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Our
adventures in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus continue....
   
Sunday already and it has been a sort of fun and games week all round.
On Monday Nigel and Anne Reeves turned up at 8.30 to go with us to the village Mukter (sort of administrator) to get the necessary paperwork to allow Joan to sell her Suzuki to them. The first one was not available as he had gone to the hospital and was expected back early afternoon, the second one had a notice on his door, open 1600 to 1800 hours, the third, traced through the council offices, was working at the school and wanted us all back at 2 o'clock. So that was the morning wasted and no chance of going across to the DVLC office in Lefkosa as they close in the afternoons, summer working hours. Well that meant everybody back at 2 p.m. to get a piece of paper with both seller and buyers names on it, two TRNC postage stamps and a signature over an official council stamp. All this to sell a car!!
Tuesday was sort of written off for Joan to go over to the DVLC as she had a furniture installation to do and the same applied to Wednesday, so this meant that the earliest day we could go to Lefkosa was Thursday, in the morning of course because of the summer working hours. So we arranged to meet up at the Astro supermarket car park at 10 a.m. We had a stroke of luck on this trip. We had drawn a number from the machine on entering the DVLC offices, number 254 and they were only serving 130 at that time, so it looked like a long wait. We settled down to wait on the seats near the entrance door when a guy from across the aisle walked up to a friend who was being served, passed him his papers and the went to leave, at this time he gave me his ticket which was numbered 156. Now that is what I term a right result. So we were in and out of there in 45 minutes, brilliant.
Joan was quite upset at the loss of her car so in the evening we met Richard at the El Sabor pasta place, down in Girne and drowned her sorrows with two large bottles of cold water to wash down an excellent pasta meal.
All week we have suffered with a water problem, Firstly because the local authority had cut off water to our road for the last 10 days. We have a 7 ton tank under the terrace that backs up the domestic supply, so, so far so good, but we were looking a little low. Three of us had been up shouting, nicely of course, all this week until finally on Friday morning we seemed to get a lot of gurgling noises and then water. This was all very nice, but, we have had a split hot water tank, up the water tower, since the weekend, which meant we had to turn off the pump that pressurises the system. The problem here is of course that the tank is a non standard size and had to be made for us. Chris and Bob, our builder friends, collected it this morning and then spent the rest of the day, until 7.30p.m. trying to get it replaced and plumbed in. They had a big problem with one of the joints around the solar panels and finally packed up and went home just before 8 o'clock.
After all this, we three said something like, who wants to cook at 8 p.m, the answer was nobody, so off we went to The Ravine for cod and salad with a couple of cold beers, but at least we have water for a shower tomorrow. Just realised one other advantage of our idea of renting in France, this little lot cost us almost £400.00, which would of course be somebody else's problem.
Saturday evening, Joan and I had a very enjoyable evening with Stewart and Barbara at Number 14. Barbara had heard us talking about our great meal there and wanted to try someplace really special for an evening. If you come over here and want to go there then you have to remember that it is only open in the summer, as it is a garden restaurant and you sure as heck need to book in advance. Mobile number 0542 859 2672
Oh yes, looks like it might be a costly trip we have planned. Joan has been pestering me to go to Dubai before we leave the island, so we have booked for our anniversary at the end of August. On Friday Joan went down to a jewelers here in town and had her ears pierced. Approaching 70 years old and suddenly she makes that decision. She said it didn't hurt too much, but I get the feeling that it might hurt me a little more.
Sunday morning and relaxing again. Richard and I are having a late bacon and egg breakfast and then I will look at what the newspaper says.
An alert for swine flu on the island. Eight cases have been confirmed here in the North but the government pharmacy department says that there is enough Tamiflu and Relenza drugs on the island, but the recommendation is to go directly to the hospital if you believe you are a sufferer.
Shortages of water are looming. Not surprising really despite the fact that we had much more rain during the winter months than we have had in the last few years. Our water is getting cut off on a regular basis for four/five days, fortunately we have a 7 ton back up tank. Despite the warnings the locals are still hosing down their terrace areas and driveways, maybe they are deaf or think the restriction only applies to us Brits.
The new PM and the President seem to be still at loggerheads. The President is still discussing reunification of the island but is keeping his discussions very close to his chest. The PM is saying that there must be no concessions but the property issue must be resolved by exchange and compensation. A warning shot across his bows maybe.
In the middle of the paper is a double article about Environmental Destruction. The article goes on to remind people about the Greek Cypriot attitude to the alleged misuse of their land in the North, whilst they themselves are destroying a beautiful Turkish Cypriot village in the South as just one example of the pot calling the kettle black.
Weather forecast for this week is temperatures ranging from 37 - 40 degrees. Hot and very humid.
Andrew and I went in to Lefkosa today to go through month end with the suppliers. We stopped for a light lunch at a place called Chicken Planet, cheap and cheerful until we came out again to find a parking ticket on the car. 119 TL, about £47.00, making it a very expensive lunch. The most interesting part of this was that we were parked in a line of cars with many locals and we were the only one with a ticket on the screen.
For the last few days we have been very concerned about or Tiggy puss. She has been yelling for food every time we go near the fridge but then struggling to eat. We took her to the vet last week and she did blood tests which show everything to be OK. Today because we were getting increasingly concerned at the rapid weight loss, we took her in to the vets and she has put her on a drip and done an x-ray, which shows nothing wrong. We will just have to see how the next few days progresses.
The vet had built Tiggy up a little with her drip food so decided to do an exploratory operation and she found two small growths in the stomach. She has taken biopsies and sent them off to two different laboratories so now we just have to wait.
Joan and Anne went over to the south today together to do some shopping for the last of the villas that Joan has been kitting out. That left me to sit and watch the first test for quite a bit of the day, very enjoyable.
This evening we all went down to the Park Restaurant in Karsiyaka. This is one of the places the boys go to on odd Tuesdays and the food looked good and very reasonably priced. The added advantage is that the boys had negotiated a a discounted price on Carlsberg, us being regular visitors.
We only realised when we all gathered that it was Bingo night. We had met up at 7.45, ordered a couple of drinks and then sorted out the food. Our food came at around 8.30 and by this time people were beginning to gather and fill the whole place. We actually declined the Bingo tickets but stayed around to watch. Well eyes down look in time was not until about 9.30, with the numbers called in both languages through a very squeaky microphone. After one false call the whole thing was over by 10.15 and everybody was heading for home. Not a patch on the Mecca system in UK. We vowed to come back and have tickets next time, a fun evening to watch the serious players.
Not good news about our Tiggy puss. The growths are cancerous but quite small at the moment, but enough to stop her from eating so she has to stay in on a drip. Our vet was trained in Istanbul and has been in contact with the University there and they have been successfully treating animals with chemotherapy. They say that we could prolong her life by another couple of years, so we are thinking at the moment, lets go for it.
Took a quick look at the midweek paper. The main interest story is about a cruise liner scheduled to call here in September as part of their "29 day Ancient Lands Discovery" cruise. Pressure from the Greek Cypriots has forced them to cancel this port of call. This is of course from the very people who are trying to reach a negotiated civilised settlement with the TRNC. Please don't think that they even want a sensible resolution.
Four more road deaths this week from a total of 90 accidents. This in one week on such a small part of the island.
All us guys got really excited by an advert in the paper. "Male escorts required for a high class holiday business" Further examination rules us out, preferred age 35 - 50, must be well dressed, courteous and open minded. No comment.
This evening most of the gang were invited to Anne's courtyard christening. Anne has had this project on the go for most of the early part of the summer to give her a nice shady and relaxing place to chill out in. She has done a lovely job and decorated the whole with things from India, Egypt as well as local Cypriot items. So there it is the The courtyard and it was well christened with some bubbly and a delicious buffet supper.
Oh dear. Said I had been watching the first test against Australia. Not so sure I want to watch much more of our performance.
The newspaper says that this new government is set to give expats the opportunity to meet ministers face to face and ask questions of their choice. The initiative came from the government itself so lets hope this represents a new era in cooperation between us all.Things are not of course going to change overnight just because we have the opportunity to discuss issues openly, the first problem that this government is going to have to tackle is the huge deficit that it has inherited, as well as issues of land, property ownership etc. A formidable task which we hope they are able to address.
The prolific house raiders who concentrated on the properties of expats, have received a total of 30 years in jail. Some of the victims say that this is not enough, but then is that not what is said the world over by those who are the victims. At least as this lot are, I believe, mainland Turks, they will be deported after completing their sentences and not allowed back on the island.
It appears that three ladies from ABAG, Aga Buyers Action Group, are to set up a demonstration outside the TRNC London Offices, to warn UK residents about buying in TRNC. That strikes me as being very counter productive. If they try to stifle the economy by slowing down property development even more, how can they ever expect this government to address the problem specific to the Aga site.
An expat has complained about the authorities refusing him access across the border with furniture bought in the south. He claims that it was below the Euro allowance agreed of 135 Euros per person. The rules have been spelt out on many occasions and are available at the border. The allowance is per person, can not be combined and is intended for consumption goods and presents, never for furniture etc. I have mentioned on this site before about people who have had to pay or lose their purchases, so be warned.
The major article in the newspaper exposes the local authorities once again for their incompetence. If anybody tries to get down the main shopping street in Girne, they will find it almost impossible. A major rebuild of the high street is taking place with new sewage works, electric cables etc and new pavements. But why of why in the middle of the tourist season. It is impossible to even walk down the road and businesses are really suffering. As the shopkeepers say, if they have to do this why not work round the clock to finish quickly? Maybe that is applying logic which defies them here.
Weather is 100 degrees+ with humidity high, but then I understand that you have been having some warm spells in UK as well.
Tiggy is still in the vets, but today contact has been made with the university in Istanbul and the medication has been ordered. It looks as if I will have to go over later this week to collect.
One of our local friends, Serkan has been appointed to head up the administration of the local parliament.
This new government is making great efforts to be more attuned to the needs of it's expat supporters as well as making an effort to make the rest of the world sit up and recognise that there are people here who have been very badly treated over the years. They are justly proud of their peace and freedom day celebrations on 20th July every year, but it has always been a celebration for them and them alone. Now they are inviting people from governments all over Europe and the rest of the world, we could say at last, a promotion of themselves to the outside world, instead of always looking inward and waiting for something to happen. It remains to be seen who and how many respond and attend.
Joan and I have been invited, together with committee members of BRS and others, to a reception on Sunday 19th, by the Speaker of the parliament, Dr. Hasan Bozer and his wife, Dr. Sonay Bozer, to a reception at the Malpas Hotel. We actually went to the parliament building this morning to accept the official invitations and had an extremely interesting tour of the building, including the assembly chamber itself.
We look forward to this opportunity and consider it a great honour to be included on the guest list for this their 35th Anniversary.
On our way in to Lefkosa we spotted the new Ataturk Statue which has been erected as you cross over from the Greek south. Another example of this government saying, here we are and here we plan to stay.
Today's news is that the medication for Tiggy will be available for me in Istanbul tomorrow morning. I had been in touch with Ankara Travel to reserve flights with CTA, tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. and returning at 2 p.m. from Istanbul. I have to take a cool bag over with ice blocks to keep this medication cold, which unfortunately means that the bag will have to go in to the hold, but should only be small delay whilst it is unloaded. We need to get this here now as Ferdez, our vet, tells us that it is only the drip that is really keeping Tiggy alive.
CTA strikes again. This wonderful National Airline, run by some non professionals, has decided because they don't have enough bums on seats, to cancel the 2 p.m. flight. This is supposed to be the National airline, with published schedule of flights. I should know better, because some time ago I vowed never to fly with them again, but thought this time, needs must. Anyway, Ankara Travel came up trumps and got me on the Turkish Airlines flight out at 9.40 and back at 18.20, so that's fine.
According to Today's Newspaper there is once again a drive to study the number of Foreign Nationals employed here with the ultimate aim being to recruit TRNC citizens in to the jobs. I see a major problem here, firstly they have to teach TRNC citizens to actually work and then to change the whole education system so that they also learn to think for themselves. This is one of the main reasons why local companies prefer in many cases to recruit expats.
A development fund of 7million TL is being made available to developers of many of the hotels whose construction has not been completed. To qualify for some of this funding, the hotel must have been commenced prior to 2009 and be more than 50% completed at this time. This money is only available as loans but the worry is that it may go to fund work through non-TRNC construction companies.
Casinos operating in TRNC have been forced to cover up and now replace advertising signs along major roads and in towns. Seems strange legislation introduced by the last lot, considering the amount of tax revenue these places bring in. But like I said, not educated to think. Who puts electric pylons at the end of a runway!!!
We have had far more of the noisy cicadas than normal this year. They tell us it is because we have had a much wetter winter than in previous years and humidity is now higher. They are probably right about the number of cicadas, but why is our water getting cut off for long periods of time? Here in Lapta they say that it may be 2 weeks before we get water put out in the pipes, because the reservoir had dried up. In the meantime we can apply for a free delivery by tanker but may have to wait days for this to happen.
Up early and off to Ercan airport with my cool bag inside a small holdall. Ferdez had given me a map of the Taxim area of Istanbul where I was to go to collect the medication. Excellent directions and no problem getting there but had a slight language problem when I got there. Good old mobile phones, I was able to speak to Ferdez and pass my phone over. All sorted and the guy at the university lab was very pleased to see that I had freezer blocks already with me.
So there I am in the middle of Istanbul at 1 p.m., having completed my mission, but with five hours to go before my plane leaves. Fortunately we know this area and I was able to go to one of the local restaurants and have an excellent lunch and a can of local beer for only 14.75TL. I then walked slowly down through the main shopping street area to fill in time, but came to the conclusion that it was far too hot and humid here, so grabbed a taxi back to the airport. Taxis here are like London cabs, you can hear the meter spinning round but most importantly was the speed these guys go at. I remember looking once at the speedometer reading 120KM in a 50KM zone. The result of all this was that I am now at the airport 3.5 hours before my final check in time. At least I was able to make use of the note the pharmacy had given me and get a priority/fragile sticker on the holdall to speed up the handling.
The flight got back on schedule and I was able to get home, put the medication in to the fridge and then get round to Pat and Bryan's, as they were having an anniversary BBQ and had promised to keep some of the sticky toffee pud for me, with of course a couple of beers. End of a long day, but worth it.
I got the medication down to Ferdez early yesterday morning, but when we rang she told us that she had some problems getting a vein to administer the drug.
Today we had some very much better news. Tiggy had actually had some breakfast all by herself this morning and then Ferdez had managed to get the drugs in to her veins. Later she called to say all was well and Tiggy had even had some lunch. She is going to keep her there over the weekend but hopefully we will be able to bring her home on Monday. If she continues to eat like this then we will have to take her back every Friday for the next eight weeks. So it's fingers crossed from now on in, but we just had to give here a fighting chance, she is after all part of the family.
I know many think we are crazy for spending all this time, money and effort on a cat, but hey folks, it's horses for courses.
For all rugby fans, I have been sent the attached which talks about the new club house and the seasons fixtures. Something for the diaries.
A warm welcome from the Pumas Rugby Club in North Cyprus.
Our new website is now live and will be regularly updated with all the latest happenings from North Cyprus. We are currently in the process of updating the new fixtures into the Season’s calendar. At this moment in time we have 4 British touring teams coming to Cyprus this season and we even to host the first Turkish International game in Cyprus. We are planning approximately 15 home games this season without including the Turkish league matches.
10’s Tournament - September
Pumas are pleased to announce that the first annual Rugby 10's competition will take place at the Alsancak stadium, North Cyprus on the weekend of the 12th September. Qualifying rounds will take place on the Friday and the big day will be Saturday. There will be live entertainment, Bar, Food, fete, and lots more entertainment.
The weekend will also be the grand opening of the Pumas new clubhouse called 'Fifteens' which is currently being restored by Pumas members. The location of the bar is the old 'Chapter One' bar opposite our stadium.
A special membership scheme will soon be announce allowing people to have discounts at the Pumas Bar, Restaurant, Merchandise and Free Entrance to fixtures.
The forecast for the next week is 41 degrees, with of course the usual warnings about being out in the sun in the middle of the day.
We have a very big problem here in Lapta. The mayor has officially announced in the newspaper that the reservoir has dried up and he warns that it could be 10 to 15 days before supplies are restored. They have two tankers and have hired in a third, to deliver water, in 2 ton batches, to those who have completely run out. These deliveries will be free of charge but he warns that owners may have to buy in water if the local authority struggles to meet demand. we are so lucky that we have a 7 ton tank under the terrace, so it will be sometime before we personally have a problem, but we need to be careful. Having said all this, I saw a local washing his car yesterday evening, pity I didn't have a camera with me.
The new PM has set up a Commission to weed out corruption in the property section. This is a very positive move but lets hope that this 5 man team is able to identify and be able to severely punish the constructors and advocates who have damaged this country so much.
Early days yet but they could do worse than discuss with HBPG as I feel sure that Marion Stokes could point them in the right direction very quickly.
The government has made something of a U-turn on it's scheme to halve road tax. There will still be a considerable saving over the old costs but not as much as they originally planned. Guess they jumped in with both feet, early on in there administration, to try give people some relief in their costs. The old example of opening the mouth before engaging the brain.
Another member of parliament has weighed in about the Ataturk statue. he says that the statue, depicting Ataturk on a horse and brandishing a sword has a war-mongering attitude and has been erected to satisfy the egos of extreme chauvinists and nationalists. Strange. I thought a true nationalist attitude is what has been lacking here for so long.
The President and the PM still seem to be at odds over the peace deal. The PM does not believe that a deal can be reached this year, whilst the President believes that a referendum before the end of the year is possible. The Greek Cypriot side is also saying that the TRNC must change it's attitude before any agreement can be reached. By that it means the removal of Turkey's guarantee and the removal of Turkish troops must happen first before agreement can be reached. In other words they want single sovereignty and single identity, which would leave the smaller population of Turkish Cypriots exposed to the situation they were in in the 50s and 60s. The PM is saying That Talat should have the courage to suggest that the TRNC will never accept this situation and suggest that Christofias should leave the negotiating table if he is unable to negotiate.
On a lighter side, ha ha. The lights that illuminate the magnificent St Hilarion castle have been switched back on after repairs that had occurred due to a lightening strike. Have to say when they came back on, for the first time on Wednesday, it was great to see. This is after all a tourist island and sights like this are essential.
Well last night we attended the reception at The Malpas Hotel. Those of us who received The invite considered it to be a real honour as a non-Cypriot to attend this function. Drinks, mostly non-alcoholic of course, were served by waiters and the food was laid out at four different buffet tables around the pool area. The food was traditional and apart from these ladies baking meat filled wheat bread on hot open ovens, there was all the usual doners, both lamb and chicken, with salads and meze dishes. Lots of fruit and sticky sweet things as pud, but most impressive were the water melon carvings done by one of the chefs.
All together a very enjoyable evening, must send a letter to Dr Bozer this week as a thank you.
Well we got Tiggy home at 1200 today and she is eating everything we put down for her, which is brilliant news. She has gone very thin but that was only to be expected, now we will have to fatten her up again. We have to take her back for an injection on Wednesday morning and then back in again on Saturday for the next chemo treatment. For the next seven weeks she will be spending her weekend with the vet, but if she gets a few more good years with us it will all have been worth it.
There is still lots of speculation around the will they, wont they, scenario, as to whether the two sides can reach any sort of agreement about the island reuniting. Personal opinion and it is only a personal opinion, no they wont, they are much too far apart. There have been some recent press articles which show just where the real problem lies, but unfortunately the history on one side alone, will not allow them to own up to this.
The first article I read was about the last weeks of President Makarios who was battling for autonomy from motherland Greece. Around 20th July 1974, Makarios had fled the island afraid for his life, toppled in a bloody coup and causing the Turkish Military to intervene, which caused the island to be divided and it has remained so ever since.
Whilst much emphasis was put on the Turkish Military intervention, with Greek Cypriot cries of "invasion" and "occupation", it was in fact Greek Cypriot against Greek Cypriot that plunged the island in to chaos. Makarios was deposed and replaced by Nicos Sampson, who the US Ambassador to Athens described as an out and out thug with no compunctions against murder and assassination. Sampson had been appointed by the Greek military junta because of a lack of trust in Makarios. The results of this were that Greece and Turkey were on the brink of war, the Soviet Union wanted to send in its troops to solve the problem, whilst the US and Britain, in usual form, dithered, pressed for delays and skirted round the issue with veiled threats and ambiguous statements. Nothing different there then.
All this was about one dream, enosis, union with Greece. But this had supposedly been ruled out when the Cyprus republic was created in 1960. There was talk about Makarios becoming power hungry, which is why he wanted autonomy from Greece and why he had stripped the Turkish Cypriot community of its constitutional power 11 years earlier. The world feared the actions of Nicos Sampson and rightly so it seems, as in a 1980s interview he said, "Had Turkey not intervened I would not only have proclaimed enosis, I would have annihilated the Turks in Cyprus as well."
Britain as a guarantor power, could have taken action to restore the status quo and solve some of the problems between the two sides, but no, we choose to sit on our hands and do nothing and that attitude still seems to persist today.
Because of Turkeys intervention, Sampson's reign lasted only eight days. But the division has lasted since 1974 and here in TRNC we have just helped celebrate the 35th anniversary of Peace and Freedom Day.
The above is a precis of a very long article describing the situation as it was then and was an attempt to restate the facts as they were. however there is still a denial of any involvement by the Greek Cypriot side and the comments made written up in this article appearing in The Cyprus Mail highlight this.
Two sides still poles apart
By Daniel Thomas
THE TWO sides are still ‘poles apart’ when it comes to agreeing on what kind of new state would emerge from a Cyprus solution,President Demetris Christofias said yesterday
Christofias was speaking after one of several memorial events yesterday to mark the 35th anniversary of the 1974 Turkish invasion.
He was commenting on statements made in the north by Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat who hosted a military parade in which nine Turkish F5 fighter jets, helicopters and naval frigates sent from Turkey took part in celebrations to mark the 1974 ‘peace operation’.
"In any agreement, we will never let Turkey's guarantorship become an issue of debate or be watered down," Talat said. "We are not very far from a settlement. But we act silently and cautiously because we have learned lessons from the inconsistent attitudes of the Greek Cypriot side and the European Union in the past," he added.
He also said that Turkish Cypriots had become guarded against what he called the “unfair and aggressive energies of the GC leadership in the international arena”.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek also referred to Turkey’s guarantee saying: "Only a solution that reflects the realities of two peoples and two states is possible. It must also include Turkey's effective guarantor rights," Cicek said. "Turkey will never renege on its guarantor obligations."
Responding, Christofias said the notion was unacceptable. ''We have ascertained that on these issues our views are poles apart,” he said.
Both leaders said however they were working towards a solution “the soonest possible”.
The Turkish Cypriot side and Turkey want a solution by the end of the year. The Greek Cypriot side said recently this would not be possible. The leaders began talks last September.
"Today we are obliged to keep memories alive but at the same intensify our efforts to end the fait accompli of the invasion and occupation which only worsens with the passing of time," Christofias said.
But Cicek warned: "The window of opportunity will not stay open indefinitely.”
"If all parties act with the constructive attitude the Turkish Cypriots have displayed, we believe that a comprehensive settlement is possible by the end of 2008," he added. He also said Turkey would “never be dragged into a dead end of choosing between Cyprus and the EU”.
While politicians sparred with words, memorial services were held all around the island as figures from the upper echelons of the political and religious establishments commemorated the memory of turmoil, displacement and imposed partition with speeches focusing on the struggle to undo the wrongs of the past.
“In honour of the people who lost their lives, who stood betrayed in the face of the tanks and machine guns of Atilla… I want to say that we will do whatever is possible so that their sacrifice is justified, that we reach a solution that will grant us a functioning state that upholds the human rights and freedoms of all Cypriots, without foreigners possessing an ordained right to meddle in our internal affairs,” said Christofias at a service in Phaneromeni church in Nicosia.
The President was joined at the ceremony by Archbishop Chrysostomos and Defence Minister Costas Papacostas, who both implored the people of Cyprus to remain diligent and determined in the search for an end to the enduring tragedy of the island.
Other memorial services were held in towns, villages and cemeteries around Cyprus, as well as in cities around the world with significant Greek Cypriot or Greek communities. Prime Minister of Greece Costas Karamanlis stressed his nation’s unwavering support for the Republic, saying: “Thirty-five years after the Cypriot tragedy, Greece and its people do not forget. We struggle, and we will struggle until the last wall on European territory falls and justice is realised.”
Commemorations and expressions of solidarity also came from New York, where Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church in America Demetrios led services in the Greek stronghold of Astoria in New York.
In the north, while all of the newspapers had their front pages dedicated to celebrating the events of July 20th, left-leaning Afrika maintained its status as the mouthpiece of opposition to the conventional rhetoric, writing under the headline: “35 years in half a country”.
‘We continue to celebrate the day that thousands of people lost their lives, when many were murdered and thrown into mass graves, when women were raped, when a large part of the population were turned into refugees and the island was divided,” the paper said.
Copyright, Cyprus Mail 2009.
Joan and I have had a couple of bottles of a 1995 Chateau bottled Medoc sitting in our wine rack since we came over here, so last night we finally decided to share these with Pat and Bryan, before they go off to UK for four weeks. They say it is not too escape the oppressive heat, but I bet they will be glad of some cool weather. Have to say that the wine was beautiful and really well enjoyed. Can't remember much about the food but guess that was OK as well, but that might have been because Bryan and I just had to finish the evening off with some of that 15 year old malt.
It was a good job we decided to do this on Thursday evening as I have to pick them up at 4 a.m. to go to the airport tomorrow.
4 a.m. pick-up and I nearly overslept. Well actually I made a mistake setting my alarm last night, switched it off and got out of bed straight away, then heard the guy up the mountain singing his bit from the Koran and he does that at 4 a.m. Oops, I just made it for 4.20 and then we were at the airport at 5.15, so still in plenty of time. Lucky the roads are quiet at that time of the day.
Picked up the Saturday newspaper on the way back so might as well see if it has anything interesting in it.
The new government has issued a final warning over work permits for foreign workers. This of course includes the many who are working in the construction industry. They are suggesting a sort of amnesty and a one off payment now will get workers a permit. They are also suggesting that they will be chasing up on illegal workers, so guess some of those ex-pats who are doing a bit here and there should look out.
A court date has been set in UK to hear the Orams case. it is to be 11th and 12th of November.
Another example of Greek Cypriot stupidity this week. The port of Gazi Magusa has been ratified as "legal" by Olli Rehn, the European Union Commissioner for enlargement. But no, the Greeks seized a South Korean cargo ship after it left the port, arrested 4 crew members and levied a fine on the company of 2 million Euros. This is a country that wants to resolve the island issue. You must be joking.
Thirty British MP's have signed an early day motion backing the current peace talks on Cyprus. I wonder how many of them know anything about the history behind the current divide. Maybe they are hoping for an all expenses paid trip out here!!!!
Anybody eaten down on the Old Harbour whilst being here on holiday. How many have moaned about the restaurant touts. Well this week, the local authority closed one restaurant down for 7 days for waiter harassment after a tourist complained. it has been lots better during the last couple of years but still aggravating.
A draft bill is to be published next week to introduce sweeping changes to the national airline, CTA. Remains to see what this will be, but the Minister responsible has recognised the tremendous over staffing.
The Greek Cypriot government has said it will block Turkey's European Union accession talks unless it stops acting like a "classroom bully" over oil and gas exploration. The mind boggles.
We picked Tiggy up this morning, after her weekend at the vets, for the second dose of chemo. She couldn't wait to get into her travel basket and come home, don't think she likes that B & B too much. As soon as we got her home she was yelling for food and is now eating us out of house and home and already putting weight on. All signs are good so far, lets hope it stays that way.
I received an e-mail today from a friend who had picked up on the comments made by the Swedish Foreign Minister. Finally somebody who speaks the truth, but it appears that not everybody wants to believes it. I copy here:-
Bildt highlights Greek responsibility in Cyprus’ division
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, has presented a historical account of the Cyprus issue that included Greek and Greek Cypriot actions that eventually led to a Turkish military intervention and the island's division.
Bildt, whose country will be at the helm of the EU until January, made the remarks in response to a salvo of questions by Greek and Greek Cypriot members of the European Parliament at a hearing of the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday.
Many of the questions directed at Bildt, who was presenting the Sweden's foreign affairs and security priorities to the Foreign Affairs Committee, centered on whether Turkey would open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot traffic by the end of this year.
The EU Council's sole decision concerning Cyprus is not related to the ports issue, Bildt said in response, adding that the EU would examine all decisions related to Cyprus and then “decide what could be done once all liabilities have been addressed,” the Anatolia news agency reported, suggesting that Bildt was referring to EU pledges to lift the international isolation of Turkish Cypriots.
The EU Council's decisions concerning Cyprus should be considered “parts of the same whole,” Bildt emphasized, in an apparent reference to Turkey's stance, saying that it would open its ports and airports when the isolation of Turkish Cypriots is eased by the EU, Anatolia reported.
When a deputy suggested that Turkey has been invading an EU member country with its peace forces in the northern part of Cyprus, Bildt referred to the incidents which eventually led to division of the island in 1974.
“At the time, [Col. Georgios] Papadopoulos was the leader of the military junta in Athens. The junta in Athens started a series of incidents in Cyprus which led to this [intervention of Turkish forces in the north.] This is the reality; there cannot be any junta in EU members,” Bildt was quoted as saying by Anatolia.
“Why didn't it [resolution in Cyprus] happen in 2004?” Bildt also asked.
The four-decade-old Cyprus problem erupted after the eastern Mediterranean island was granted independence from Britain in 1960, which was soon followed by an outbreak of inter-communal clashes in 1963. The island was ethnically divided between a Greek south and a Turkish north when the Turkish military intervened in 1974 under the terms of the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee after diplomacy failed to end unrest on the island.
Ankara does not recognize the Greek Cypriot government, which entered the EU in May 2004 as the official representative of the entire island. Ankara has consistently called for steps to end the international isolation of Turkish Cypriots after they voted for a UN plan to reunite the island in 2004, but despite pledges from the EU, there has been no significant progress since then.
Oops guess somebody might not like the people now leading the EU until January.
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