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On 20 July 2009, the 35th anniversary of the illegal Turkish invasion and occupation of Cyprus, the Washington Times published a letter from the so-called representative of the illegal pseudo-state in Washington, which promoted the Turkish appeasement plan (named after the disgraced former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan) which would have partitioned the island and legitimised the ethnic cleansing and Turkish colonisation of Cyprus, and criticised its rejection by the Greek Cypriots.
Please send a reply to letters@washingtontimes.com.
SAMPLE LETTER
July 20, 2009
The following letter in response to that of Buket Kop (July 20) misleads the editors of the Washington Times as well as unsuspecting readers. Considering that Mr. Kop uses the illegitimate title given to the Turkish occupation, it is utterly misleading for him to suggest that Turkey wants unity. What Turkey has always wanted in Cyprus was not unity, but conquest at the expense of the Greek Cypriots who always made up eighty percent of the population.
In 1955, the government in Turkey organized a terrorist organization entitled "Cyprus is Turkish" without consideration for the long and historic identity of Cyprus with Hellenism or for the rights and desires of the Greek majority. The problem of Cyprus is not one of unity or disunity, it is one of aggression, territorial conquest, occupation, and colonization. The influx of 100,000 settlers from Turkey into the homes of Greek Cypriots who were ethnically cleansed by the Turkish military is proof positive of Turkish expansionism in Cyprus. Furthermore, the well publicized destruction of over 500 Greek Orthodox Churches by the Turkish occupation is further evidence of the Turkish regime's effort to destroy the heritage of Cyprus along with its territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The rejection of the Annan Plan by the Republic of Cyprus was undertaken because that Plan was the basis of appeasement, and not one of unity. The Plan was rejected both by the internationally recognized President of the Republic of Cyprus who was also democratically elected by Cypriot voters, and rejected in a democratic referendum overwhelmingly by Cypriot citizens in a democratic atmosphere. The alleged referendum in the occupied territories of Cyprus were carried out under the auspices of 30,000 occupation soldiers of the Turkish Army and included the participation of Turkish settlers who are not citizens of Cyprus.
The Turkish occupation of Cyprus is one that is inherently racist, and has imported the policies of Kemalist Turkey which brought about the genocide of Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek Orthodox Christians in Asia Minor. The afore mentioned "Cyprus is Turkish" organization was created in 1955 and was used in the infamous anti-Greek pogrom in Constantinople that year. Henceforth, any objective or informed person understands the true nature of Turkey's occupation of Cyprus.
Theodoros Karakostas
HEC Executive Committee
letters@washingtontimes.com
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/20/settling-cyprus/
THE FACTS
Turkey illegally invaded the Republic of Cyprus on July 20 and August 15 1974 in violation of the UN Charter, existing UN Security Council resolutions and the Treaty of Guarantee. It continuities to maintain over 40,000 occupation troops on the island and has transplanted over 180,000 colonists from the Turkish mainland to the island in violation of Article 49 of the Geneva Convention.
Over 200,000 Greek Cypriots where ethnically cleansed by the Turks and formed over 82% of the population in occupied Cyprus and owned 90% of the land and property situated there. Their land and property rights are undisputed and have been confirmed by the decisions of the European Court of Humans Rights (ECHR) including Loizidou vs. Turkey (18 December 1996), Cyprus vs. Turkey (10 May 2001) and Xenides Arestis vs. Turkey (December 2005).
The Turkish occupation regime was declared "legally invalid" in UN Security Council resolutions 541(1983) and 550(1984) which also call "upon all states not to recognise any Cypriot state other than the Republic of Cyprus" and "call upon all states to respect the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and non-alignment of the Republic of Cyprus". Resolution 550 calls upon all states "not to facilitate or in any way assist this the aforesaid secessionist entity".
The Republic of Cyprus is the only internationally recognised government of Cyprus and it's authority is recognised to extend over the whole island including the occupied areas.
Over 500 Greek Orthodox Churches and graveyards in the occupied areas have been systematically looted, desecrated, destroyed, left to crumble or turned into hotels, casinos, brothels, latrines, and even animal enclosures. Almost every Christian grave stone in the north has been smashed to pieces, hundreds of thousands of priceless Byzantine Icons,
Mosaics and Frescos have been ripped from the inside of Churches or stolen and sold on the black-market on a systematic basis, so much so that the Church of Cyprus is now taking Turkey to the European Court of Human Rights for the destruction of Cyprus religious and cultural heritage.
THE LAW
The transfer of ALL property in occupied Cyprus, irrespective of ownership, (Greek or Turkish Cypriot or other) except to close family members through the official Cyprus land registry, has been declared to be illegal by the Cyprus government ever since the Turkish invasion of 1974.
There is no such thing as "clear title" on newly developed properties in occupied Cyprus. All property development in occupied Cyprus is completely illegal. Property development is not conducted with the authority of the Cyprus government or the district councils and it is not registered or recognised by the Cyprus land registry and no appropriate taxes are paid to the legitimate Cyprus authorities.
The sale, advertising for sale or promotion for sale of any property in occupied Cyprus is completely illegal.
Under Cyprus Law, property owners may bring legal actions before the
competent Courts of the Republic against trespassers to their properties in
the Turkish-occupied area, claiming damages and other legal remedies
available to them under civil law. Judgments issued in favour of lawful
property owners shall be recognized and enforced against property/assets of
the defendants/judgment debtors in any EU member State, under the provisions
of EC Regulation No.44/2001.
It is also important to note that, under Cyprus's Criminal Code, Cap.154,
any person who, with intent to defraud, deals in immovable property
belonging to another is guilty of a felony ("fraudulent dealings in
immovable property belonging to another") and is liable to imprisonment for
up to seven years. Under the Law a person is deemed to be dealing in
immovable property where he/she (a) sells to another, or rents to another,
or mortgages to another or encumbers in any way, or makes available for use
by another immovable property, or (b) advertises or otherwise promotes the
sale or renting out or mortgaging or charging in any way to another of
immovable property or the use thereof by another, or (c) concludes an
agreement for the sale to another, or the renting out to another, or the
mortgaging to another, or the charging in any way to the benefit of another,
or the use by another of immovable property, or (d) accepts the immovable
property which is the object of the dealing. Depending on the situation, it
is also possible that European Arrest Warrants be issued against persons who
may be prosecuted for the aforesaid criminal offence in the Republic.
Under Article 281 of the Penal Code – use of land registered in the name of another without the consent of the registered owner is illegal and punishable by up to 2 years imprisonment and a £5,000 fine. European Arrest Warrants may also be issued.
Under Article 14 of the Law on the Registration of Estate Agents – no person can exercise the profession of a real estate agent or project himself as such, unless he is duly registered and in possession of an annual license issued by the Registration Council of Real Estate Agents.
All ports and airports in occupied Cyprus have been decaled illegal points of entry. Entry into occupied Cyprus via any port or airport in the occupied areas is a criminal offecence. The use of any port of airport in the occupied areas also constitutes an offence of trespass. The right of residency in occupied Cyprus does not exist for anyone except citizens of the Republic of Cyprus.
The laws of the Republic of Cyprus are recognised and enforcable by the courts of all EU member states.
Additional Resources
Caution regarding property purchases in the occupied area
Memorandum: Ownership Status Of Hotels And Other Accomodation Facilities In The Occupied Part Of The Republic Of Cyprus
Property in occupied north Cyprus – the facts
Human Rights Violations in Cyprus by Turkey
Legal Issues arising from Certain Population Transfers and Displacements on the Territory of the Republic of Cyprus in the Period since 20 July 1974
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
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letters@washingtontimes.com
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/20/settling-cyprus/
The Washington Times
LETTER TO EDITOR: Settling Cyprus
Monday, July 20, 2009
The article "Cyprus envoy blames division on Turkey" (World, Friday) repeats the same rhetoric we often hear from the Greek Cypriot side regarding the Cyprus issue.
If the Greek Cypriots had accepted the U.N.-sponsored settlement plan in April 2004 instead of rejecting it by a staggering 76 percent of the vote, the island would be united today. Soon after the Greek Cypriot rejection, the U.N. secretary-general himself described it as a "major setback." He went on to say, "What was rejected was the solution itself rather than a mere blueprint." He also asked the Greek Cypriots to reflect on a "bi-communal, bi-zonal federation which means not just two constituent states, but also political equality and the sharing of power." He finally called upon them to demonstrate "not just by word, but by action" if they were ready to share power with the Turkish Cypriots in a federal structure.
Even Nikos Rolandis, a former Greek Cypriot foreign minister, lists 15 occasions when the Greek Cypriot side rejected proposals for a settlement.
Instead of pointing the finger at others, the Greek Cypriot side should display the sincerity and determination that is truly needed to achieve a comprehensive and fair Cyprus settlement.
BUKET KOP
Second secretary
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Washington Office
Washington
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