Appeal for help from UK citizens worldwide to support occupied CyprusBritish citizens in the UK, and expatriates abroad, are being urged to sign an on-line petition, addressed directly to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, asking that there be no direct flights to occupied Cyprus.
Its’ promoters insist that the supporters of the Turkish occupation regime have deceived 6000 people into signing an on-line petition in support of direct flights to occupied Cyprus and that this must be countered.
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus, referred to by euphemism as the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation by Turkey was the heavily condemned military action against the independent, sovereign, island nation of Cyprus by Turkey that resulted in the partition of the Republic of Cyprus.
Turkey argues that it was a consequence of tensions between the Junta in Greece and Turkey, and of internal unrest within Greece. It took place during the final months of the Greek military junta of 1967-1974, at which time Greek Army officers stationed in Cyprus launched a coup d'état against the President of Cyprus, Makarios III.
Turkey's position was that such action was allowed under the provisions of the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee. The Treaty provided that Greece, Turkey and United Kingdom would ensure the independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus. Turkey, taking advantage of political unrest in Greece that expanded to Cyprus, announced that the invasion was a peace-keeping operation to restore the constitutional order in Cyprus.
Turkey, however, invaded Cyprus in two waves on the 20 July and 14 August and still occupies 37% of the island despite UN Security Council Resolutions. After the first wave of the invasion the constitutional order had been restored Makarios III returned to power, the Junta in Greece collapsed but the Turkish military continued with the second wave.
The result of the invasion was the creation of an internationally unrecognized Turkish Cypriot breakaway state in the areas under Turkish occupation and the displacement of 210,000 ethnic Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Today, although Turkish Cypriots have full free movement rights throughout the island as citizens of the Republic of Cyprus, Greek Cypriots have not been permitted to return permanently to the Turkish-occupied north.
You must be a British national or residing in the UK in order to sign on-line at: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/occupied-cyprus/
The text of the petition to Mr Blair says:
We the undersigned, petition the Prime Minister to act in accordance with Britain's treaty obligations with the Republic of Cyprus and to take decisive action to prevent direct trade and direct flights between Britain and Turkish occupied Cyprus and to prevent the illegal sale and advertising of Greek Cypriot property to British nationals.
According to the Treaty of Guarantee, Britain, Greece and Turkey undertook "to prohibit, as far as lies within their power, all activity having the object of promoting directly or indirectly either the union of the Republic of Cyprus with any other State, or the partition of the Island."
The promoters of the petition, which is part of a UK government project to make it easier for groups to petition through the Internet, remind the public that the 1974 Turkey invasion of Cyprus was illegal.
UN Security Council resolutions 541(1983) and 550(1984) declare the self-proclaimed "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" "legally invalid" and call upon all states not to assist this illegal secessionist entity in any way.
All ports and airports in occupied Cyprus have been declared illegal points of entry and closed to all traffic and trade by the Cyprus government. Civilian flights to any airport inoccupied Cyprus violate the Chicago Convention.
Watch this space!
This article was syndicated by The American Chronicle series: February 2007
