AHI, the American Hellenic Institute in a letter to US President George Bush, in view of his talks with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul on January 8, calls on Mr Bush to request the removal of the Turkish troops occupying the northern part of Cyprus.
The letter, signed by AHI President Gene Rossides and AHI’s Executive Director Nick Larigakis, recalls that the friendly relations between two NATO allies, Greece and Turkey, is a key to stability in the region, which is considered as important for the US interests.
”However, Turkey’s continuing occupation of Cyprus, its intransigence in solving the Cyprus problem, its refusal to recognize Cyprus as a member of the EU, its continuing violations of Greece’s territorial airspace integrity and continuing religious and human rights violations in Turkey, threatens and prevents this stability and damages UN interests,” AHI adds.
The Institute calls on Bush to call on Gul ”to have Turkey to demilitarize Cyprus, withdraw its 40,000 occupation troops illegally in Cyprus, withdraw of the 140,000 illegal settlers from Turkey and tear down the green line barbed wire fence across the face of Cyprus which, together with Turkey’s 40,000 occupation forces, isolates the Turkish Cypriots in occupied northern Cyprus.
”The removal of Turkey’s troops, settlers and barbed wire fence would end the Turkish Cypriots’ economic isolation caused by Turkey and go a long way to solving the Cyprus problem, because the Greek and Turkish Cypriots could then work out a fair and effective agreement,” AHI points out.
The Institute adds that getting Turkish troops out of Cyprus is in the best interests of the US, as was the removal of Syrian troops out of Lebanon in March 2005.
”Failure to call for the removal of Turkish troops from Cyprus is a striking example of the double standard in Turkey’s favor. It is particularly distressing as the Turkish troops which invaded Cyprus caused substantial loss of lives, 170,000 Greek Cypriot refugees and huge destruction of property,” AHI notes and concludes saying that ”the reasons to call for the removal of Turkish troops from Cyprus are equally compelling as getting the Syrian troops out of Lebanon and Iraqi troops out of Kuwait.”
