What you need:
- Yourself
- Oxygen (so you can breathe)
- Computer
- Electricity (to power the computer)
- Internet
- and a Firefox browser.

1 When Firefox is open
2. Right click on the page
3. Click on “Inspect Element Q”.
4. Click on 3D at the bottom right of the page.
5. Enjoy.

Note: For some reason two computers at the office don’t have the option “3D” displayed. I’m guessing it’s either a graphics card issue or maybe, possibly even an incompatibility with windows XP. Give it a try and I hope it works for you.

No special equipment necessary.

You can visit Cyprus now Forum at www.forum.cyprus-now.com

What did you think this thread was about exactly?

My guess is that most of you probably thought “The challenge is to get more members. duh!”. Whatever your thoughts or expectations coming here were, fact is that member participation should be a concern and the focus for any young community.

However in my eyes there are other, less obvious but equally important challenges facing the Cyprus-Now community.

Facebook: Cyprus has a strong Facebook culture and a weak affiliation with forums. We need to have structure that can overcome obstacles as seen from the point of view of an average Cypriot who is already a Facebook user. We’re not mainly competing against Cyprus based forums but also against social media, TV and the Internet.

We can prove to people that forums can be just as, if not more engaging then Facebook. Nobody’s saying it’s gonna be easy, and there will be disagreements, but I’m hoping that the increased visibility of this format should encourage all of you to strengthen your critical thinking, and better yourselves, in order to avoid having a repository of bad posts attached to your nickname.

In other words, be pleasant people and more like minded people will join.

A community lacking an inspiring culture: Yes the forum is very young but it’s never too early to get started. We need to see what the strength of our collective community is and build on top of that. And we have to make sure that whatever we’re building is attractive and positive. Working hard on this project when it is clear that the end product is unappealing is a waste of everybody’s time.

By that I mean to say that if the discussion climate within the forum is a negative one, it doesn’t matter how many people join and how active the community becomes; I will leave and I suspect anyone with an IQ of 5 or more will avoid this place as well.

Members who politicize everything: That’s one of the biggest challenges facing our forum. Having sport or music threads turning into political trash talk will rightly turn off the most sensible members in our community. Pursuing political agenda in none political (or loosely political) subjects is an unbalanced & unhealthy attitude while being unpleasant and unflattering to look at and read. It reflects badly on the entire community.

Raise your hand if you know a person who at family gatherings will simply not shut up about politics. These people are commonly men, middle aged, senile, “know-it-all”, thick headed, loud mouthed, and have hearing & comprehension problems. Thankfully this is the Internet so the dangers of over-assertiveness is blunted by the reality that facts are only a single search away. If you’re going make an obscure, hard to swallow claim then know that you’re going to have to back it up if someone asks for it. If you can’t back it up or have no time to back it up then your claims are basically bullshit. There is a thing called burden of proof, and it rests on the shoulders of the person making the claims. As a great man once said “What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence.” [Christopher Hitchens]

A misguided community: We shouldn’t be posting here while under the assumption that we can solve the Cyprus problem. What we can do instead is prove to politicians – who will no doubt frequent this place at one point or another – that with enough rigour it is possible for reason to trump intuition.

What “reason must trump intuition” means in practice is this. Suppose a new member joins, who has an avatar depicting a proud Kemal Atatürk standing over the Greek and Cypriot flags. He then ensues with a tirade of provocative & drivelous posts on the forum. How to respond?

Well for a start it would be a clever thing to assume that he’s a young and immature boy, maybe a Turkish mainlander rather than TC. Now I don’t know about the rest of you but personally I wouldn’t want to be caught dead in a serious argument with a 15 year old boy who thinks he knows it all. One way to deal with such a situation would be to cleverly nudge the member into scenarios where he has no choice but to contradict himself.

You might say, “But PV why should I waste my time figuring out clever questions when I can just call him out on what he his: an immature, fanatical, Turk (or Greek)?”

Because A) highlighting contradictions is much easier then it sounds and you get to develop yourself at the same time B) the alternative is to lower your intelligence level and standards to unflattering levels and C) If you decide to go with option ‘B’ then you’ll be in confrontation with me as well as the little boy (for as long as I am here).

Dealing with the proliferation of cheap rhetoric’s. Although according to Wikipedia ELAM represents roughly 1% of the population yet it seems to be the big buzz word around here. If you’re claiming that someone is an ELAM member even though the person denies it, then the accuser is the problem.

If it’s a scrap you’re looking for then let me make it easy for all of you. Cyprus belongs to Greece, as does Constantinople. Israel belongs to Palestine. Taiwan Belongs to China. Australia and New England belong to England, New York belongs to Netherlands, Falkland Islands belongs to Argentina, Delaware belongs to Sweden. Quebec & Louisiana belong to France, and Turkey is the greatest nation in the world. If you don’t understand politics then at least do the decent thing and soften your stance a little bit.

If you’re gonna make fun of ELAM then make sure you can’t be a victim of mockery yourself. And funny thing is, almost all of you can be made a victim of your own contradictions. Hard-line centrist are just as ridiculous as the left/right fringe. Lesson is, if you say ridiculous things you’ll be called out no matter who you are or how righteous your cause is.

Have Fun: Because if you’re not then what’s the point? This place must be a fun diversion. If we can’t enjoy ourselves then there is no hope for us.

You can visit Cyprus Now Forum at www.forum.cyprus-now.com

The indictments of eight people accused for manslaughter on charges of causing death through negligence, neglect of official duty and acts that caused bodily harm in the deadly explosion at Evangelos Florakis naval base in Mari were presented to the court in Larnaca this morning., amid protests by relatives for what they consider an inexcusable delay. 

The tragedy - in which 13 men died – took place eight months ago and the Attorney General had announced his decision for the indictments almost two months ago.

Indictments have been issued against former foreign minister Markos Kyprianou, former defence minister Kostas Papakostas, former army chief Petros Tsalikides, assistant army chief Savvas Argyros, and officer George Georgiades, along with the chief and deputy chief of the fire service Andreas Nikolaou and Charalambos Charalambous and the commander of EMAK, Andreas Loizides.

Clerides had not take the recommendation of an earlier investigation by a government-appointed committee led by Polys Polyviou to indict President Demetris Christofias for his personal and political involvement in the deadly explosion, but the Supreme Court will start deliberations on waiving President Demetris Christofias’ immunity to prosecution at May 3rd, after lawyers Dimitris Araouzos and Anastasios Antoniou representing the Ioannidis family, Christos Triantafyllidis representing the Theophilou family and Lukas Loucaides representing the Heracleous family have presented a case against him.

Former European Court of Human Rights judge Loukis Loukaides had said that he agrees with the public inquiry holding President Demetris Christofias mainly responsible. The president’s immunity from prosecution should be withdrawn, he said, based on the fact that he knew that the explosives had become dangerously unstable as of September 2010, but did nothing to prevent the danger.

The explosives were confiscated by the state from Iran en route to Syria in January 2009, and were left exposed to the elements at Evangelos Florakis naval base until they exploded on July 11th, 2011. According to the public inquiry, the explosives were not destroyed or removed from the base because of political reasons. Those reasons had to do with the president’s assurance to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that they would not leave Cyprus and would be returned to Iran and Syria.

http://www.cyprusnewsreport.com/?q=node/5458

ΠΑΝΟΣ ΙΩΑΝΝΙΔΗΣ- Εθνικό Συμβούλιο και ΔΔΟ

Ο νομικός Κος Ιωαννίδης, ξεσκεπάζει όλη την αλήθεια πίσω από το δήθεν “Εθνικό” και δήθεν “Συμβούλιο” της Κύπρου. Μόλις ακούσετε την ομιλία του, θα καταλάβετε αμέσως πως και γιατί τα πράγματα έφθασαν σε αυτό το τραγικό σημείο που έφθασαν στο Κυπριακό χωρίς κανένας να ξέρει τι είδους λύση θέλει στο Κυπριακό. Με μόνη εξαίρεση την διακυβέρνηση Τάσσου Παπαδόπουλου, όλες οι υπόλοιπες Κυβερνήσεις αρχίζοντας με αυτήν του Γιώρου Βασιλείου, του Κληρίδη , και σήμερα του Χριστόφια, σπρώχνουν συνειδητά το Κυπριακό στο τέλμα, και την Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία στην αυτοκατάργηση…..

Από την “Πρώτη εκπομπή” του Λάζαρου Μαύρου,
Ράδιο ΠΡΩΤΟ, 8 Μαρ. 2012

Πάνος Ιωαννίδης ”
*Νομικός, Πρόεδρος Κίνησης για
Ελευθερία και Διακιοσύνη στην Κύπρο.

Διάρκεια 17′

Παραγωγή Ράδιο Πρώτο &
‘Γροθιά-TV’ 2012.
Μέλος του δικτύου του “Εμπροσθοφύλακα”
efylakas.com

ΠΑΝΟΣ ΙΩΑΝΝΙΔΗΣ- Εθνικό Συμβούλιο και ΔΔΟ from Γροθιά TV on Vimeo.

ΕΛΕΝΗ ΘΕΟΧΑΡΟΥΣ: ACTA και το αναφέρετο μας δικαίωμα στην γνώση

Η γνωστή Ευρωβουλευτής, και υπέρμαχος των δικαιωμάτων του Κυπριακού Ελληνισμού,
κα Θεοχάρους, μας στέλνει το δικό της μήνυμα για το τι κρύβει η εμπορική συμφωνία ACTA, και τους λόγους που πρέπει να συστρατευθούμε εναντίον της.

Λευκωσία, 2 Μαρτίου 2012

*Ευρωβουλευτής ΔηΣυ – Ε.Λ.Κ

Διάρκεια 3′

Παραγωγή ‘Γροθιά-TV’ 2012.
Μέλος του δικτύου του “Εμπροσθοφύλακα”
efylakas.com

ΘΕΟΧΑΡΟΥΣ: ACTA και η απειλή για την ζωή εκατομμυρίων from Γροθιά TV on Vimeo.

Cyprus belongs to the Cypriots and to no one else, President Demetris Christofias stressed Thursday commenting on statements by Turkish Minister of EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis statements about the possibility of integrating Cyprus’ Turkish occupied areas to Turkey.

Addressing an event, organized in Nicosia on the occasion of the International Women’s Day, Christofias underlined that the Greek Cypriot side has shown good will for a settlement the soonest possible, adding that this does not however mean that we will grant to anyone the right to impose a settlement.

He said that a solution will be accepted only if is functional and viable the settlement and it reunites the country, its people, the institutions and the economy, and it must be based on the international and the European law and must secure the human rights and the fundamental freedoms of Cypriot citizens.

“It must be a settlement that will provide for a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality as defined by the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, with a single state, a single and undivided sovereignty, a single personality and a single citizenship,” he noted.

Christofias expressed regret and disappointment over the fact that Turkey and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu have distanced themselves from the fundamental principles of the Cyprus problem.

“They are also moving away from the convergences in various chapters achieved in the framework of the current process of direct negotiations. And not only this but also recently both Turkey and Eroglu have been launching threats against us,” Christofias noted.

“It is unacceptable and conflicting to attend the negotiations, discuss, and at the same time listen to Eroglu making threatening statements which constitute a major provocation not only for our side but also for the UN and the EU as well,” he stressed.

Christofias said the Turkish side most often refers to B plans for the Cyprus problem, which consolidate division and the pseudo-state and referred to Bagis’ statements about the possibility of integrating Cyprus’ Turkish areas to Turkey.

He said these statements humiliate first of all the Turkish Cypriots and sent the message to Bagis and all the Turkish leadership that “Cyprus belongs to the Cypriots – Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Armenians, Maronites and Latins and to no one else.”

Christofias said that with its arrogance Turkey is even threatening the EU. “We firmly believe that the UN cannot follow this behaviour with apathy. The Turkish behaviour constitutes a provocation and an insult for the UN,” he noted.

Christofias also made clear once again, that the Greek Cypriot side will not accept any time table and the convening of an international conference on Cyprus if the preconditions set out by the UN in its 2002 UN resolution are not met.

He also noted that such a conference must be attended by the UN Security Council permanent members, the guarantor powers, the European Union, the Republic of Cyprus and the two communities to look into the international aspects of the Cyprus problem.

Referring to the economy, Christofias said that the government has taken since the beginning of the crisis measures aiming at boosting the most important sectors of the economy as well as measures to support the most vulnerable groups of the population.

The Cypriot President also expressed his conviction that the forthcoming EU Cypriot Presidency will be successful noting that “we will keep having our hand extended towards the Turkish Cypriot side, despite the fact that there is no response so far.”

Referring to the International Women’s Day, Christofias expressed his respect for all the women of Cyprus, Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians and Latins and noted that the promotion of equality among men and women constitutes an indispensable part of the effort for greater social cohesion, for a society in which every citizen will enjoy his or her rights.

http://famagusta-gazette.com/christofias-cyprus-belongs-to-the-cypriots-and-to-no-one-else-p14749-69.htm

The Supreme Court has postponed its deliberations on waiving President Demetris Christofias’ immunity to prosecution until May 3rd, citing Attorney-general Petros Clerides’ change in position on the issue.

The proceedings were started after the deaths of 13 men in an explosion at Evangelos Florakis naval base on July 11th, 2011. An investigation into the explosion carried out by lawyer Polys Polyviou found that the president and two members of his cabinet were directly and personally responsible for delays in deciding what to do with the 98 containers which exploded at the naval base. The containers were confiscated in January 2009 while they were en route to Syria from Iran in contravention of UN sanctions against Iran.

During Polyviou’s investigation, damning evidence came to light that Christofias promised Syrian president Bashar al-Assad that the confiscated weapons would not leave Cyprus, and would possibly be returned to him, and that this policy resulted in fatal delays in removing or destroying the explosives.

In the aftermath of the investigation, Christofias denied responsibility and refused to resign voluntarily, which would have been the only way for him to leave office before the end of his term. A president can only be prosecuted in special cases including moral turpitude or betrayal of the country.

The families of several of the victims of the blast then filed civil lawsuits against the president, as well as a motion to waive his immunity from prosecution to the Supreme Court.

Initially, the attorney-general argued that the Supreme Court should proceed to the interpretation of the relevant articles of the constitution relating to the office of President and the reasons for waiving immunity. However, the Attorney-general changed his tune and argued that the Supreme Court should reject the claims of relatives of the victims and not to proceed to interpretation.

With today’s decision, the court gave orders to the Attorney General to present it, within three weeks, with written legal arguments to explain why he believes that the proceedings should not proceed.

Three weeks after that, lawyers Dimitris Araouzos and Anastasios Antoniou representing the Ioannidis family, Christos Triantafyllidis representing the Theophilou family and Lukas Loucaides the Heracleous family, should also respond in written legal arguments. On May 3, the sides will give an oral clarification on their written arguments.

http://www.cyprusnewsreport.com/?q=node/5448

Η είδηση μας συγκλόνισε όλους. Η Κυπρία Ευρωβουλευτής Ελένη Θεοχάρους κατήγγειλε στο Ευρωκοινοβούλιο ότι στις τουρκικές φυλακές του Ντιαρμπακίρ βρέθηκαν 38 σκελετοί πυροβολημένοι με περίστροφο στο κρανίο. Η κ. Θεοχάρους είναι βεβαία από τα υπάρχοντα στοιχεία ότι πρόκειται για τα λείψανα Ελλαδιτών και Ελληνοκυπρίων αγνοουμένων από την εισβολή του Αττίλα το 1974. Η ιστορία αυτή  φέρνει όλους μας ενώπιον των ευθυνών μας και αξίζει να αναρωτηθούμε: Μήπως ξεχάσαμε το δράμα των αγνοουμένων και των συγγενών τους;

Μήπως χαλαρώσαμε στην κριτική μας έναντι της Τουρκίας, η οποία βαρύνεται με σοβαρά εγκλήματα κατά αμάχων το μαύρο καλοκαίρι του 1974; Μήπως θα έπρεπε να συζητήσουμε μία προσφυγή κατά της Άγκυρας στο Διεθνές Δικαστήριο Ποινικού Δικαίου της Χάγης; Πάντα είχα την απορία: Γιατί η Διεθνής Κοινότητα εξάντλησε όλη τη δικαστική και αστυνομική αυστηρότητά της κατά των Σέρβων για τα υπαρκτά και ανύπαρκτα εγκλήματά τους στη Βοσνία και δεν ασχολήθηκε καθόλου με όσα διέπραξε ο τουρκικός Αττίλας το 1974. Με το φτωχό μυαλό μου έδωσα δύο απαντήσεις. Πρώτον ότι οι ΗΠΑ και άλλες δυτικές δυνάμεις βλέπουν την Τουρκία ως το ιδανικό εργαστήριο όπου δοκιμάζεται η ανάμιξη του ελαφρού Ισλάμ με την υποτυπώδη κοινοβουλευτική δημοκρατία και την ελεύθερη αγορά. Ο αείμνηστος Βρετανός ιστορικός και διπλωμάτης Άρνολντ Τόυνμπη είχε γράψει στο βιβλίο του «Ο πολιτισμός δικάζεται- Ο κόσμος και η Δύση»  ότι η Δύση μετά τον Κεμάλ αποδέχθηκε με χαρά τη βιαία δυτικοποίηση της τουρκικής κοινωνίας και θα της ανεχθεί κάθε έγκλημα και κάθε παρεκτροπή ανθρωπιστική, διότι θα τη χρησιμοποιεί ως πρότυπο και για τις υπόλοιπες μουσουλμανικές χώρες. Ο δεύτερος λόγος είναι η δική μας αδράνεια και υποχωρητικότητα. Αν ήμασταν Εβραίοι ή Αρμένιοι δεν θα είχαμε αφήσει την Τουρκία σε χλωρό κλαρί. Θα θυμίζαμε συνεχώς τα εγκλήματα του Αττίλα και θα προβάλλαμε όσα στοιχεία υπάρχουν περί των 1619 αγνοουμένων μας.

Ο Ραούφ Ντενκτάς, ο εθνικιστής Τουρκοκύπριος ψευδοπρόεδρος που πέθανε προσφάτως είχε παραδεχθεί σε ραδιοφωνική του συνέντευξη προς τον Κύπριο δημοσιογράφο Σταύρο Σιδερά ότι δεν υπάρχουν πλέον αγνοούμενοι από το 1974, αλλά όλους τους έσφαξαν οι Τούρκοι εισβολείς και κυρίως Τουρκοκύπριοι παραστρατιωτικοί υπό την ηγεσία του. Και μόνο αυτή ομολογία θα αρκούσε για να ξεκινήσει η ελληνική πλευρά διαδικασίες για την παραπομπή του Ντενκτάς σε Διεθνές Δικαστήριο. Αλλά και άλλες ενέργειες του Αττίλα είναι δυνατόν να καταδικασθούν στη Χάγη, όπως π.χ. η βιαία μετακίνηση Ελληνοκυπρίων από τον Βορρά προς τον Νότο. Έχουμε πολλά στοιχεία και επιχειρήματα , αλλά καταντήσαμε νεροκουβαλητές της Άγκυρας από μιά λανθασμένη και αδικαιολόγητη εμμονή μερικών πολιτικών μας στην ανύπαρκτη και αστήρικτη ελληνοτουρκική φιλία. Σπρώχναμε κατά καιρούς το κάρο της Τουρκίας προς τη Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση και φαινόμασταν τόσοι αφελείς που δεν είχαμε καταλάβει ότι ο σκληρός γαλλογερμανικός πυρήνας  δεν θέλει την Τουρκία ως πλήρες μέλος. Αντί να αναζητούμε την τύχη των αγνοουμένων μας αναλωνόμασταν σε ζεϊμπέκικα και χαριεντισμούς προς Τούρκους εθνικιστές όλου του πολιτικού φάσματος. Δεν μπόρεσαν οι οπαδοί αυτής της γραμμής να εννοήσουν ότι ασχέτως κομμάτων και ιδεολογιών όλοι οι Τούρκοι πολιτικοί είναι σκληροί και διεκδικητικοί κατά του Ελληνισμού.

Στο βιβλίο του «Τα 13 περιστέρια» ο δημοσιογράφος Πέτρος Κασιμάτης καταγράφει μαρτυρίες για τη ύπαρξη τουλάχιστον προ ολίγων  ετών 13 Ελλαδιτών και Ελληνοκυπρίων αγνοουμένων που είχαν εντοπισθεί στα βάθη της Τουρκίας από στελέχη κρατικών υπηρεσιών μας ή από οδηγούς φορτηγών διαφόρων εθνικοτήτων. Η μαρτυρία του Ντενκτάς ότι όλοι οι θεωρούμενοι ως αγνοούμενοι είναι νεκροί ίσως να αποσκοπούσε στην παύση των ελληνικών ερευνών. Προσωπικά πιστεύω ότι ο Ντενκτάς γνώριζε την ύπαρξη επιζώντων σε τουρκικά κάτεργα, αλλά τους παρουσίασε όλους ως σφαγμένους για να σταματήσουμε να τους αναζητούμε. Οι πορείες των μαυροφορεμένων μανάδων στη Λευκωσία έχουν αραιώσει πλέον, αλλά η ανθρωπιστική πλευρά του ζητήματος παραμένει τεράστια. Η Αθήνα και η Λευκωσία οφείλουν αμέσως να αξιοποιήσουν τα στοιχεία της άξιας Ευρωβουλευτού κ. Ελένης Θεοχάρους και να ζητήσουν την αντικειμενική έρευνα όλων των τουρκικών φυλακών από επιτροπές νομικών και ευρωβουλευτών από όλες τις χώρες της Ευρ. Ένωσης. Δεν είναι δυνατόν να θέλει η Τουρκία να ενταχθεί στην Ε.Ε. και από την άλλη πλευρά να κρύβει συστηματικά σκελετούς στα ντουλάπια της και στις φυλακές της. Οι Αρμένιοι επιτυγχάνουν διεθνώς νίκες κατά του τουρκικού σωβινισμού και η γενοκτονία των Αρμενίων από τους Νεοτούρκους αναγνωρίζεται όλο και από περισσότερα κράτη. Εμείς γιατί υπνώττουμε;  Ως πότε θα μας αποκοιμίζει το δηλητήριο της δήθεν ελληνοτουρκικής φιλίας; Ως πότε θα αφαιρούμε τους ήρωες από τα σχολικά μας βιβλία για να καλοπιάσουμε μία χώρα, η οποία προέβη σε φοβερά εγκλήματα κατά του Ελληνισμού από το 1922 μέχρι το 1974;

Προτείνω να συσταθεί ειδική Επιτροπή στη Βουλή των Ελλήνων για τη διερεύνηση της τύχης των αγνοουμένων μεταξύ των οποίων περιλαμβάνονται  στρατιωτικοί εξ Ελλάδος και Ελληνοκύπριοι μάχιμοι ή άμαχοι. Ο Ελληνισμός είναι ενιαίος και υπό αυτό το πρίσμα πρέπει να ασχοληθούμε και πάλι με τους 1619 αγνοουμένους μας. Με σοβαρότητα, τεκμηρίωση και αξιοποίηση όλων των δυνατοτήτων που μάς παρέχει η Διεθνής Δικαιοσύνη. Δεν ξεχνούμε τα εγκλήματα του Αττίλα!

In a tension-filled second leg match, APOEL FC advanced to UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, after beating Olympique Lyonnais 1-0 in Nicosia and 4-3 in the penalty shoot out on Wednesday night.

Trailing 1-0 after the first match in Lyon two weeks ago, APOEL scored with Gustavo Manduca in the ninth minute and levelled the aggregate score. Constantinos Charalambides got possession of the ball down the right and after escaping the attentions of two defenders send a low cross towards the far post, where Manduca had no difficulty scoring.

After that, both teams had their chances to score and break the deadlock, but none of them managed to do that and the tie was send into extra time.

As Peter Smaichel had predicted in an interview to Sigma TV, ”the players of the French team have no idea what’s in store for them and how hard they will have to fight in order to advance” When they realised that their opponent was tougher than expected, they become nervous and lost their concentration.

On the other hand, urged by 24000 supporters, APOEL players kept their nerve, even when they had to finish the extra time with one player less, after Manduca collected a second yellow card and was send off the pitch.

In the penalty shoot-out APOEL’s goalkeeper Dionisis Chiotis, who as his coach revealed later had studied extensively the way each player of Olympique Lyonnais kicks a penalty, denied Alexandre Lacazette and Michel Bastos and APOEL became the first Cypriot side to reach the European Cup quarter-finals, as Aílton, Morais, Nektarios Alexandrou and Ivan Tričkovski all scored from the spot.

http://www.cyprusnewsreport.com/?q=node/5445

In the interests of press solidarity, this publication supports Afrika newspaper’s statement against Egemen Bagis’ provocative ‘annexation’ comments. The outspoken editor of Afrika newspaper Sener Levent has told Turkey’s EU affairs minister Egemen Bagis exactly what he thinks about the idea of Turkey annexing north Cyprus with the front page title ‘Has*tir’, which basically translates into ‘go screw yourself’ (and that is putting it politely).

CyprusNewsReport.com supports Afrika’s statement on the grounds that Turkey has no place keeping its occupation troops on an island that does not belong to it, but instead, belongs to the people of Cyprus – Greek-and-Turkish Cypriots and other communities like the Maronites or Latins that are native to the country and live here legally. Turkey also has no right to interfere with the Turkish-Cypriot community or use it for its own ends.

This goes doubly so because Sener Levent and other journalists in north Cyprus have had their lives threatened by extremist nationalists who are encouraged by such statements coming from Turkey. Car bombs, package bombs, would-be murderers wielding guns in Afrika’s offices, these are all realities for the press in north Cyprus. It is unacceptable – freedom of the press and of expression are essential to a real democracy, and Turkey has been criticised many, many times about its repressive attitude towards journalists. Does Bagis think that the press in this country would simply accept Turkey’s annexation ideas? Their answer is above.

Cyprus is an independent country and has been since 1960. Greek-Cypriot, Turkish-Cypriot, English-Cypriot, Swedish-Cypriot, whatever – we are citizens of an independent country. The problems between the Greek-and-Turkish Cypriots can be solved, peace talks have proved that much can be achieved with goodwill on both sides.

Not only is Turkey illegally occupying Cyprus, but it is actively interfering with Cypriot-led peace talks. Bagis’ comments are completely out of place and the Turkish government should be thinking of ways to get themselves back into the EU’s good graces instead of threatening this tiny island any further.

Turkish Cyprus could be annexed to Turkey if ongoing talks between Turkish and Greek Cypriots for reunification fail to produce a solution, Turkey’s minister for European Union Affairs has said.

Egemen Bağış, in remarks published in Turkish Cypriot newspaper Kıbrıs, said all options are on table regarding the fate of Cyprus, private news stations NTV reported on Sunday. “Reunification under a deal that [Turkish and Greek Cypriot] leaders could reach, creation of two independent states after an agreement between the two leaders if they are unable to reach a deal for reunification, or annexation of the [Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus] KKTC to Turkey. These are all options on the table,” Bağış said.

Turkish Cypriot leader Derviş Eroğlu and Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias have been holding talks to reunite the island, but the two sides are unable to report any significant progress from the negotiations, under way since 2008.

Bağış said the Turkish government would support any formula that Eroğlu and Christofias would be able sell to their respective communities. “This includes reunification or failure of reunification; the important thing is that the two leaders manage to get sufficient public support. We, as Turkey, are concerned about only one thing, which is political equality on the island,” Bağış said.

NTV reported that Bağış’s remarks have already elicited protests from the KKTC opposition. Main opposition Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Özkan Yorgancıoğlu condemned the EU Affairs minister’s remarks, saying the idea of annexing the KKTC to Turkey is unacceptable.

Cyprus’ division affects Turkey’s own membership bid at the EU as well, given that Greek Cyprus — internationally recognized as representing the entire island — has been blocking progress in the already stalled Turkish membership process since it joined the bloc as a full member in 2004. Turkey has already declared that it will suspend dialogue with the EU presidency when Greek Cyprus takes over the rotating term presidency of the 27-nation bloc in July.

I read Robert Ellis’s article Cyprus: The last round, published in the 30 January edition of New Europe, and would like to comment.

It is true that Cyprus has become a political graveyard for five UN secretary-generals before Ban Ki-Moon, as well as countless envoys.

All of them failed to understand the nature of the Cyprus problem and it seems that now it is also Ban Ki-Moon’s turn to fail. The present round of talks between President Demetris Christofias and the leader of the Turkish Cypriots Dervis Eroglu is indeed on the verge of collapse.

The reason for this is the principle of equal sovereignty of the two peoples, which is staunchly promoted by Eroglu and the intransigence of the Turkish side on core issues such as property and territory and governance and citizenship, which Turkey refuses to discuss until a multilateral conference is convened.

The Turkish Cypriots are victims of the Turkish government’s foreign policy as described by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in his book The Strategic Depth (2001): “Even if there was not one single Muslim Turk over there, Turkey would have to maintain a Cyprus question. No country could possibly be indifferent to an island like this, placed in the heart of its virtual space.”

Behind this statement it is obvious that Turkey has a vision that is to maintain Cyprus under occupation both for its geostrategic location but also for the richness of hydrocarbons that seem to exist in its EEZ (exclusive economic zone) which upgrade Cyprus’s importance as a possible energy supplier for Europe. Turkey has failed to implement its ‘good neighbouring’ policy. It has problematic relations with Cyprus, Greece and Armenia.

It has failed to fulfill its obligations towards the EU and, up to now, it has not signed the Ankara Protocol thus not recognising one of EU’s member states. It threatens regularly that during Cyprus’s upcoming EU Presidency, Turkey will stop all bilateral contacts with the EU. Turkish officials have been clarifying since that the country intends to freeze all contacts with the Council and is insisting on their refusal to recognise the Republic of Cyprus. Moreover, as an occupying power on the island, it maintains 40,000 troops, promotes illegal settlement on the island, changing considerably the demography and destroying the Greek heritage in the occupied area and also violates the rights of thousands of refugees and missing people.

Ban Ki-Moon, as well as his predecessors, failed to pay due attention to the fact that Turkey has been violating international laws for the past 38 years, without any sanctions being imposed. It has completely ignored numerous resolutions by the UN, the Council of Europe, UNESCO, as well as its EU obligations, thus undermining the self-esteem, integrity and reliability of all these organisations which, at the end of the day, have proved highly ineffective in implementing their own decisions because either they lack the appropriate mechanisms or have double standards as far as human rights are concerned.

As a Cypriot MEP, I express my frustration because of the lack of solidarity towards Cyprus, a member State. The Cypriots looked forward to the accession of their country to the EU, hoping that the Union would be one of security, freedom and justice. But, unfortunately, what I personally see is that values and principles are violated, Turkey is behaving like a spoiled child and Turkish intransigence is increasingly promoting the creation of two independent states, thus leading to the division of the island.

As European citizens, the people of Cyprus look forward to a just and viable solution. Ban Ki-Moon and his special adviser Alexander Downer cannot and should not impose deadlines, arbitration or multilateral conferences unless both sides agree on the basic internal aspects of the Cyprus problem.

Otherwise, the people of Cyprus will reject an unfair solution imposed on them as they did with the pro-Turkish Annan Plan. The UN and EU, however, could if they wish impose sanctions on Turkey for its threats against Cyprus and force it to implement the Ankara Protocol as well as all Resolutions made since 1974.

http://www.neurope.eu/blog/cyprus-hostage-turkey-s-intransigence

Ήρωας του ελληνοκυπριακού αγώνα κατά των άγγλων δυναστών στη μεγαλόνησο.

Γεννήθηκε στο χωριό Λύση Αμμοχώστου στις 22 Φεβρουαρίου 1928. Με την αποφοίτησή του από το γυμνάσιο μετέβη στην Ελλάδα για να σπουδάσει στη Στρατιωτική Σχολή Ευελπίδων. Μπήκε τελικά στη Σχολή Εφέδρων Αξιωματικών και παράλληλα μελετούσε για να εγγραφεί στη Φιλοσοφική. Υπηρέτησε στα ελληνοβουλγαρικά σύνορα ως Ανθυπολοχαγός πεζικού και μετά επέστρεψε στην Κύπρο, όπου εργάστηκε ως οδηγός ταξί.

Στις 20 Ιανουαρίου 1955 έγινε η πρώτη συνάντηση του Αυξεντίου με τον Γεώργιο Διγενή – Γρίβα, που ήταν αρχηγός της Ε.Ο.Κ.Α. (Εθνική Οργάνωση Κυπρίων Αγωνιστών) και μπήκε στον αγώνα κατά των Άγγλων. Την άνοιξη του ιδίου χρόνου συμμετείχε στις επιθέσεις κατά της Ηλεκτρικής Εταιρείας και του Ραδιοφωνικού Σταθμού της Λευκωσίας.

Πολύ γρήγορα διακρίθηκε για τις ηγετικές του ικανότητες και του δόθηκε η θέση του υπαρχηγού της Ε.Ο.Κ.Α, της μεγαλύτερης απελευθερωτικής οργάνωσης στο νησί, με κύριο στόχο την Ένωση της Κύπρου με την Ελλάδα. Κατά τη διάρκεια της σύντομης αντιστασιακής του δράσης έλαβε τα ψευδώνυμα «Ζήδρος», «Ρήγας», «Αίαντας», «Άρης», «Μάστρος» και «Ζώτος».

Οι Άγγλοι κατακτητές έκαναν πολλές προσπάθειες για να τον συλλάβουν και τον επικήρυξαν με 5.000 λίρες. Ο Αυξεντίου πάντα τους ξέφευγε και ποτέ δεν έχασε το κουράγιο του. Μια φορά μεταμφιέστηκε σε καλόγερο και κέρασε τους άγγλους διώκτες του χωρίς να τον αναγνωρίσουν. Στις 10 Ιουνίου του 1955 βρήκε την ευκαιρία να παντρευτεί την αγαπημένη του Βασιλική στο μοναστήρι του Αχειροποιήτου.

Στις 12 Δεκεμβρίου 1955 ο Αυξεντίου και όλη η ιεραρχία της ΕΟΚΑ παγιδεύτηκαν από τους Βρετανούς στο όρος Τρόοδος, κοντά στο χωριό Σπίλια. Ο Αυξεντίου, όχι μόνο οδήγησε τους συντρόφους του σε ασφαλές μέρος, αλλά άφησε τους Άγγλους να αλληλοπυροβολούνται και να έχουν πολλά θύματα.

Στα τέλη Φεβρουαρίου 1957 οι αγγλικές δυνάμεις ασφαλείας έλαβαν την πληροφορία από ένα βοσκό ότι ο Αυξεντίου και η ομάδα του κρύβονται σε μια σπηλιά πλησίον της Μονής Μαχαιρά στο όρος Τρόοδος. Αμέσως, απόσπασμα από 60 στρατιώτες έφθασε εκεί το απόγευμα της 2ας Μαρτίου. Περικύκλωσε τη σπηλιά και κάλεσε τον Αυξεντίου να παραδοθεί. Ο επικεφαλής του βρετανικού αποσπάσματος, ανθυπολοχαγός Μίντλετον, πλησίασε την είσοδο της σπηλιάς και φώναξε: «Ρίξε τα όπλα σου και παραδώσου, αλλιώς θα επιτεθούμε». Κάποιος απάντησε: «Καλά παραδινόμαστε». Τέσσερις άνδρες βγήκαν έξω, όχι και ο Αυξεντίου. Ο Μίντλετον τον κάλεσε και πάλι να παραδοθεί, αλλά έλαβε την υπερήφανη απάντηση «Μολών λαβέ».

Αμέσως, τέσσερις στρατιώτες όρμησαν μέσα στην σπηλιά. Ο Αυξεντίου τους υποδέχτηκε με καταιγιστικά πυρά. Οι τρεις Βρετανοί οπισθοχώρησαν έντρομοι, ο τέταρτος, ένας δεκανέας, έπεσε νεκρός. Ο Μίντλετον ζήτησε ενισχύσεις, οι οποίες κατέφθασαν αμέσως με ελικόπτερα. Η μάχη συνεχίσθηκε για 10 ώρες, χωρίς αποτέλεσμα για τους επιτιθέμενους. Μπροστά στο αλύγιστο θάρρος του Αυξεντίου και αφού χρησιμοποίησαν όλων των ειδών τα όπλα, οι Βρετανοί έρριψαν στη σπηλιά βόμβες πετρελαίου. Τεράστιες φλόγες κάλυψαν το σπήλαιο, για να τυλίξουν σε λίγο το κορμί του Αυξεντίου.

Η μάχη τελείωσε στις 2 το βράδυ της 3ης Μαρτίου 1957. Το πτώμα του ηρωικού πατριώτη βρέθηκε απανθρακωμένο και τάφηκε την επομένη στις Κεντρικές Φυλακές Λευκωσίας, στο χώρο που είναι γνωστός σήμερα ως «Τα Φυλακισμένα Μνήματα». Ο Γρηγόρης Αυξεντίου ήταν μόλις 29 ετών.

01.03.2012 Bagis attends HARDTALK on BBC WORLD from Egemen Bagis on Vimeo.