Turkish Cypriot Network

COUNCIL OF TURKISH CYPRIOT ORGANISATIONS PROTESTS THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT

Concerning the so-called Armenian genocide during the WWI by the Ottoman Turks, in recent years, the British Parliament repeatedly refused to accept that such genocide did take place.

Unfortunately, this year, facing pressure from the media, specially from BBC’s news editor John Simpson and other journalists who suffer from Turko-phobia, Tony Blair’s government allowed the representatives of the Armenian community to take part in the Holocaust Commemoration Day held on January 24.

To protest the decision of the British government, Council of Turkish Cypriot Organisations (CTCA) held a demonstration outside the Houses of Parliament. Despite the late call, some 350 Turks attended the protest.

Chairman of the CTCA, Ahmet Nazim said new strong actions were necessary.

Stating they sent letters to the British parliamentarians and received certain affirmative replies, Nazim said, “We will launch every necessary initiative to prevent the Armenians from attending the Holocaust Commemoration Day next year and to bring the genocide carried out against the Turkish Cypriots into the agenda.”

Korkmaz Haktanir, Turkish Ambassador to Britain, also protested the decision of the British government and did not attend the Holocaust Commemoration Day.

The decision, of the British government to allow the Armenians to take part in the Commemoration Day was actually an insult to the memory of the Jews that suffered at the hands of the Nazis because the Armenians were actually Nazi collaborators.

MAKARIOS AND HIS IDEALS

Greek Cypriot deputy calls on the Greek Cypriots to follow the ideals of late Archbishop Makarios.

According to the Greek Cypriot newspaper Haravgi, in a speech he delivered at the 23rd remembrance day of Makarios, Nicos Cleanthous, a deputy from the political party DIKO blamed the Greek Cypriots who took part in the coup in 1974 for the situation that Cyprus is in today.

It is obvious that, Cleanthous, like many other Greek Cypriot politicians, is worried about the statements, which some foreign diplomats have recently made concerning the recognition of the Turkish Cypriot side. He called upon the Greek Cypriots to abandon their present positions and re-embark on the road that Makarios showed them.

Pointing the finger at the Greek Cypriots who took part in the coup on 15 July 1974, he said: "Not only are the ordinary criminals getting away with their crimes, the coupists and the murderers of Cyprus are getting away with their crimes too. Nobody has ever been hanged, exposed or has been pushed aside. On the contrary, they are all in high official positions, pretending to show their good intentions. This is the Cyprus of 2001."

When one reads that a Greek Cypriot is openly accusing the Greek Cypriots for what happened in Cyprus and hears that he is calling his people to go back to the Makarios ideals, one might make the mistake of thinking that the ideals of Makarios were different to that of the coupists. In reality, however, his ideals were the same but his planned methods of achieving them were different.

Let us see what the ideals of Makarios were at different times.

On 4 September 1962 Makarios addressing the Greek Cypriots said: "Unless this Turkish community forming part of the Turkish race, which has been the terrible enemy of Hellenism is expelled, the duty of the heroes of EOKA can never be considered as terminated." EOKA was the Greek-Greek Cypriot terrorist organisation who was responsible for the murders of hundreds of British, Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots.

On 19 February 1973 Makarios told Le Point, "I have struggled for the union of Cyprus with Greece, and Enosis will always be my deep national aspiration as it as the aspiration of all Greek Cypriots. My national creed has never changed and my career as a national leader has shown no inconsistency or contradiction."

So we see that the ideals of Makarios always had the same ideals as the EOKA terrorists, he always believed in Enosis. If these are the ideals Cleanthous is calling on the Greek Cypriots to follow, it means we are far from reaching any solution in Cyprus.

However, with his remarks, Cleanthous has confirmed what we have been saying all along; many of the EOKA terrorists who took part in the coup against Makarios are in high-ranking official positions and are influencing the Greek Cypriot policy on Cyprus.

On his complaint that the coupists were not punished for their crimes, although hanging people is a cruel punishment, we can only respect his wish.

However, he should consider starting with Clerides, Kyprianou, Lyssarides and some others, who were all architects of the AKRITAS plan, which was designed to end the Cyprus Republic whilst exterminating all the Turkish Cypriots in the process.

Greek soldiers took part in the attacks against the Turkish Cypriots in 1964

A report on February 3, by the Greek Cypriot newspaper POLITIS, concerning the cemetery where the Greek soldiers are buried, confirms once more the involvement of Greece in the attacks on the Turkish Cypriots during and after the ‘Bloody Noel’ in 1963.

POLITIS reported that the graves of the Greek soldiers who lost their lives while attacking the Turkish Cypriots in 1964, which are situated in the Constantinos-Eleni cemetery, were not looked after and that they were in a diabolical condition.

In support of its story, POLITIS also published a photo of the graves.

Although the UN reported it and the late Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou had confessed that up to 20,000 Greek soldiers took part in the attacks against the Turkish Cypriots during the start of the conflict in 1963, the Greek-Greek Cypriot propaganda still argues that the Turkish Cypriot side rebelled against the state.

NO EU COOKS IN THE KITCHEN

Anna Lindh, the Foreign Minister of Sweden and the European Union Term President said that if the EU intervenes in the Cyprus talks, it would make a mistake.

Addressing the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy of the European Parliament, Lindh noted that the Cyprus proximity talks continue within the framework of the United Nations. Lindh said that although Rauf Denktash, the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus had left the negotiation table, this is temporary. Lindh added that the EU should not put forward any proposals, but it should follow the developments and expect Turkey to keep its promises.

Concerning the EU’s involvement in the Cyprus conflict, “too many cooks spoil the broth,” Lindh said.

Phone Card Exposes the Greek Cypriot Police

Tekogul's daughter asking for the release of her father

The court case of Omer Tekogul, the Turkish Cypriot who was abducted by the Greek Cypriot police from Pyla, a mixed village controlled by the UN, on 1 December 2000 is continuing.

During the questioning of the Greek Cypriot police officers involved in the abduction, by Gursel Kadri, the lawyer of Tekogul, it was clear that the statements made by the Greek Cypriot police officers were contradicting each other.

Tekogul’s lawyer, angered by the contradictory statements made by Pandelis Poliviou, the inspector who was heading the operation, invited him to tell the truth. He said: "What you are saying and what the other officers are saying do not tally up. Although you have sworn to tell the truth you are lying."

Upon this statement Poliviou responded by saying, "No, my colleagues are telling the truth. It is possible that I have forgotten the details."

Another point that was revealed during the questioning of the police officers, which clearly showed that the police officers were lying, was their claim that Tekogul gave them a telephone card bought from the Turkish Cypriot side. The card was supposed to be used in communicating between the officers and Tekogul.

However, in her testimony, Ms. Luckia Baulidiou of the Greek CITA - GSM company, confirmed that a telephone card bought in the TRNC would not work in South Cyprus, hence confirming that the Greek Cypriot officers were not telling the truth.

Tekogul’s lawyer also insisted that the so-called confession of Tekogul, which the Greek Cypriot prosecutor tried to introduce as evidence, should not be accepted because Tekogul signed this under pressure from the police. He said, "Kyprianous Muzuros, one of the Greek Cypriot police officers who was involved in Tekogul’s questioning, held a gun to his head and repeatedly hit him on the head until he signed the so-called confession."

Andreas Pascalidis, the judge heading the case, decided to hold further investigations to confirm the circumstances under which the so-called confession of Tekogul was signed.

After these investigations, the court announced on February 9, that the so-called confession of Tekogul was not admissible because it was not given by his own free will. The case continues.

No Equality No Talks

The recent visit to Cyprus of the UN special envoy Alvero De Soto failed to convince the Turkish Cypriot side to attend the next round of talks, putting the future of the UN sponsored proximity talks in doubt.

The last round of the proximity talks ended in November 2000 and were due to re-start at the end of January, but the Turkish Cypriot side refused to return to the talks unless the equality of the Turkish Cypriots was officially recognised.

The Turkish Cypriots’ refusal was due to the unofficial ideas that was presented to the sides by the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, which was completely based on the Greek Cypriot side’s policies. The other major factor was the involvement of the European Union in the Cyprus problem, which cannot handle the Cyprus problem from an unbiased angle due to the fact that Greece is a member of the union.

The unofficial ideas of the UN were suggesting that a solution should be based on the EU criteria, which in the long run, would abolish the bi-zonality and bi-communality factor of the suggested federal state as a solution. This would leave the Turkish Cypriots at the mercy of the Greek Cypriots.

During his visit De Soto held two meetings with each of the leaders, which was seen as a last attempt to persuade the Turkish Cypriot side to return to the process.

After his meetings, speaking at a bi-communal press conference at Ledra Palace Hotel, attended by journalist from both communities, De Soto said he was not yet discouraged and also said: "The reason we are in this difficult spot just now is that we are on the way to facing several moments of truth."

"We may well be involved in a process in earnest. We are treading new ground and that creates some discomfort on the part of the participants," De Soto told the reporters.

On completing his four-day visit to Cyprus, De Soto then went to Turkey, where he held meetings with the Turkish officials from the Foreign Ministry. During these meetings Turkey’s complete support to the Turkish Cypriots was reiterated.

1960 constitution confirms that the Turkish Cypriots are the equal partners of the Cyprus Republic and the international community had recognised that the two communities were equal and that Cyprus was the home of both people, this has only reflected to the negotiating process. Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots are considered as equal at the negotiations but in practice the Greek Cypriot regime has been treated as the representative of all Cyprus, making the Greek Cypriot side intransigent. Turkish Cypriot side believes that unless the sovereignty of the TRNC is recognised there will be no solution on the island.

Cyprus Not A Precondition

According to the Turkish Daily News dated 3 February 2001, Gunther Verheugen, the EU Commissioner responsible for enlargement, said that Turkey may became an EU member without having to a come up with a solution to the Cyprus problem.

Speaking on a program on CNN Turk, Verheugen evaluated Turkey-EU relations and said that the Cyprus issue was not exactly a precondition for Turkey’s EU membership.

Drawing attention to the fact that the speed of the accession process will depend on Turkey itself, Verheugen noted that Turkey had not lagged behind in the membership process so far.
"There is no delay in Turkey’s membership process. We will make our decision within a few weeks and then Turkey will submit its national program.

But I have to remind you that Turkey should take serious steps in fulfiling necessary reforms. To write something on paper is nothing. We want Turkey to take the action it writes on the paper.

Of course fulfilment of these responsibilities can take a long time. I am repeating again that to start the membership process totally depends on Turkey. Turkey may face some difficulties during that time but this is not an issue for us. We take our notes and we wait. Whenever Turkey overcomes its difficulties, that will be the appropriate time for us. Turkey may become an EU member without having to come up with a solution to the Cyprus dispute." Verheugen said.

Also asked if the Armenian genocide issue would create any problems between the EU and Turkey, Verheugen replied that the issue should be left to historians.

Cyprus Problem A Lingering Sore

Greek Cypriot side expresses great concerns about General Colin Powell, the new American Secretary of State.

Knowing the good relationship Powell had with Turkey during the Gulf War and his recent statements concerning Turkey seems to have caused great concern amongst the Greek Cypriots.

Reporting on Colin Powell’s new position, Greek Cypriot newspaper PHILELEFTHEROS, under the headline, "Dangerous theories for solution" said: "Concerns over the new American Secretary of State are escalating. Reports from the American Committee of External Affairs clearly state that General Powell is dedicated to a powerful Turkey that will substantially contribute to Europe. He also promised he would intervene to resolve the crisis between Europe and Turkey by initiating its participation in the Euro army."

At his confirmation hearing, the new Secretary of State Colin Powell said that he has had very good relationships with the Turkish military leaders over the years and he was very proud of this. He also stressed the importance of Turkey as being, "a steadfast in the region."

"I hope to be able to use those relationships as I begin my stewardship as Secretary of State," Colin Powell said.

Talking about the Cyprus issue Powell said this was a long going problem, " that has been lingering and festering as a sore in that region." He believed that it’s this sore that has been creating problems between Turkey and Greece, which needs to be treated.

Colin Powell’s assessment of the Cyprus problem as a sore is absolutely right. It’s the sore which was created by the Greek side with their attempts to unite Cyprus with Greece in 1963 and which also left hundreds of Turkish Cypriots dead, hundreds missing and thousands as refugees.

A sore that had grown enormously with the military coup committed by Greece and which envisaged the complete annihilation of the Turkish Cypriots. During the five days of this coup, the Greek soldiers and the Greek Cypriot terrorists murdered around three thousand Greek Cypriots who opposed the coup.

A sore that has grown even bigger with biased UN resolutions which ignore the equality of the Turkish Cypriots, and the EU’s involvement in Cyprus which has made a solution impossible.

While we wish Colin Powell a long successful career, we hope that he studies the 1960 constitution of the Cyprus Republic to see that the Turkish Cypriots were equal partners of the Republic, and that the Greek Cypriot application for membership of the EU on behalf of the whole island, is illegal.

Furthermore, we hope that he studies both the AKRITAS plan and the speech of Makarios which he delivered to the UN on 19 July 1974, to see how the Greeks have created this lingering, festering sore.

Finally we hope that he works relentlessly to remove this sore, which can only be achieved by recognising the sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriot side.

When Britain Was True to Herself and to the Realities of Cyprus

Britain, during the setting up of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Cyprus in 1964, had accepted that Cyprus could not be represented by the Cypriot Greeks only.

The Anatolian Agency (AA) reported on January 10, that Britain's statement to the UN in 1964 reveals that she had accepted that a legitimate Cyprus government should consist of both Cypriot Turks and Greeks.

According to sources close to the UN, Britain, as a guarantor for Cyprus, had agreed to this condition in UN official documents. Turkey, which is also a guarantor state for the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus along with Britain, also acceded to similar statements on Cyprus to the UN in the early sixties, the AA reported.

Authorities in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) stated that the Greek administration of southern Cyprus cannot be a successor of the Cyprus Republic, which was set up jointly by Turks and Greeks on the island. It is clear that Britain, which recognises Greek Cypriots as sole representatives of the Cyprus Republic today, had made contrary statements in the past, as shown by the UN documents.

Sir Patrick Dean, Britain’s permanent representative to the UN in 1964, had stated "his majesty’s government is in total agreement with Turkey (on the structure of the Cyprus Republic being of joint Cypriot Turkish and Greek contributions) and that Britain submits this approval to the attention of the UN." The stationing of the UN peacekeeping force (UNFICYP) in Cyprus had to be approved by both Turkish and Greek leaders on the island in 1964.

Therefore, it is obvious that the UN must seek the Turkish Cypriot government’s permission to continue stationing its peacekeeping force on the island. The UN and the Turkish Cypriot government in 1999 had agreed upon this issue. Due to Greek Cypriot pressure since then, however, the TRNC has not been mentioned on the Security Council decisions with respect to the extension of this peacekeeping force on the island.

Turkey’s permanent UN representative Umit Pamir has written to the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan about the TRNC’s rights on the extension of the peacekeeping force’s duration or any other matter. The letter has been accepted as a UN document and has been distributed to all nation members’ representatives.

How low can the Greek propaganda sink?

The Apothesis of war painted by Vasili Vereschagin 1871-1872

Members of the Turkish Cypriot Network (TCN) and the members of the Turk-1 association, which is affiliated to TCN attended the Olympia-Destinations travel show and distributed leaflets explaining the just cause of the Turkish Cypriots to the British public.

Few years ago until the decision of TCN to start distributing leaflets, there was no Turkish Cypriot presence at Olympia and the Earls Court International Travel Fair.

Taking advantage of this situation, Greek Cypriots and specifically the Greek Cypriot organisation Lobby for Cyprus hand in hand with the PKK terrorists distributed brochures, misleading the British public with their lies.

However, this year the Greek Cypriots added another lie to their usual ones, which was a leaflet containing information on the so-called Armenian genocide.

This leaflet included a picture showing the stacked up skulls of the Armenians supposedly killed by Turks during the WWI.

Caption of the picture read: "1915-1922 Armenian victims of the first holocaust of the 20th century perpetuated by Turkey".

Where the false propaganda is concerned, there are no differences between the Armenians and the Greeks.

Some 15 years ago, a certain "Committee for Support to Max Hrair Kilnjian" (Comite de Soutien a Max Hrair Kilndjian), based in Marseille, France, printed cards for distribution, on one side of which the same picture appeared.

With this new propaganda, the Greeks are helping their ally the Armenians as they did with ASALA during the 70s and 80s.

It is a known fact that the terrorist Dr. Vassos Lyssarides, a good friend of certain British politicians, who is the leader of the social democrats in south Cyprus, was the link between the Greeks and the Armenian terrorists.

Origin of the Picture

The picture above, which is supposedly showing the Armenian holocaust, was proven to be nothing but a fabrication.

It is a painting of the Russian artist Vasili Vereschagin, displayed in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

Novosti publication, which gives information on the Tretyakov Gallery, contains information on the work of the painter Vereshchagin on its page 12, which says: "Impressed by the glory scenes of war in the Balkans and Central Asia Vasili Vereschagin created on his canvases an image of the soldier as hero and martyr. His imagination was stirred not so much by 'great' battle episodes as by the bloodshed, the misery and suffering brought by war. Perhaps his most striking picture on the subject is THE APOTHEOSIS OF WAR, which shows a pyramid of skulls. It is a painting that has much to say to our own day and age. The artist expressed his indignation by dedicating this picture to all the great conquerors of the past, present and future."

Not a single word on Armenians.

Dates of the Picture

About the dates of this painting by Vereshchagin, on page 24 Novosti publication says that the painting in question was done in the years 1871-1872.

How can this be tied up with 1915?

How can what is done in the early 1870s portray 1915?

Especially when the painter himself passed away in 1904.

For years the Greek propaganda mislead the public opinion by feeding the public with the same sort of lies on Cyprus.

We cannot help but ask how low can the Greek propaganda sink?

Can it sink any lower?

Of course it can. back to top

Cyprus Realities

Dr. Greg Mills, the head of the South African International Relations Institute, spells out the realities of Cyprus.

The yearly report prepared for the year 2000 by Dr. Mills has pointed out that there are two basic realities in Cyprus.

The report said: "There are two realities. The first one, the claim of the Greek Cypriot regime that it represents the rights of the Turkish Cypriots in the North is not convincing. The second reality is, by intervening to save the Turkish Cypriots from ethnic cleansing, the Turkish Army has done what it had to do."

Pointing out that the Cyprus conflict has been on the agenda of the international community for a very long time, Dr. Mills said that while the Greek Cypriots see the problem as an invasion, the Turkish Cypriots see it same as the Kosovo problem, where in Kosovo NATO intervened against the Serbian aggression and in Cyprus Turkey intervened against the Greek aggression.

Expressing his views on the proximity talks, Mills said that there are hopes for the future. He also said that the TRNC President Denktash and the Greek Cypriot leader Clerides have the necessary experience to come up with ideas to solve the problem.

In his conclusion, Dr. Mills pointed out that, as the international community has started to recognise the sovereignty rights of other places such as Kosovo and East Timor, time is working for the Turkish Cypriot side.

"If the international community accepts this situation, this will be the first step in finding a peaceful solution," Dr. Mills said. back to top

"Belgian bomb"

Belgian State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Annemie Neyts, upsets the Greek Cypriot regime.

The Greek Cypriot media reported that Neyts who, was in Cyprus last month in view of Belgium assuming the rotating Presidency of the EU on 1 July 2001, upset the Greek Cypriot side extremely when she said that the Turkish Cypriot side should be given "some sort of recognition."

Reporting on the statement of Neyts, which was made after a meeting she held with the TRNC President Denktash, the Greek Cypriot newspaper SIMERINI giving the news under the headline "Belgian bomb" said: "The visiting Belgian deputy Foreign Minister Affairs Annemie Neyts dropped a verbal bomb when she stated that the foundations for a solution to the Cyprus problem would be to grant some sort of recognition to the pseudo-state. Neyts was quoted as saying that some form of recognition was essential. The declarations were made after she met Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash."

The statement made by Neyts, as a Foreign State Secretary of an EU country, is very significant.

Perhaps the EU members are realising that without the recognition of the sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriots there will be no solution to the Cyprus problem. back to top