Turkish Cypriot Network

DOWNING STREET VIGIL CELEBRATES ITS 1ST BIRTHDAY

Vigil for Justice, the organisation behind the 24-hour vigil outside Downing Street, marked their 1st anniversary with a small birthday party at the site. The party also saw the unveiling of the first set of pictures donated by Turkish Cypriots for the Vigil's Photograph Campaign, as well as the Vigil's new logo.

Vigil for Justice, which is campaigning to end 37 years of international embargoes against North Cyprus, displayed the first set of photographs to be sent in from Turkish Cypriots around the world. The 100 plus people in the photos include grandmother Nesime Daley and her granddaughters Emine and Nesime junior from Aydinkoy; a picture of the Yalova football team, based in Bostanci; and Ugur Karagozlu, the Private Secretary to President Denktas.

There is also a moving personal testimony about the impact of the embargoes from 'Gulfem' a 28 year old Turkish Cypriot. The Vigil organisers hope that by displaying the faces of the people affected by the embargoes will highlight the human dimension of Guarantor Britain's biased policies in Cyprus.

The colourful birthday party kicked off at 7pm Saturday 2 December and, thankfully, the rain never came! Throughout the evening a variety of people came or sent messages paying tribute to the Vigil activists, who had braved adverse British weather conditions and sometimes verbal/physical abuse, to keep the vigil going for the past year. They included representatives from Turk-1 and Turkish Cypriot Network, as well as lots of families. A mixture of Turkish pop and UK garage got the crowd and passers-by into the festive spirit and even the duty policemen came to join in the fun.

The Vigil, which first arrived at Downing Street on 22 November 1999, has changed appearance many times. It now has a new logo, created by hip young designer Matt Davies, and a special panel of photos highlighting the Vigil's first year is now on display at the site.

Myth of Living in a United Cyprus

The latest troubles in Pyla, the only mixed settlement in Cyprus, which comes under the British sovereignty, once again proved wrong the British and the other European politicians, who claims that this village is a prime example, which shows that the Turkish and Greek Cypriots can live together again.

At the beginning of this month, the Greek Cypriot army started to strengthen their positions by digging new trenches on the hills to the south of the village and increased the number of their soldiers in the area, which caused concern amongst the Turkish Cypriot population.

In addition to this new development, the abduction of Omer Tekoglu, a Turkish Cypriot who lives in Pyla, by Greek Cypriot police, increased the tension further.

It was reported that Omer Tekoglu, who was badly beaten up by the Greek Cypriot police, was allegedly carrying two kilos of heroin.

Up on this incident, TRNC foreign ministry issued a strong statement condemning the abduction.

Two weeks after this incident, Turkish Cypriot police arrested a Greek Cypriot out side Pergama a Turkish Cypriot village neighbouring Pyla, who allegedly had one and a half kilo of cannabis in his possession.

About five years ago Erkan Egilmez a Turkish Cypriot, who was also abducted in the buffer zone while working in his field, was also charged by the Greek Cypriot police with drug smuggling. He was tortured badly by the Greek Cypriot police and had many cuts to his body. After few months of detention he was released because of insufficient evidence. His case is at the European Court of Human Rights.

Talking about the latest incidents, Turkish Cypriot Alderman Ahmet Sakalli said that he made protests to the UNFICYP on both the abduction of Omer Tekoglu and the activities of the Greek Cypriot army but K¦enberger, the UN officer in charge in the area took no notice.

He said that there is a tense atmosphere and uncertainty in the village because of the activities of the Greek Cypriot police dressed in civilian clothing.

"Greek Cypriot police go around in 4-5 cars patrolling the village for 24 hours a day. They follow and harass the Turkish Cypriots in the village, which is under the control of the UN and the UN soldiers do nothing about it," he said.

He also said: "There is a status-quo in the village, which we are trying to maintain but the Greek Cypriot police deliberately created this latest situation."

All of these latest incidents have increased the tension in Pyla, which is a source of great concern to the Turkish Cypriots living in the village.

For years, many politicians, who owe favours to the Greek Cypriot lobbies in Europe and in the US showed Pyla as an example, where the two communities can live together but time and time again these politicians, who only follow the policy of the Greek Cypriot regime were proved wrong.

Greek Cypriot regime continuously misleads the international community that Pyla is a prime example, where the two communities can live together but the reality is completely different.

The Reality

Up until seven years ago Pyla was a thriving village where there were around 45 souvenir shops and 10 restaurants in the village, serving the tourists visiting the area.

Seven years ago, Greek Cypriot regime started to apply embargoes on the Turkish Cypriots. Any tourist or Greek Cypriot buying anything from the Turkish Cypriots are heavily punished. They either go to jail or pay a heavy penalty.

Today most of the shops in the village are closed. The situation is affecting both Greek and Turkish Cypriots alike.

Greek Cypriot police maintains a heavy presence in the village. Every Greek Cypriot male in the village has an automatic weapon in his possession

These latest incidents, added to the other problems caused by the Greek Cypriot nationalist groups and their police, show that Pyla is not an example of harmonious coexistence of the two peoples. On the contrary it could be the source of a new conflict in Cyprus.

Proximity Talks Are Over

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's unofficial document, which he presented to the sides during the 5th round of proximity talks, has stalled the next round of talks.

After meeting the UN envoy Alvaro De Soto in Cyprus at the beginning of this month, President Denktash of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) reiterated his decision to pull out of the proximity talks.

During his talks with De Soto, President Denktash explained to him that for the Turkish Cypriot side, the proximity talks conducted with his mediation between the two sides to prepare the ground for face-to-face talks were over.

He told De Soto that the Turkish Cypriot side felt that it was not right for the framework, which Annan presented to the sides verbally, to go any further.

Not closing the door completely, Denktash stressed that the Turkish Cypriot side was ready to talk with the UN to prepare the ground for face-to-face talks.

President Denktash stressed that the talks, which have been going on for a year, failed to achieve equality between the two sides.

On his part, Alvaro De Soto said that he did not ask President Denktash whether he would attend the next round of the talks, but said that he would be back in Cyprus in January of next year for further talks with both sides.

After his meeting with De Soto and in response to a question by a Greek Cypriot reporter which concerned a booklet that the Turkish side said they would publish about the 5th round of the proximity talks, Denktash said that this booklet would contain details of the misleading information given out by the Greek Cypriot side and their media, during the talks.

The Turkish Cypriot President stressed that the Greek Cypriot media always mislead the international community by distorting the issues.

"I will publish a booklet that will contain newspaper articles and documents to show how the Greek Cypriot side always leaked information to their media about the talks, and how the Greek Cypriot media used this to mislead the international community. This way every one will know why we are reacting like this," said the President.

He also said, "We expected the UN Secretary General to do something about the leaking of information by the Greek Cypriot side, but nothing has been done about it."

Responding to another question from another Greek Cypriot journalist, he said: " Put this in your mind. It does not matter how other people treat you, you are not the government of all of Cyprus and we are not a fake state. There are two states and two governments in Cyprus. As soon as you accept this, the way for a solution will open. You cannot achieve anything by using the fake government of Cyprus title."
Before leaving the island De Soto held a bi-communal conference at Ledra Palace and answered questions, which were put to him by journalists.

At the conference, De Soto said he was hoping that the two sides will attend the next round of the proximity talks and also hoped that his next visit would be for preparations for the next round of talks.

De Soto also strongly criticised the leaking of the documents by the Greek Cypriot side.

He also stressed that; the leaking and publication of documents could only hamper efforts to reach a settlement.

"I don't want to characterise those responsible for the leakages as saboteurs, but the word does come to mind and it's hard to resist," De Soto said.

Expressing his belief that this was a bad development he said, "The Secretary-General has appealed repeatedly to the sides to preserve the confidentiality of the talks."

Greek Cypriot negotiators at the 5th round of the talks held in Geneva, leaked Annan's document to their press on the same day he presented it to the sides. The next day, while the major news agencies like Reuters and BBC were saying that Kofi Annan did not reveal what his document contained, Greek Cypriot newspapers published full details of the said document.

Annan's document, which was given to the sides on November 8, contained ideas, which were unacceptable to the Turkish Cypriot side.

The unofficial paper envisaged a federal solution with a strong central government, which would lead to the Greek Cypriot domination of the whole island.

On the surface, security and guarantees were meant to stay the same as the 1960 agreements, but there was no mention of the right of intervention by Turkey. It said there would be an international peace force on the island for a certain period, which could intervene if one of the sides threatened the security of the other.

This was unacceptable for the Turkish Cypriots because the Turkish Cypriots have had first hand experience as to how the international community stood by and did nothing to stop the Greek Cypriot massacres of the Turkish Cypriots.

The ideas concerning the property issue were again based on the Greek Cypriots' politics. This gave no consideration to the fact that Turkish Cypriot properties were being confiscated by the Greek Cypriots since the 1950s, and that any action along the lines of these ideas would force thousands of Turkish Cypriots to move from their homes for the fourth time in the last 45 years.

This would open the way for the Greek Cypriots to return to the North and dominate the Turkish Cypriots, and thus effectively abolishing the bi-communality factor of the state.

Annan's document also suggested that the solution should be in line with the EU's acquis communautaire, again designed to satisfy the Greek Cypriot side.

Basing a solution on the EU's acquis communautaire will automatically open the way for the Greek Cypriot domination of the island in a short time.

Before the sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriot side is recognised and a property exchange agreement takes place, having a solution based on acquis communautaire will be the end of the Turkish Cypriots on the island.

Furthermore, the new state would have a Greek Cypriot president and a Turkish Cypriot deputy but it would no longer be the case where solely Greek Cypriots would elect the president and the vice president solely elected by Turkish Cypriots; all 'Cypriots' will vote together. This would effectively mean the creation of a 'majoritarian democracy', which is not in accordance with the original Cyprus Constitution.

The new state would abolish the constitutional rights of the Turkish Cypriots, which were given to them by the 1960 agreements, where only Turkish Cypriots elected the vice president. In this way, the Turkish Cypriots would have no say in determining their future. The Greek Cypriot majority would be able to impose its political will on the Turkish Cypriot people.

In short, although Annan's ideas were unofficial, they were nevertheless designed to reduce the Turkish Cypriots to a minority at the mercy of the Greek Cypriots.

The irony of the whole thing is, it was recently revealed that, while Annan was preparing this document he had conferred with the Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides, seeking his approval on certain matters before he presented it to the sides.

EQUALITY IN WORDS NOT IN DEEDS

The United Nations Security Council adopted the resolution 1331 on December 13, which extends the mandate of the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for a further period of six months, has created further obstacles for the 6th round of the proximity talks.

Resolution prepared by China, also called on the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Turkey to lift the restrictions to the UNFICYP's activities put in place on June 30, 2000.

In December 1999, an addendum was added to the UNFICYP's mandate pointing out that the UNFICYP will need the approval of the Turkish Cypriot authorities for its operations in the North of te island.

However, in June 2000, this addendum was removed after the threats that the Greek Cypriot side would cancel the UNFICYP's mandate.

In retaliation, TRNC government imposed sanctions against the UNFICYP and restricted, to only one, the number of border crossings used by the UN soldiers.

The new resolution from the Security Council, while referring to the resolutions of June 1999 and the June 2000, ignored the resolution of December 1999, which foreseen an agreement between the UNFICYP and the TRNC.

Contrary to the statement of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who stated on September 12, during the 4th round of proximity talks that the sides are politically equal and each leader represents only their own side, this new resolution shows that the UN as the European Union do not treat the sides as equals.

Reacting strongly to the wording of the resolution 1331, TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Defence issued a strong statement criticising the attitude of the Security Council, which insists on seeing the Greek Cypriot illegal regime as the government of Cyprus.

The statement of December 14, from the Ministry said:

"Resolution 1331 (2000) adopted by the United Nations Security Council on 13 December 2000, extending the mandate of UNFICYP, is the latest in the series of mistakes made by the UN on the question of Cyprus.

The said resolution, in addition to the unacceptable elements it contains, refers to the so-called "Government of Cyprus", and states that the mandate of UNFICYP has been extended with the agreement of this so-called government. There is no mention, however, of the consent of the Turkish Cypriot party.

The Greek Cypriot administration of Southern Cyprus, which, in 1963, destroyed, by force of arms, the 1960 bi-national partnership Republic of Cyprus, evicting the Turkish Cypriot partner from the entire state machinery, and which usurped the title of the "Government of Cyprus", does not and could not have the right and authority to speak or act on behalf of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, or Cyprus as a whole. Therefore, the "agreement" of this so-called government can, in no way, be valid or binding.

The stationing and functioning of UNFICYP in the territory of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is subject to the approval and consent of the TRNC authorities, and the continuation of UNFICYP's operations in an effective manner can only be possible with the cooperation of these authorities. Until today, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has given permission to UNFICYP's operations within the framework of its laws, rules and regulations, and at the same time, has continuously stressed the necessity of concluding an agreement in order to put its relations with UNFICYP on a sound basis.

The UN has not only refused to do this, but, during the adoption of the previous resolution, namely Resolution 1303 (2000), also refrained from issuing an Addendum to the UN Secretary-General's relevant report, and neglected to obtain the consent of the Turkish Cypriot party. Repetition of this approach in the adoption of the latest resolution, namely Resolution 1331 (2000), is an approach contrary to the UN's established and institutionalized practices. This may also result in leaving the operations of UNFICYP within TRNC territory in a legal vacuum, and constitutes an ominous development, setting a bad precedent for other UN peace-keeping operations around the world.

While the measures we have put into effect in connection with UNFICYP as from 30 June 2000 have been referred to in Resolution 1331 (2000) and the subject of Akyar is raised, our justified reasons for them have not been included. We regard this attitude as one-sided and unacceptable. Moreover, referring to the Turkish Peace Force as if it were responsible for activities taking place in an area under the control of Turkish Cypriot Security Forces and within the sovereign territory of the TRNC is totally unacceptable. The measures of 30 June 2000, which also include Akyar, have been put into effect by the decision of the TRNC Council of Ministers. The only authorities to be addressed on this or any other matter are those of the TRNC.

The Resolution not only contradicts the principle of the political equality of the two parties, which has also been accepted by the UN, but is also contrary to the political, legal and practical realities in the island, and is unacceptable in toto. The situation created by the adoption of this Resolution is being evaluated together with Turkey."

As Turkish Cypriots we see that the injustice dealt to the Turkish Cypriots with the UN resolution 186 almost 37 years ago, recognising the aggressors in Cyprus as the legitimate government, still carries on.

We see that, for the UN and the EU, equality is a meaningless word.

All their actions show that they are not reliable and we cannot entrust our future in their hands.

Let us hope that we don't have to wait another 37 years for justice to prevail.

TURKEY TO HELP BOOST THE ECONOMY OF THE TRNC

An action plan prepared by Turkey, which will extend a $350 million loan, was announced by Dervish Eroglu, the Prime Minister of the TRNC at the 2001 budget session of the parliament.

Eroglu said that the government was following a policy of economic stabilisation in line with an agreement signed with Turkey and, within that scope, was trying to cut expenses and increase revenue.

Economic agreements signed with Turkey would help the faltering economy recover, Eroglu said, and added that a series of new proposed agreements with Turkey would encourage the private sector in particular.

Also in Turkey, Shukru Sina Gurel, Turkish Minister who is responsible for Cyprus affairs, said that the Turkish Cabinet signed the plan, which envisage to help boost the economy of the TRNC and improve the economic prosperity of the Turkish Cypriot community.

Minister Gurel said that this action plan will start at the beginning of the year 20001 and will go on for the next three years.

Gurel also said that strengthening the economy and boosting the prosperity of the Turkish Cypriot community is vital importance to Turkey.

"Turkey will not spare anything to convert the TRNC into an important centre of education, trade and light industry in the Eastern Mediterranean," he said.

Supported with a $350 million loan, the action plan would be used to develop the infrastructure of the TRNC, the light industry, tourism and the higher education sectors.

THIRTY-SEVEN YEARS OF INJUSTICE

Thirty-seven years ago, on 21 December 1963, only three years after the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus, which was based on equal partnership between Turkish and Greek Cypriots, Greek Cypriots - as envisaged by the AKRITAS extermination plan - began their attacks on Turkish Cypriots.

Their aim was to unite Cyprus with Greece with the help of 20,000 Greek soldiers who landed in Cyprus illegally.

During the 10 years that followed the first attacks, hundreds of Turkish Cypriots were murdered and hundreds disappeared never to be seen again.

Over a hundred thousand Turkish Cypriots became refugees in their own country. More than 60,000 Turkish Cypriots fled the island in order to escape the Greek atrocities.

Since then the Turkish Cypriots have been subjected to inhumane embargoes, which is still continuing after 37 years.

As in the past, today, the so-called human rights champions of the world have been indifferent to the suffering of the Turkish Cypriots.

The same Western World denies basic human rights, which we take for granted in the Western World, to the Turkish Cypriots.

Turkish Cypriots cannot travel freely, they cannot communicate directly with the rest of the world, they cannot trade internationally and our young people are not allowed to participate in international sports activities.
Unfortunately Britain, who is supposed to protect and guarantee the rights of both the peoples of the island as a guarantor power, pursues biased policies that favour the Greek Cypriot side. This stems from the fear of losing the military bases Britain maintains on the island.

The illegal Greek Cypriot regime is still treated as the legitimate government of all Cyprus by the international community, while the Turkish Cypriots are deprived of their basic human rights and their equality given to them by international agreements, which Britain is a signatory.

Furthermore, with the blackmailing tactics of Greece, the European Union is preparing to further reward the aggressors by making South Cyprus a member of the EU, although such a union is forbidden by the constitution of the Cyprus Republic.

After 37 years, it is about time the international community started to correct its mistakes and begin to treat the Turkish Cypriots in a just manner.

It is also about time that the international community realised that the Turkish Cypriots:

Shall never return to the dark days created by the Greek-Greek Cypriot terrorists;

Shall never allow the international community to stand by and watch the massacre of our people again;

Shall never give up their freedom.

MORALS OF THE EU

We declare that the morals of the EU and the British politicians, who, because of their support of the illegal Greek Cypriot regime are directly responsible for the injustices in Cyprus, are in question. We demand answers to the following:
Which country has ever been allowed to become a member of the European Union while denying the basic human rights of the 25% of its population for the last 37 years?

Which country has ever been allowed to become a member of the European Union when it is still run by a president, who was one of the architects of an extermination plan, which envisaged the annihilation of the 25% of its population?

Which country ever became a member of the European Union by implementing terrorist methods to exclude the equal partner community of the state from taking part in running the country?

Is Greek Cypriots' Property Right More Important Than Turkish Cypriots' Right to Live?

In 1989 Mrs. Loizidou, a Greek Cypriot woman, in one of the many border violations by the Greek Cypriots, attempted to cross the border into the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, violating the laws governing the buffer zone set up by the UN. The UN soldiers prevented her from crossing into the TRNC. Using this incident, she claimed that Turkey violated her property rights so she applied to the European Court of Human Rights.

In 1996, their actions based on their political views, the majority of the judges decided that Turkey was responsible for Mrs. Loizidou's loss of property rights. They did not consider the fact that her misfortune was caused by the incomparably more serious violation from 1963 to 1974 by her own community, of the human rights of the Turkish Cypriots, not one of whom has ever been compensated.

More seriously, these judges did not pay any attention to the most fundamental human right, that of the right to live. They forgot that hundreds of Turkish Cypriots lost the right to their lives because of her community's terrorist acts.