During the cold war in 1974 a double crime was committed against Cyprus: The coup d' etat against President Makarios and the legal government and the Turkish invasion and occupation of 37% of the island's territory.
NATO, and especially the U.S.A., were the mastermind behind it because they wanted to turn Cyprus into their own "unsinkable aircraft - carrier", as they called it.
Since then, for over 27 years, the people of Cyprus as a whole suffer from the consequences of that double crime. The Turkish troops of "Attila", as the invasion was named, carried out an ethnic cleansing by chaising away the Greek Cypriots from the occupied territory and forcing the Turkish Cypriots to go to the occupied north. Thus Cyprus and its people were divided. A big refugee problem was created involving one third of the population, while the enclaved were also forced to gradually abandon their homes, numbering today a round 500. The most tragic aspect of that crime is the still continuing agony of the families of the missing persons.
All basic human rights are violated by Turkey in Cyprus. In the occupied territory Turkey established an illegal "state" self proclaimed and has been colonising the area with settlers from its main land. Social economic and political conditions in the occupied territory make life very hard forcing many Turkish Cypriots to emigrate. So now the Turkish Cypriots are a minority in that area.
Despite the numerous resolutions of the UN General Assembly and Security Council, the Cyprus problem remains unsolved to the detriment of its people as a whole and adding to the tension in the sensitive region of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.
During those past years the U.S. have constructed a big air bases in the occupied territory and have linked the so called "sovereign British bases" to the notorious Echelon spying network.
Cyprus is one of the European Union candidate members. Yet Turkey not only blocks the solution of the Cyprus problem but also threatens to annex the occupied territories in case Cyprus accedes to the E.U.
The people of Cyprus strongly wish a rapid solution of the Cyprus problem and also the accession to the E.U. with the hope to reunite the island and the people and to ensure a secured and prosperous life with guaranteed human rights for all citizens in an independent, sovereign bi-zonal bi-communal federal republic free of foreign troops and bases, a bridge of peace in the region.
Soon, on the 16th of January, 2002, direct talks between the leaders of the two communities, President Clerides and the Turkish Cypriot leader Mr. Denktash, will commence in Nicosia with the participation of Mr. Alvaro de Sotto, the U.N. Secretary-General's special representative
We very much wish that this meeting may mark the breaking of the dead-lock and the beginning of the end of the drama of Cyprus.
Yet, the recent intransigent statements of the leaders of Turkey, including Prime Minister Ecevit and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ismail Cem, and those of Mr. Denktash insisting on the recognition of the illegal "state" condemned by UN Security Council Resolutions 541 and 550 and the threats to annex the occupied territories leave little room for optimism.
Recently Denktash prevented even Turkish Cypriot trade Union leaders from meeting their Greek-Cypriot colleagues in preparing the next meeting of the Trade Union Forum.
The Denktash regime persecutes the newspaper AVRUPA (Europe) in a clear attempt to suppress the freedom of press.
Both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots wish a quick solution of the Cyprus problem. Hence, we appeal to all people of good will, who cherish peace, freedom and justice to raise their voice and demand from Turkey to respect the UN resolutions, change its intransigent stand so that a mutually accepted viable solution be achieved for Cyprus based on the relevant UN Resolutions and the high-level agreements reached in 1977 and 1979.
Peace and Justice for Cyprus and for all the world.
The Cyprus Peace Council
11-01-2002