Sirens wailed at dawn yesterday and church bells rang at mid-morning in the south of Cyprus as Greek Cypriots mourned land and loved ones lost during the Turkish invasion 24 years ago. During a wreath-laying ceremony at a tomb of soldiers killed during the battle for Nicosia, the President of Cyprus, Mr Glafkos Clerides, proclaimed: "We will never accept the faits accomplis created by the invasion."
He called upon the international community to promote a settlement which would provide for the demilitarisation of the island.
Across the Green Line the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr Rauf Denktash, and the Turkish Prime Minister, Mr Mesut Yilmaz, took the salute at a parade involving units of Ankara's 35,000 troops and armour based in the northern third of the island. Turkey also sent half a dozen warships and five warplanes to demonstrate to both Turkish and Greek Cypriots Ankara's ability to rapidly reinforce its already dominant military position.
Mr Yilmaz said he had come to "celebrate a day of peace and freedom" for Turkish Cypriots, many of whom lived in UN-protected enclaves until Turkey's 1974 "peace operation" liberated them and drove 180,000 Greek Cypriots from the occupied area. The Prime Minister reiterated warnings against the Greek Cypriot majority republic if it deploys Russian S-300 ground-to-air missiles around a military airfield near Paphos on the west coast. Turkey has said it would either "take out" the missiles or install some of its own if the S-300s are delivered in November. He also warned Greece, which has pledged to defend Cyprus, "to avoid adventures".
"Greece and the Greek Cypriots have not learned the lessons of history. I want to point out that the events of 24 years ago remind us how dangerous this is," he said.
Mr Yilmaz also promised to work for international recognition for the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and to provide financial assistance for its administration. The Turkish Cypriot leader praised Turkey for its unwavering support and said Mr Yilmaz's visit would contribute to the further progress of the Turkish Cypriots.
