UK Cypriots urge British PM to end Turkish occupation

by Kyriakos Tsioupras

London (CNA) – Cypriots living in Britain have sought assurances from the British government that its objective is to work for a reunited Cyprus, free of the Turkish military.

The demand was put forward in a letter by the President of the National Federation of Cypriots in the United Kingdom Peter Droussiotis to the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

He called on Brown to issue a full policy statement condemning and calling for an end to the occupation of the north of Cyprus by the Turkish army, reiterating his commitment to UN resolutions on Cyprus and reaffirming support for the UN process laid down by the 8th of July 2006 agreement, reached between Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat.

The letter was handed over to 10 Downing Street, during a demonstration held Thursday evening outside Downing Street to protest the signing of a Strategic Partnership Agreement between Britain and Turkey.

Droussiotis stressed that the agreement “entirely ignores the fundamental nature of the problem of Cyprus which stems directly from Turkey’s invasion in 1974 and its ethnic cleansing of more than 200,000 Greek Cypriot refugees from their homes in the occupied northern part of the island.”

He noted that the agreement advocates the promotion of direct, commercial, economic, political and cultural contacts between the UK, the EU and the illegal Turkish Cypriot regime in Cyprus’ occupied areas and the maintenance of high level contacts with this regime.

“This approach wholly undermines the ongoing positive, unilateral efforts of the Republic of Cyprus to promote a negotiated settlement and the reunification of the island,” he said.

There is no doubt that this Agreement undermines the good relations which should exist between the Republic of Cyprus and the United Kingdom, two countries with historic links and a multitude of common interests reflected in their mutual membership of the Commonwealth and in their respective capacities as partners within the EU, he added.

He expressed hope that the British Prime Minister will respond positively to their request for a meeting with him and his colleagues to discuss this issue.

The partnership agreement commits Britain and Turkey to take forward work on ending what the Turkish Cypriots call “isolation” and to encourage others in the international community to join them in their efforts.

In the document, London and Ankara say they will work within the UN, the EU and bilaterally to promote direct commercial, economic, political and cultural contacts between the UK, the EU and the Turkish Cypriots.

They will also provide “continued help for ‘TRNC’ authorities/universities in their attempts to engage with the Bologna process” and will uphold “the right of representation of the Turkish Cypriots in the European Parliament.”