APPENDIX 13
National Federation of Cypriots in Great
Britain
We are submitting this memorandum in view of
the decision of the Foreign Affairs Committee to carry out an
inquiry into the United Kingdom's relations with Turkey and with
reference to Turkey's prospects for accession to the European
Union.
Whilst we hope that the current negotiations
lead to a positive result, we have no reason to be optimistic
if past experience is anything to go by.
We, as British citizens of Cypriot origin, wish
to express our grave concern for the situation prevailing today
in Cyprus as a result of the continued military occupation by
Turkey of 37 per cent of the territory of Cyprus since her invasion
of Cyprus in 1974, despite the numerous United Nations Resolutions
on Cyprus, as well as resolutions of other international organisations,
including the Council of Europe, the European Union, the Commonwealth
and the European Court of Human Rights, which call for the respect
of the sovereignty, the independence and the territorial integrity
of the Republic of Cyprus, the speedy withdrawal of all Turkish
troops from Cyprus, the return of all refugees to their homes
in safety and the restoration of and respect for human rights
of all Cypriots.
Turkey, for the last 27 years continues to violate
the human rights of the people of Cyprus. She continues:
(a) to refuse to allow the return of the
refugees to their homes and properties in the occupied areas of
Cyprus from which they were forcibly expelled;
(b) to oppress the few remaining Greek Cypriots
in the Turkish occupied area;
(c) to colonise the occupied area of Cyprus
with colonisers from Turkey in a systematic attempt to change
the demographic structure of Cyprus as part of its long standing
policy for the division of Cyprus; and
(d) to deliberately destroy the cultural
heritage in the occupied area in a systematic attempt to turn
it to a homogenous Turkish area.
It is obvious that Turkey not only refuses to
comply with the resolutions of the International Community, but
on the contrary, insists on the legalisation of the present situation
which is the result of the use of force in violation of the international
law and the principles and values of the European Union—in
particular the Copenhagen political criteria—of which Turkey
is a candidate country.
In regard to the continued violations of human
rights by Turkey in Cyprus, we wish to refer to the Judgement
of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Cyprus
v Turkey (10 May 2001) and the Judgements of the European
Court of Human Rights in the case of Loizidou v Turkey
of 8 December 1996 and 28 July 1998. We attach copies of the press
releases of the Registrar of the Court, on these cases, which
summarise the findings of the Court.[5]
National Federation of Cypriots in Great Britain
January 2002
5 Press releases not printed. Back
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