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PETITION
for the Re-unification of Cyprus (Not active since January 20, 2003) 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 louse 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:
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
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