1974 Illegal Invasion of Cyprus -- Part 1
We are all prisoners of knowledge. To know how Cyprus was betrayed, and to have studied the record of that betrayal, is to make oneself unhappy and to spoil, perhaps for ever, one's pleasure for visiting one of the world's most enchanting islands. Nothing will ever restore the looted treasures, the bereaved families, the plundered villages, the groves and hillsides scalded with napalm. Nor will anything mitigate the record of the callous, and crude politicians who regarded Cyprus as something on which to scribble their inane and conceited designs. But fatalism would be the worst betrayal of all. The acceptance, the legitimization of what was done - those things must be repudiated. Such a refusal has a value beyond Cyprus in showing that acquiescence in injustice is not 'realism'. Once the injustice has been set down and described, and called by its right name, acquiescence in it becomes impossible. That is why one writes about Cyprus in sorrow but more - much more - in anger."
-Christopher Hitchens
1974 Illegal Invasion of Cyprus -- Part 2
In 1974, a coup d'etat by the Greek Army Officers, which were located in Cyprus, tried to overthrow Makarios, who was the president of Cyprus. This created enough problems, which facilitated the invasion of Cyprus by the Turkish military. The first invasion took place on July 20, 1974. A second invasion took place less than a month later, on August 14, 1974. To this day the Turks still remain in Cyprus even though they are in violation of the UN charter. During the invasions more than 200,000 Greek Cypriots were displaced and became refugees in their own country. Thousands were killed and almost 2,000 people reported missing are still unaccounted for.
36 years later Turkish Troops still occupy the 37% of the island which they occupied in 1974
From the Cyprus Mail 14th August 2010
THE 36TH ANNIVERSARY of Turkey’s second offensive against Cyprus was condemned across the local political spectrum yesterday.
On August 14, 1974, Turkish troops expanded their occupation to include the tourist resort of Famagusta in the east and the rich citrus-growing area of Morphou in the west. In total, almost 37 per cent of the island ended up under Turkish occupation.
Turkish troops first invaded Cyprus on July 20, 1974, five days after the legal government of the late Archbishop Makarios III was toppled by a military coup engineered by the military junta then ruling Greece.
Two unproductive conferences in Geneva followed; the first between Britain, Greece and Turkey and the second with the additional attendance of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot representatives.
On August 13 the Turkish Foreign Minister called for the respective enclaves to be divided into cantons, and demanded an immediate response.
Greece, Britain and America all saw this as unreasonable. The next day the Turkish army mounted a second full-scale offensive, three weeks after a ceasefire was declared on July 22, and despite the fact that talks were still being held and agreement seemed about to be reached.
Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat began a fresh round of UN-led talks in September 2008. A new Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu was elected in April this year and has picked up the talks where Christofias and Talat left off.What the item by the Cyprus Mail does not convey is the reason for having choosen to insert the two videos clips above, which communicate somewhat more effectively what those words actually meant for some of the people who experienced the brutality of what Turkey still has the gall to call its 'peace operation' in Cyprus.
Items below are recordings of events in the UK, spoken in English, to mark the 36th Anniversary of Turkey's invasion of Cyprus
turkish_troops_out_of_cyprus on livestream.com
Unfortunately neither US Policy, or British Policy, give expression to the words "Turkish Troops out of Cyprus" as judged by the Obama visit, or the more recent Cameron visit to Turkey - so THAT is the root of a problem which needs to be resolved, if the Cyprus problem is to be 'solved'.
Please support us by adding your name to the petition at:
http://www.turkishinvasioncyprus.com
Please support us by adding your name to the petition at:
http://www.turkishinvasioncyprus.com
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