Listen to the Turkish youth tonight

Last week the young Greek Cypriots were the guests of 32nd Day. We heard very interesting things. Today, during the 32nd Day program on CNN Turk at five past 10 p.m., you will be hearing from the young Turkish Cypriots. You will be astonished. You will hear the kind of remarks you do not expect at all. Maybe you · will get angry. However, do not forget that all these have been said in sincerity

Maybe we will get angry, and we will accuse those who utter these words of being ingrates.

However, let us not forget that these words reflect the genuine feelings of the young Turkish Cypriots, or at least a significant part of them.

Last week we visited Southern Cyprus, that is, to the Greek Cypriot section, where we talked with University students. A significant part of the viewers who watched that program sent messages of praise and said that they would like to hear from the young Turkish Cypriots as well.

We have visited Yakin Dogu Universitesi, that is, the Near East University, and we interviewed only Turkish Cypriot students. The students from mainland Turkey were admitted into the hall only as guests. We took that path because it is the Turkish Cypriot youths who will actually be living in Cyprus. They will stay there while the students from mainland Turkey will return to their own homeland eventually. So, we preferred to hear from the real owners of Cyprus.

I knew it all along but I had not expected the Turkish Cypriot youngsters to be so resentful, so reactive, so offended.

These youngsters resent some of the policies Turkey has conducted over the past three decades. They are not being thankless towards Turkey. There are, among them, those whose fathers or grandfathers fought against the Greek Cypriots and were martyred. Despite all this they are resentful because of the current situation. These youngsters are not happy to be living in Cyprus. They are not confident about the future. And they do not hide the fact that if things continue in this manner they will not remain in Cyprus.

They do not hide the fact that they will obtain Greek Cypriot passports should that be needed, that in fact some of them have already done so.

These people do not have any bad intentions. They are merely young and impatient. Just like other youngsters they think about their futures. The incidents of the 1960s, Enosis or the Greek Cypriots' ruses are not on their agenda.

When I asked them what kind of solution should be found to the Cyprus problem I received the following reply:

"Any kind, just let us have a solution." They are not afraid of entry into the European Union. They say that if the federation will provide a solution they will opt for it. However, they add that Turkey's guarantee must not be scrapped immediately.

All these conflict with the official policies of both Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC).

If a solution is being sought without hearing out the young people I think a mistake is being made. This is because the impression I have got is that -- if the Greek Cypriots are admitted into the European Union and the KKTC is left out -- a lack of solution may lead to a situation where a great part of the "authentic Cypriot citizens" will leave Cyprus and those who have migrated to Cyprus from Turkey and become Cypriot citizens, will become the majority group in the KKTC.

At one point a student from Turkey in the audience wanted to speak, saying, "Then it would be best if you came up and annexed the KKTC to Turkey. Denktas would become the governor and Eroglu the mayor. And that would be the end of the issue. Both you and we would then be at ease." His words about annexation drew a negative reaction from the Turkish Cypriot students. I find this reaction quite remarkable.

Those who are the real owners of Cyprus talked about how upset they are to be losing their identity and to be living according to the orders received from Turkey and with the money coming from Turkey.

In the end, I went to KKTC President Rauf Denktas and played out the tape recordings of the youngsters' statements. And I asked him, "Are the alarm bells ringing?"

As mentioned in previous discussions, the Turkish Cypriots are the new victims of the 27-year Turkish invasion/occupation of Cyprus. The free world should take off the earplugs and listen to their cry. Turkey and its generals should take off their dark glasses, and see. Turkey is going to turn into an Islamic fundamentalist chaos soon. Cyprus does not need any more torture. The Cypriot people have suffered enough from Turkish and other conquerors throughout their history. Let them be.

unfortunately a lot of the Turkish Cypriots have already left,and the leaders of Turkey today are the same ones that occupied Cyprus in the first place. They are so old they are deaf.

Where did you get the idea that Turkey is going to go into a fundamentalist chaos? This is one of the strangest things I've read on Freep if you don't count a couple of posts from a few Greeks and Armenians. And what does this have to do with the Cyprus problem anyway?>

It is true that the lack of a solution to the Cyprus problem has left a great burden on the backs of Turkish Cypriots. But, everyone knows that if Turkey had not intervened in 1974, there would not have been any Turkish Cypriots left on the island today (remember Bosnia). However, everyone also knows that staying there for all this time was a bad decision too. Evenso, it looks like things are going to change in the near future so let's all hope that they change for the better for all parties involved.

These young students can see across the Green line, they can watch new stores, hotels, and high rise housing being built in the Greek areas. Their counterparts driving around in BMW's and Opels.They want to share in the boom a mere 100 yds away.

They look at their area of Cyprus, donkey carts, no industry and a medieaval life style.

The Turkish leadership is suprised to hear that they are ticked off. The only way in or out of the Northern end of the island is via Turkey.

Time to roll up the Green line and open the borders.

You must be Greek. I know they teach you guys that Turkey is a autocratic state ruled by a group of generals that can't sleep at night unless they've planned a new way to invade Greece or Cyprus.

Break out of this foolish propaganda and start spending your people's hard earned money for the benefit of your people instead of funneling it into the bank accounts of international arms dealers and a bunch of generals/admirals in the Greek Armed Forces.

Nobody even thinks of starting a war in Turkey. We've stopped doing that quite a long time ago.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.