? If you deny what I just 
stated, then make him shut up because he is your leader and he influences
a lot of Greek Cypriots. Whatever he says is a reflection of your opinion, and
he greedily demands Enosis. Period.

>We want a solution to the Cyprus problem, which will allow again the free
>movement and settlement of people all over the island. We do not want any
>foreign troops in our island. It is time to leave us, the Greek and Turkish
>Cypriots, to built our future by ourselves.

Where was your mind before 1974? I feel that you are genuinly looking for 
some solution, but the question is, what kind of solution? Do you understand
that the solution that you are looking for should also satisfy the Turkish
Cypriots? 

>Am I dreaming? No. It is simple:
>Cyprus, Greece and consequently all the EC countries, and many other countries
>will never recognize the "TRNC" as a state ever.So, you remain as citizens of a
>pseudo-state living in a bad economy, forced to emigrate, forced to look
>elsewhere for your future. And we, the Greek Cypriots will continue to watch
>our homes through the wire rope, across the Attila line. This is what WE want??

Is this your picture of Northern Cyprus? How many times have you visited 
Northern Cyprus? None! How can you talk about a country which you have never
seen? Maybe your brain is cheating on you Lambrou. You cannot expect the 
economy of the North to be the same as the south because it's only the south
that benefits from all the international aid given to 'Cyprus'. And why should
you give up on what you have now and share it with the Turkish Cypriots? 
Pointing out the economy of northern Cyprus as a tool for your propaganda is
too cheap Lambrou. Vasiliu is trying to do the same. He keeps saying that
the pockets of the Turkish Cypriots will be filled with money if Cyprus     
unites again. Too cheap. Everyone hopes that Cyprus unites but what kind
of union are we looking for? Turkish Cypriots are more concerned about their
safety than their economy Lambrou, so change your tactic.


>I think it is time to make some steps forward.

Let's leap!

>Forget the past. Built the future.

Build the future, with the past in your mind. You cannot ignore the past
totally, Lambrou.

>Thinking Ahead,
>		Varnavas A. Lambrou
>
>
>P.S. Because you are all mentioning "enosis" and you are still afraid of the 
>"enosis movement", I can tell you these:
>In Cyprus there are 4 main political parties. In the last elections they got
>the following percentages of voters:
>DISY: 35% (Right wing)
>AKEL: 30% (Left wing)
>DIKO: 19% (Center)
>EDEK: 11% (Socialists)
>
>The members and voters of AKEL, as the party itself, were always against the
>idea of "enosis", even before 1974.
>EDEK, and its supporters, are also against the idea of "Enosis". Its members
>were the ones that resisted the coup of July 15th, 1974.
>DISY and DIKO were both founded after 1974, and the high majority of their
>supporters are not supporting the "enosis" idea anymore. There is a small
>percentage in the supporters of the last two parties that they may still
>support "enosis", but I do not believe this exceeds a 5% of them. This is
>natural in any democratic system.
>Our political leaders never have expressed any policy in favour of "enosis"
>for the last 20 years. So you can see that "ENOSIS" was killed and buried
>by us, the Greek Cypriots, a long time ago.

Bologna! Cheap propaganda. What do you have to say about Sampson the Palik?
He is out and free. Vasiliu set him free, can you believe that? 
I wish you good luck in trying to understand the Turkish Cypriots, Lambrou
but don't reach conclusions by just talking a few here. Look at the majority
of what the Turkish Cypriots are saying. Don't point out some crack voices
and build your discussions on them. 

Cheers,
Okan Baysan
-- 
  "Unless this small Turkish Community -forming a part of the Turkish race
   which has been the terrible enemy of Hellenism- is expelled from Cyprus,
   the duty of the heroes of EOKA can never be considered as terminated."
                  MAKARIOS, Panayia, 4 September 1962