Since 1974, the northern territory of the Republic of Cyprus has been occupied by the armed forces of the Turkish Republic. In the aftermath of the Turkish invasions of July 20 and August 14, 1974, over 200,000 Greek Cypriots were ethnically cleansed from their homes and had to flee as refugees to the southern part of the island, while more than 50,000 Turkish Cypriots were forced un-willingly to move in the occupied area. Over 5,000 Cypriots were killed. Eighty percent of Cypriots are of Hellenic descent, and Eighteen percent of Cypriots are of Turkish.

The Turkish occupation forces are working to make the occupation of Cyprus irreversible, by refusing to abide to the UN resolutions, the international law, and the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights. Their intransigent position is for legalising the fait accompli (Turkey is the only state that recognizes the pseudo-state of the north), by proposing a solution of two states and a loose con-federal status between them, by threatening to unite the occupied territories to Turkey, and by importing illegal settlers from Turkey who eventually occupy homes and property belonging to Greek refugees. At the same time native-born Turkish Cypriots in the occupied north diminish in numbers, due to harassment and hardships.

The occupation of Cyprus is a direct violation of the Treaty of Guarantee, which established Cyprus as an independent Republic in 1960. Article A, Section 22 of the Treaty declares, "It shall be recognised that the total or partial union of Cyprus with any other State, or a separatist independence for Cyprus, shall be excluded". In July 1998, the European Court of Human Rights ordered the Turkish Republic to compensate Greek Cypriot who's property has been seized by Turkish occupation forces (Loizidou vs. Turkey), and directly challenged the occupation of Cyprus as an act of violation of the International Law. In addition, United Nations Resolutions have been consistent in declaring the Turkish occupation of Cyprus illegal, and call upon the speedy and total withdrawal of the occupation forces and the illegal settlers.

The Cyprus issue today is in front of important crossroads:
• On November 11, 2002 the United Nations Secretary General, supported by the United States and Great Britain has put forward a framework solution (Anan Plan) to re-unify Cyprus. This framework has been later (December 2002) modified and offered to the representatives of the two Cypriot Communities for consideration.
• On December 12, 2002 Cyprus application to join the European Union (E.U.), was considered and accepted by the decision of the E.U. summit in Copenhagen.
• Since December 2002, the genuine T/Cypriots have rallied in thousands demanding the resignation of the Turkey-backed intransigent Denktash regime, for the re-unification of the island, the finding of a truly Federal solution that will make possible to the Turkish-Cypriots to engage the E.U. in partnership with the Greek-Cypriots.
• The signature on April 2003 of the accession treaty of the Republic of Cyprus to the E.U. by the European leaders has paved the way for its final entry on May 1st 2004.
• The results of the so-called elections in the occupied northern area in December 2003 (despite the participation in them of thousands of illegal settlers) have shown that the majority of the T/Cypriots are for a peaceful settlement, re-unification and the entry of a unified Cyprus to the E.U.

This new environment brings new dimensions to the year long Cyprus problem, whose primary purpose is to brake the Turkish intransigence and to find among the two island’s communities a peaceful, viable, workable and long-lasting solution. A re-unified Cyprus with a truly Federal structure that will guarantee one international legal personality, one indivisible sovereignty and one sole nationality is the solution sought; this will reject groundless thoughts about two separate states or a confederation. Such a solution is prescribed in the relevant UN Resolutions, the High Level agreements between the two Cypriot communities, and the Aqui Communitaire & rules of the European Union. Cyprus membership of the E.U. offers the possibility that this solution guarantees the respect of Human Rights and basic freedoms for all the legal citizens of Cyprus and especially to exercise in the whole of the Cyprus territory the rights to property, movement and settlement.

We the signatories of this petition:
• DEMAND an end to the occupation of Cyprus’ territories. We EXPRESS OUR SUPPORT for a peaceful, workable, viable and long-lasting solution to the Cyprus problem, the respect of Human Rights & Freedoms.
• REQUEST CHANGES in the Anan plan, as we believe that this plan tries to put forward a solution following the path of “the middle road” between the positions of G/Cypriot side (victims of the ongoing occupation) and that of the Mr. Denktash (who represents the policies of the political-military circles of Ankara, the perpetrators of the 29 year old invasion and occupation of Cyprus).
• APPEAL to the T/Cypriots to continue their struggle in forging an alternative partnership based on E.U. laws and the UN Cyprus resolutions, instead of imperilling their EU aspirations by acquiescing to the demands of Mr. Denktash.
• DEMAND that the E.U. take into consideration its own founding principles and laws prior to entering into any accession talks with the regime in Ankara.