Cyprus Today,
March 19-25, 2005
BRS TALK: Olgun
looks into the crystal ball
No solution in the
next 5-10 years
By Angelina Di Fazio
THE Need to be
Proactive was the theme of a British Residents' Society
talk by TRNC presidential undersecretary Ergün Olgun on
Wednesday. More than 60 people attended the event at Lapta's LA
Hotel and Resort.
Mr Olgun described
his 11 years' experience working with Rauf Denktas, founder
President of the TRNC who, he said, had left his mark on the history
of Cyprus.
"His power is
information, determination, advocacy and force of will. It is a
privilege [working with the President] but it is demanding because
he works 12-15 hours a day with no holidays. He is a generous man
but [it is] difficult to manage the budget because he is so
generous.
"He has an advocacy
style, which is either black or white. He doesn't pretend and has a
bold and frank style and always looks several steps ahead. He could
see the future but people often would not listen to him, especially
about the intention of Greek Cypriots to come here and take
everything away from us."
Turning to the
Cyprus issue, Mr Olgun said there had been "major paradigm shifts"
that must be exploited and new policies developed to adapt to the
changes. "What are the new policies? A federation option is
unfeasible. For a bi-national federation to be established and
stuck together
requires a common
vision and strong mutual interests. Strong interdependence and 'complementarity'
between people also needs mutual confidence, which is non-existent
in Cyprus. The Greek Cypriots are not offering a partnership.
"It takes two to
marry. They [Greek Cypriots] can't achieve unification on their
own. Turkish Cypriots have to work on an alternative option and
must revisit the partnership option in the days ahead. So far the
international community only reacts to violence or threat to world
peace and stability, but that is not good enough, because when
violence erupts it is too late. A proactive stance addresses the
roots of conflict and the issue of the rule of law, so rather than
monitor we must understand trends in advance to take action to
prevent trouble.
"In EU circles they
[EU officials] pressure Turkey to recognise Greek Cyprus as sole
authority of the whole island as a 'quick fix'. But that is not the
end of it. Turkish Cypriots will not accept subordination to Greek
Cyprus so this is not the solution.
"Turkey says there
are two problems; how to resolve conflict on both sides providing a
governance model, and of course, they also need to think of the EU
dimension. The ethnic and identity-related conflict must still be
addressed and quick-fix approaches will not resolve the issues."
Mr Olgun urged
Turkish Cypriots to start challenging Greek Cypriot authority on
constitutional and humanitarian grounds — such as over the Orams
case, where the Greek Cypriot court had no jurisdiction in the TRNC,
and on the question of "missing persons".
"There are many
Turkish Cypriots missing, yet you only hear about Greek Cypriots."
During question
time, when asked what kind of partnership the TRNC could make with
Greek Cypriots and the need to decide whether to "become pregnant
with partnership," Mr Olgun quipped: "Who is going to be father?"
He added: "They see
us as Turkish-speaking Cypriots, a cultural minority they can employ
in their businesses."
Mr Olgun said it
had become clear that the international community invested heavily
in pro-agreement groups to influence opinion — although only in
Turkey and North Cyprus, not in the South — but such interference
did not help solution efforts.
Turkish Cypriots
had voted "Yes" to the Annan plan at referendum last April "under
tremendous duress", he said — under threat of further isolation if
they voted "No" and in the face of European, British and American
promises that raised expectations from a "Yes" vote.
"Turkish Cypriot
people have been targets of foreign countries and organisations to
bring them to this point," he commented.
"Turkish Cypriots
are to blame for the last 30 years for not putting their economic
house in order. They wouldn't be so obsessed with the EU and
unification if they had and this doesn't give much negotiating
power. We need a stronger position."
Asked to look into
a crystal ball to see the 10 years ahead, Mr Olgun said: "I do not
see within five years an arrangement being reached with Greek
Cypriots that is sustainable. Turkish Cypriots will continue to rule
the TRNC over the next five or 10 years as in the past. I think the
likelihood of embargoes being lifted is going to happen, and Britain
can play a leading role in this, especially by encouraging direct
flights, but not before May or June 2005.
"Negotiations will
resume but lead to little because of the asymmetry between two
sides. There is still insecurity because of the property issue. If
Turkish Cypriots play their cards right, they may even undermine the
Greek Cypriot stance that We [Greek Cypriots] own these properties'.
"We also need an
effective PR campaign. Lobbying is essential and we have to attempt
to find partners and allies to support our cause. We must find an
alternative to current partnership proposals because that form of
partnership is an illusion."
He added:
"Governmental models are made for a particular situation. One model
is not best for all. The promises made must be kept and isolation
ended."
ALL EARS: Ergün Olgun
addresses the British Residents' Society meeting while chairman Mike
Matermaghan (left) looks on.
Photos: Alison Dowey
