Sir, - The article "Turkish Cypriots want talks to break deadlock" by Patsy McGarry (The Irish Times, October 29th) contains inaccurate information and misleading elements and terminology and relays Turkish propaganda on a matter of survival for my country and its people.
It is unfortunate that your reporter reproduced such elements as the "Greek Cypriot Government" instead of the Government of Cyprus, or the "President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" instead of the leader of the Turkish Cypriot Community. Furthermore it is violently distorting the truth to present the recent proposal by Turkey, through Mr Denktash, for a confederation in Cyprus as a positive development and as an encouragement for talks. What Mr Denktash presents as "a final effort to achieve a mutually acceptable, lasting solution in Cyprus" is in fact the consolidation of the status quo created and maintained by military force, the legalisation of the faits accomplis and of the results of the Turkish aggression and occupation, by recognising the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus as a separate state, in fact a disguised integration of that area to Turkey.
I would remind you that the proclamation of the so-called "TRNC" by Turkey has been condemned by UN Security Council resolutions 541 (1983) and 550 (1984) which declared it null and void and asked all states not to recognise, facilitate or in any way assist it. As a matter of fact, no state but Turkey recognises this illegal entity. As the European Court of Human Rights recently put it, in its Judgement in the Loizidou v.Turkey case:
"It is obvious from the large number of troops engaged in active duties in northern Cyprus . . . that her [Turkey's] army exercises effective overall control over that part of the island. Such control, according to the relevant test and in the circumstances of the case, entails her responsibility for the policies and actions of the `TRNC' (paras 56 and 57).
"It is evident from international practice and the various, strongly worded resolutions referred to above . . . that the international community does not regard the `TRNC' as a state under international law and that the Republic of Cyprus has remained the sole legitimate Government of Cyprus." (Judgement (Merits), December 18th 1996, para 44 (40/ 1993/435/514.)
All efforts for a settlement in Cyprus throughout the years have been frustrated by the arrogant stance of Turkey, which keeps Cyprus and its people (including the Turkish Cypriots who at the end of the day suffer as much as the rest of the population from this situation) hostages of its aggressive policies, its expansionist designs and geo-strategic interests. Time and again it was repeated by all actors involved in efforts for a solution, including the UN Secretary General, that the lack of progress towards a settlement is due to the lack of political will on the Turkish side. Furthermore, Turkey now tries to cancel our course towards accession to the European Union using Cyprus as a bargaining chip in its own tumultuous relations with the Union.
The Government of Cyprus, as always, remains committed to a just and viable settlement in conformity with the relevant UN resolutions. The high-level agreements in Cyprus and the UN Security Council resolutions provide for a settlement "based on a State of Cyprus with a single sovereignty and international personality and a single citizenship, with its independence and territorial integrity safeguarded, and comprising two politically equal communities as described in the relevant Security Council resolutions, in a bi-communal and bizonal federation."
But Mr Denktash's proposal ostentatiously and provocatively ignores the UN efforts to solve the Cyprus problem and deliberately defies all its relevant resolutions, quashing the agreed basis of the negotiations. It constitutes a further hardening of the intransigent positions adopted by the Turkish side in recent months, which destroyed inter-communal dialogue. It is therefore no surprise that this proposal has not met any acceptance not only from us but also from the UN and all other parties involved in efforts for a solution.
We are, and we have always been, ready to engage into negotiations for a just and lasting settlement in Cyprus and we have gone a long way to alleviate any fears and apprehensions the Turkish Cypriot community might have. Every Cyrpiot can find in the past reasons to feel hurt. Every Cypriot has to find in the future reasons for hope. To the logic of division and hatred we oppose the logic of co-existence and co-operation. We want to heal the wounds of our people. We want to have Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots working together in building a common future and conditions of understanding, mutual respect and shared prosperity, peace and security for all, with the specific identity of each community secured and promoted. For this to happen it is imperative that a strong message is sent to Turkey that might cannot create right. Instead of trying to force our surrender (we will never surrender), instead of attempting to project the illegal entity it created in the occupied part of Cyprus as a state, it must be made to understand that it is high time to envisage a serious negotiation for solving the problem. - Yours, etc., Andreas C. Mavroyiannis,
Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus, Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 1.