Cyprus-Forum.com

[zan]

by Ahmet Cosar

Cyprus formed part of the Ottoman Empire from 1571 to 1914, when it was formally annexed by Great Britain at the beginning of World War I. In 1950s the revival of "Hellenism" and the ideal of re- building the great "Hellen Empire" started a bloody struggle in Cyprus, Enosis, in other words the annexation of Cyprus by Greece. The religious leader of Greek Cypriots, Archbishop Makarios, was the head of the movement and there were massive terrorist attacks on British rulers and Turkish Cypriots who didn't share this "ideal". The numbers show that between 1955 and 1960, 508 people were murdered and 1,260 people were wounded in these attacks by EOKA, a Greek Cypriot terrorist organization, under the leadership of an ex- colonel from the Greek army, Grivas[2].

By 1958 it had become clear that it was not possible to achieve Enosis. Turkish Cypriots, just like Greek Cypriots, wanted self- determination and freedom and they didn't want to be a mere "minority" which, soon after independence, would be "persuaded" to leave Cyprus. In 1959 the Greek side accepted the formation of an independent republic in which Turkish Cypriots would be one of the two equal partners. However, what Greek side understood from "independence" was merely "a step before Enosis" as it was soon discovered. Knowing the Greek aim of Enosis, the Republic of Cyprus was founded in 1960 with a detailed Constitution which strictly forbade the annexation of Cyprus by any country. Furthermore permanent guarantees were written in the Constitution of Cyprus so that the "independent democracy" would not turn into a "dictatorship of majority"[3]. Nevertheless, beginning right after the foundation of Cyprus in 1960, the Greek Cypriots made it clear that they had not given up the struggle for Enosis. Makarios, also first President of Cyprus, made the following public declaration:

"The Zurich and London Agreements form a landmark in the course of this struggle, but, at the same time, are a starting point for further struggles, with the object of capitalising on what has been achieved for further conquests",

on 5 January 1962. On 15 August 1962, in Kykko monastery, he reiterated that Enosis was his aim and said:

"Greek Cypriots must continue to march forward to complete the work began by the EOKA heroes."

He also made the following provocative remark at his native village of Panayia on 4 September 1962:

"Until this small Turkish community that forms part of the Turkish race which has been the terrible enemy of Hellenism is expelled, the duty to the heroes of EOKA cannot be considered as terminated."

In 1962, Polykarpos Yorkadjis, Minister of Interior, declared that:

"There is no place in Cyprus for anyone who is not Greek, who does not think Greek and who does not constantly feel Greek."

Meanwhile, the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation regularly broadcast virulently anti-Turkish plays. In one play, a mother asks her son what her son wants to become; the boy replies:

- "a hero."

When she asks him,:

- "What will you bring to us?",

he answers:

- "I am going to bring seven Turkish heads to you [4]."

In fact the Akritas plan, published by Greek Cypriot newspaper Patris on 21 April 1966, was a clear proof of the fact that Greek Cypriot side deliberately tried to prove the constitution as unworkable and to replace it with a settlement in order to re-open the way to Enosis. It was disclosed that Archbishop Makarios had assumed responsibility for the implementation of the plan and he had appointed Polycarpos Georkadjis to be the "Chief Akritas". In an interview with the Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci, Makarios said how Ioannides (a Greek officer in the Greek contingent on Cyprus) and Nikos Sampson, a bloody EOKA terrorist leader responsible from the "execution squads" of EOKA, came to him one day in 1964 and told:

"Your Beatitude, here is my project. To attack the Turkish Cypriots on the island, and eliminate them to the last one [5]."

Ioannides was the leader of the fascist Greek Junta in 1974 and Nikos Sampson was declared the "president" with the Coup organized by Athens, and their plan was still as revealed by Makarios. Knowing these facts it is easy to understand the reasons behind the Turkish fears for the security of Turkish Cypriots and the decision for intervention. In fact after the intervention it was found out that in Sandallaris village the whole population of 57, and at Maratha village 82 Turkish Cypriots were massacred and buried in mass-graves, among the victims were babies, women, and elderly people. In Tokhni village all able-bodied male Turkish inhabitants (50 in number) were taken by the Greek Cypriot National Guard soldiers to the outskirts of Ayia Phyla village in Limassol district where they were massacred and buried in a pre-opened pit together with about 40 Turks from Tatlisu (Mari)[6].

Greek people, repeating the official Greek claim, tell us that more than 2,000 Greek Cypriots were/are "missing". For some strange reason they forget to tell us that a Greek Cypriot Priest, Father Papatsetsos, made a declaration to Greek newspapers saying that he had personally buried 127 people, 10 of them were Turkish Cypriots, and all of them were murdered by EOKA-B terrorists and the Greek National Guard(there were violent clashes between left-wing and right-wing Greek Cypriots after the Coup in 1974)[7] . On 23 July 1974, The Times of London quoted the American wife of Dr. Lyssarides (head of the EDEK party) saying that many supporters of Makarios had been massacred during and after the coup. On 25 July 1974 Combat published in Belgium, reported:

"it has been confirmed that during the days following the coup at least 2,000 of Makarios's supporters have either been killed in the fighting or executed."

A report in Washington Star News said similar things:

"Bodies littered the streets and there were mass burials."

Until this day Greek Cypriot Government has rejected to open these mass-graves and to reveal the identities of these people, mainly to continue the Greek propaganda of "missing Greeks". The fact is that, the question of missing persons was investigated by International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC). The ICRC representative stated categorically in the presence of the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative in Cyprus that all POWs were delivered to the Greek side. This fact was also confirmed in the report of the head of the ICRC dated 18 March 1977. At the time there were only 23-24 cases pending investigation, and the Turkish side is ready to investigate these cases along with hundreds of Turkish Cypriots who are missing since 1963[8]. As for the "atrocity stories" made up by Greek side, a report by the Study Mission of the Sub-committee of the Judiciary of the US Senate (October 1974), about the first phase of the Turkish military operation, said:

"Whenever and wherever the Study Mission talked with Greek Cypriot refugees, the story was basically the same: people moved the instant they saw or thought the Turkish army was advancing towards their town or village."

About the second phase of the operation, the report says:

"Greek Cypriots fled the moment there was rumor or sight of military forces - creating a virtual vacuum into which the Turkish army could and did move without resistance and without the presence of people."

Since 1974 there have been many series of negotiations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. All of these negotiations have been fruitless because of the Greek side's unwillingness to accept Turkish Cypriots' equality and the guarantee of their rights by Turkey. The Greek Cypriot side has been enjoying hundreds of millions of dollars of help from UN and EEC while the Turkish Cypriots have been denied all of their citizenship rights and share. What is worse, these helps have been used by Greek Cypriots for their military expenses which rose to $500 Million between 1977-87 and $762 Million are envisaged for 1990-93 period. Today there are less than 20,000 Turkish soldiers in Cyprus as opposed to more than 15,000 Greek mainland troops and the Greek National Guard includes 21,000 troops and with reserves reaches 85,000. Former EOKA members are still in powerful government positions and not a single Greek Cypriot has been punished for their acts during 1974 Coup. Even Nikos Sampson has been allowed to leave Cyprus, with the pretext of being treated, and has not returned from France for years and when he did he was greeted as a "hero". Finally, I am finishing my article with the words of the Greek Cypriot Defense Minister, Mr. Alonetis, on 11 March 1989:

"At the first opportunity we get, the Greek Cypriot National Guard will attack and regain by force of arms our occupied lands."

Therefore, nobody was surprised when Greek Cypriots began moving their forces to the Turkish Cypriot border during the recent Gulf-Crisis, hoping that Iraq would attack Turkey.

I believe the latest UN-Resolution in the Cyprus Problem must guide both Greeks and Turks to the correct path:

Resolution 649, 1990

[...]
"Calls upon the leaders of the two communities to pursue their efforts to reach freely a mutually acceptable solution providing for the establishment of a federation that will be BI-COMMUNAL as regards the constitutional aspects and BI-ZONAL as regards the territorial aspects in line with the present resolution and their 1977 and 1979 agreements, and to co-operate, on an EQUAL FOOTING, with the Secretary-General in completing, in the first instance and on an urgent basis, an outline of an overall agreement, as agreed in june 1989."
[...]

[Damsi]

Geez Zan...when did he write that article? Quoting what was probably a throwaway remark by a defence minister from 1989....after which "no one was surprised" 15 YEARS LATER when GCs moved to the TC 'border' during the 2003 Gulf crisis. Also there have been probably 50 or more UN resolutions on Cyprus since 1990...most of them critical of Turkey...too funny

[zan]

Geez Zan...when did he write that article? Quoting what was probably a throwaway remark by a defence minister from 1989....after which "no one was surprised" 15 YEARS LATER when GCs moved to the TC 'border' during the 2003 Gulf crisis. Also there have been probably 50 or more UN resolutions on Cyprus since 1990...most of them critical of Turkey...too funny

And then came the Anna Plan...Recent enough for you???

[Damsi]

Certainly the Annan plan is more recent than a badly written article that's nearly 20 years old. However unlike you apparently, I have no desire to discuss the AP for the next 20

[miltiades]

Geez Zan...when did he write that article? Quoting what was probably a throwaway remark by a defence minister from 1989....after which "no one was surprised" 15 YEARS LATER when GCs moved to the TC 'border' during the 2003 Gulf crisis. Also there have been probably 50 or more UN resolutions on Cyprus since 1990...most of them critical of Turkey...too funny

And then came the Anna Plan...Recent enough for you???

You are a committed partitionist who will dig out any article with which to satisfy your insatiable hatred of the Cypriot people. The Cypriot people are fed up to the teeth with the likes of you , G/C fanatics and T/C fanatics.Your kind is the reason why our island is still divided.
You allegiance is with a foreign power that each and every single nation on earth regards as an occupying power.
In 1974 Turkey occupied a part of Cyprus , in 2008 Turkey is occupying a part of Europe , rest assured Mr partitionist that the count down has begun and sooner rather than later the people of Cyprus will be free , the T/C minority in the North will soon have a country they call call their own , a country recognised the world over ,CYPRUS.

[zan]

Certainly the Annan plan is more recent than a badly written article that's nearly 20 years old. However unlike you apparently, I have no desire to discuss the AP for the next 20

No you probably don't......You would prefer to talk of an era long before then ın whıch TCs are to be sıdelıned ın Cyprus and faıt accomplı of the 'RoC' excepted as the norm.......Not on my watch mate!!!

[alexISS]

Thanks zan, that was a well balanced article..........Not on

[zan]

Geez Zan...when did he write that article? Quoting what was probably a throwaway remark by a defence minister from 1989....after which "no one was surprised" 15 YEARS LATER when GCs moved to the TC 'border' during the 2003 Gulf crisis. Also there have been probably 50 or more UN resolutions on Cyprus since 1990...most of them critical of Turkey...too funny

And then came the Anna Plan...Recent enough for you???

You are a committed partitionist who will dig out any article with which to satisfy your insatiable hatred of the Cypriot people. The Cypriot people are fed up to the teeth with the likes of you , G/C fanatics and T/C fanatics.Your kind is the reason why our island is still divided.
You allegiance is with a foreign power that each and every single nation on earth regards as an occupying power.
In 1974 Turkey occupied a part of Cyprus , in 2008 Turkey is occupying a part of Europe , rest assured Mr partitionist that the count down has begun and sooner rather than later the people of Cyprus will be free , the T/C minority in the North will soon have a country they call call their own , a country recognised the world over ,CYPRUS.

And up pops Pappa 'RoC' wıth hıs usual crap about true Cyprıots. Your sense of faır play only kıcks ın when I post and you let go of all the antı Turkısh crap that ıs posted here on a daıly basıs.

You do not seem to understand that there ıs not a sıngle TC here that wıll gıve up what they have and walk ınto the 'RoC' as you want to sell ıt to them. Not even Bır.....You even dısmıss Bananıot ın your lıst of Cyprıots who seems to be workıng for a faır unıfıcatıon rather than the 'RoC' buılt on TC blood.

At least your recent denouncıng of the rallıes ın the UK because they carry the Greek flag ıs a step ın the rıght dırectıon but where were you all these years?......Dıd you sıng along to the Greek natıonal anthem wıth them??? Dıd you see the bearded traınee preısts ın theır tens sponsored by the GOC to march under these banners.....Where was your protest then. Why ıs the church not bannıng these people from the marches?

So my narrow mınded frıend......Payıng a few quıd ınto a TC charıty and havıng your eyes half open ıs not enough. When you can fully apprecıate what ıs goıng on around you wıth your own then you can ask us to walk ınto the jaws of terror wıth at least some dıgnıty. We would rather fend for ourselves and not have you donatıng to even more charıtıes because you lead us up the garden path. I suggest you carry on goıng to these rallıes and open your eyes a bıt more before gıvıng your support to facısts. Ignorance ıs blıss but treacherous for those that follow you.

[Piratis]

Cyprus formed part of the Ottoman Empire from 1571 to 1914, when it was formally annexed by Great Britain at the beginning of World War I.

So lets see this very first time the Turks started their aggression against us, which has not stopped ever since. Please note that it is the Turks who attacked us, starting the conflict between Cypriots and Turks, not the other way around. Cypriots never ventured out of their own island to harm anybody. They only defended their own island from foreign invadors.

Throughout the period of Venetian rule, Ottoman Turks raided and attacked at will. In 1489, the first year of Venetian control, Turks attacked the Karpas Peninsula, pillaging and taking captives to be sold into slavery. In 1539 the Turkish fleet attacked and destroyed Limassol. Fearing the ever-expanding Ottoman Empire, the Venetians had fortified Famagusta, Nicosia, and Kyrenia, but most other cities were easy prey.

In the summer of 1570, the Turks struck again, but this time with a full-scale invasion rather than a raid. About 60,000 troops, including cavalry and artillery, under the command of Lala Mustafa Pasha landed unopposed near Limassol on July 2, 1570, and laid siege to Nicosia. In an orgy of victory on the day that the city fell--September 9, 1570--20,000 Nicosians were put to death, and every church, public building, and palace was looted. Word of the massacre spread, and a few days later Mustafa took Kyrenia without having to fire a shot. Famagusta, however, resisted and put up a heroic defense that lasted from September 1570 until August 1571.

Source: USA Library of Congress
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cytoc.html

In 1950s the revival of "Hellenism" and the ideal of re- building the great "Hellen Empire" started a bloody struggle in Cyprus, Enosis, in other words the annexation of Cyprus by Greece.

The Hellenic Empire included the whole eastern Med sea and reached until India. The Greeks didn't want to revive any empire, we simply wanted to liberate ourselves on our native lands, just like all other nations under Ottoman or other Colonial power wanted to do. In fact after WWII this became officially our right, with the UN issuing various resolutions regarding decolonization: http://www.un.org/Depts/dpi/decolonizat ... ration.htm The resolutions for decolonization explicitly state that "integration into an independent State" is a "legitimate option" for the people being decolonized. So it was 100% right of the Cypriot people to liberate themselves from a foreign empire, and become part of the free Greek state as it happened with most other Greek islands.

Also, the struggle of the Cypriot people for freedom didn't start in 1950s, but way earlier, when the Cypriot people tried to revolt along with all the other Greeks in order to free ourselves from the Ottoman rule and create our own free Greek state.

During the Greek War of Independence in 1821, the Ottoman authorities feared that Greek Cypriots would rebel again. Archbishop Kyprianos, a powerful leader who worked to improve the education of Greek Cypriot children, was accused of plotting against the government. Kyprianos, his bishops, and hundreds of priests and important laymen were arrested and summarily hanged or decapitated on July 9, 1821.

The religious leader of Greek Cypriots, Archbishop Makarios, was the head of the movement and there were massive terrorist attacks on British rulers and Turkish Cypriots who didn't share this "ideal". The numbers show that between 1955 and 1960, 508 people were murdered and 1,260 people were wounded in these attacks by EOKA, a Greek Cypriot terrorist organization, under the leadership of an ex- colonel from the Greek army, Grivas[2].

People under colonial rule are revolting to fight for their freedom from a foreign empire and Turks call this people "terrorists"!! No Zan, the terrorists are those foreigners who invaded our island and by brute force they imposed their rule over the Cypriot people, and not the Cypriot people that revolted against them. This is true for our revolts against both Turks (earlier quote) and the British.

Furthermore, EOKA targeted the British colonialists and those that helped them impose their rule over Cyprus, and not the TC community. The conflict with the TC minority started only when TCs attacked us in 1958:

By 1958 it had become clear that it was not possible to achieve Enosis. Turkish Cypriots, just like Greek Cypriots, wanted self- determination and freedom and they didn't want to be a mere "minority" which, soon after independence, would be "persuaded" to leave Cyprus.

Nobody asked from TCs to leave from Cyprus, and if TCs had not attacked us in 1958 there would be no such conflict. The TCs are a minority in Cyprus (18%) and while they have every right for their human and democratic rights (which were never denied to them), they have no right to impose by force their will on the Cypriot people as a whole.

If TCs didn't want to be a minority and they wanted to be separate from the native Cypriot people, then they should have simply gone back from where they came from.

However in the perfectly legitimate (as seen above) demand of the Cypriot people for freedom from foreign rulers, the TCs started to demand that we should be ethnically cleansed from the north part of our country, where we have been the overwhelming majority for 1000s of years, so a fake Turkish state can be created just for them. It is this demands against us, and their attacks on the same year (1958) which started the intercommunal conflict. The GCs up until that point not only they had never attacked TCs, but they had not made any kind of threats against them either. So for once again the Turks started a war in Cyprus with the aim to stop Cypriots from archiving their freedom.

In 1959 the Greek side accepted the formation of an independent republic in which Turkish Cypriots would be one of the two equal partners.

Instead of giving to the Cypriot people their self-determination so they can choose in a democratic way the destiny of our own island (as per UN resolutions about decolonization) the colonialists indeed forced the Cypriot people to accept some agreement that would serve the interests of the UK and Turkey and not the interests of the Cypriot people.
However nowhere in those agreements there is a mention about "equal partners". There was no partnership, and while the TCs where granted several gains on the loss of the rights of the native Cypriot people, as a reward for helping the British to oppress our revolution, the 18% of their minority was not equated to the 82% of the native Cypriot people.

However, what Greek side understood from "independence" was merely "a step before Enosis" as it was soon discovered.

In fact a true independence would allow the Cypriot people to democratically choose what they wanted for their own island among legitimate UN options. An "independence" which prohibited Cypriots from exercising their self-determination on their own island is not an a real independence, is it?

But what is more interesting about the article of Zan, is that it totally avoids mentioning the Taksim (partition) that Turks continued to pursue after "independence" was granted to Cyprus. Where are the quotes from the Turkish and TC leaders demanding partition, which involved the ehtnic cleansing of Greek Cypriots from half of their island (unlike union with Greece, which not only is a right of the Cypriot people but involves no harm to the TC minority).

Many of the quotes that Zan presents out of context, where in fact made to counter the Turkish aggression that continued against our island.

In fact the Akritas plan, published by Greek Cypriot newspaper Patris on 21 April 1966, was a clear proof of the fact that Greek Cypriot side deliberately tried to prove the constitution as unworkable and to replace it with a settlement in order to re-open the way to Enosis. It was disclosed that Archbishop Makarios had assumed responsibility for the implementation of the plan and he had appointed Polycarpos Georkadjis to be the "Chief Akritas". In an interview with the Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci, Makarios said how Ioannides (a Greek officer in the Greek contingent on Cyprus) and Nikos Sampson, a bloody EOKA terrorist leader responsible from the "execution squads" of EOKA, came to him one day in 1964 and told:

"Your Beatitude, here is my project. To attack the Turkish Cypriots on the island, and eliminate them to the last one [5]."

The Akritas plan which was just some anonymous document, did not involve the harm of any TCs and this can be seen by reading the plan itself. On the other hand, your plan to partition Cyprus involved the ehtnic cleansing of 100s of thousands of Cypriot people, and any comments against TCs where made in response to these plans of yours. I hope you did not expect words of love when you were plotting our ethnic cleansing and elimination from half of our island.

Ioannides was the leader of the fascist Greek Junta in 1974 and Nikos Sampson was declared the "president" with the Coup organized by Athens, and their plan was still as revealed by Makarios. Knowing these facts it is easy to understand the reasons behind the Turkish fears for the security of Turkish Cypriots and the decision for intervention. In fact after the intervention it was found out that in Sandallaris village the whole population of 57, and at Maratha village 82 Turkish Cypriots were massacred and buried in mass-graves, among the victims were babies, women, and elderly people. In Tokhni village all able-bodied male Turkish inhabitants (50 in number) were taken by the Greek Cypriot National Guard soldiers to the outskirts of Ayia Phyla village in Limassol district where they were massacred and buried in a pre-opened pit together with about 40 Turks from Tatlisu (Mari)[6].

Zan, here you go again repeating your lies. As we have seen many times, no TC was killed in 1974 until after the Turks with the help of TCs started to invade Cyprus killing Cypriots by the 1000s. Once again you start a conflict, you kill 1000s and then you want to pretend to be the victim because in the conflict which you started you also lost some 100s of people.

Greek people, repeating the official Greek claim, tell us that more than 2,000 Greek Cypriots were/are "missing". For some strange reason they forget to tell us that a Greek Cypriot Priest, Father Papatsetsos, made a declaration to Greek newspapers saying that he had personally buried 127 people, 10 of them were Turkish Cypriots, and all of them were murdered by EOKA-B terrorists and the Greek National Guard(there were violent clashes between left-wing and right-wing Greek Cypriots after the Coup in 1974)[7] . On 23 July 1974, The Times of London quoted the American wife of Dr. Lyssarides (head of the EDEK party) saying that many supporters of Makarios had been massacred during and after the coup. On 25 July 1974 Combat published in Belgium, reported:

"it has been confirmed that during the days following the coup at least 2,000 of Makarios's supporters have either been killed in the fighting or executed."

A report in Washington Star News said similar things:

"Bodies littered the streets and there were mass burials."

Until this day Greek Cypriot Government has rejected to open these mass-graves and to reveal the identities of these people, mainly to continue the Greek propaganda of "missing Greeks". The fact is that, the question of missing persons was investigated by International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC). The ICRC representative stated categorically in the presence of the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative in Cyprus that all POWs were delivered to the Greek side. This fact was also confirmed in the report of the head of the ICRC dated 18 March 1977. At the time there were only 23-24 cases pending investigation, and the Turkish side is ready to investigate these cases along with hundreds of Turkish Cypriots who are missing since 1963[8].

Yes Zan, 100s of Greek Cypriots died fighting for democracy, while at this weak moment of Cyprus you and Turkey found it as a good time to invade our island, kill 1000s, ethnically cleanse 100s of thousands and put into action the plan of partitioning Cyprus that you had since the 1950s.

But the 1000s that the Turkish army killed and the 1000s of missing from the Turkish invasion are in addition to those killed in the coup, who were few in comparison.

Denying that the Turkish army killed 1000s and that 1000s went missing from the Turkish invasion is ridiculous. And mass-graves have indeed been opened recently, which confirm everything we always said (the article was apparently written earlier, otherwise they would scrub this lie from their propaganda list)

Here is one of the many articles about the opening of mass graves:

A MASS tomb in the occupied village of Exo Metohi with the remains of almost 20 elderly people who died in 1974 is allegedly being used as a garden by a home owner in the north.

According to Politis newspaper yesterday, the tomb is situated in a location called Landa, which is now an extension to someone’s home in the occupied areas.

The story is based on information the paper obtained from Costis Kyriacou Tzyrkas, the nephew of Costas Paraskeva Mourkas from Exo Metohi, who died aged 74 in 1974.

Tzyrkas and two of his friends led Politis reporters to the occupied village, where according to Costas Mourkas, Turkish troops had buried the bodies of Greek Cypriots who were killed during the invasion in August 1974.

Mourkas, born in 1900 in Exo Metohi, had migrated to the US in 1920 but returned 50 years later to live the remainder of his years in the village where he was born.

On the morning of August 14, 1974, when the second phase of the Turkish invasion began, Mourkas’ brother who lived in Kythrea, drove to Exo Metohi with the intention of taking Costas and their sister Maria to a more secure area. Turkish troops by now had entered the Nicosia-Famagusta road, along which was Mourkas’ village.

Costas and his sister, as well as a number of their fellow villagers, refused to abandon their home, mainly due to old age, but also because they believed that the invasion was temporary and normality would soon return.

As troops entered Exo Metohi, Mourkas and his sister hid in their home, keeping an eye on the situation through their top-floor window.

“A few days later, a terrible smell started suffocating the village,” Tzyrkas explained. It was the smell of dead bodies, villagers who had been killed as Turkish troops entered the village and whose corpses were scattered along the village roads.

According to what Mourkas told his nephew, the elderly man saw Turkish soldiers through his top-floor hiding place gathering the bodies from the roads with a bulldozer and loading them into a truck.

He then saw them take the bodies to a location named ‘Landa’ – Cypriot for puddle – and bury them all there.

The specific spot was called Landa as it was a dent in the ground, which filled with water in the winter when it rained.

According to Politis, upon visiting Landa, reporters found the area fenced off and being used as a garden by a home owner on neighbouring land. Attempts to meet with the owner failed.

Costas Mourkas and his sister Maria remained in their hiding place until October 1974, when the cold winter that started to descend forced them to venture out in search for a safer place to stay.

They were caught by Turkish Cypriot troops, who transported them to Voni, where Greek Cypriot women, children and elderly people were being held.

In November, they were handed over to the United Nations, who transported them to the free areas.

The identities of those buried in the Landa mass grave remain a mystery that would only be answered if the area is excavated.

Missing persons from Exo Metohi amount to 20, four of whom were soldiers. The majority of those missing – and who are suspected to have been buried in Landa – were men and women, mostly over the age of 60, who either couldn’t get out during the invasion or decided to stay there in hope of an end to the conflict.

As for the "atrocity stories" made up by Greek side, a report by the Study Mission of the Sub-committee of the Judiciary of the US Senate (October 1974), about the first phase of the Turkish military operation, said:

"Whenever and wherever the Study Mission talked with Greek Cypriot refugees, the story was basically the same: people moved the instant they saw or thought the Turkish army was advancing towards their town or village."

About the second phase of the operation, the report says:

"Greek Cypriots fled the moment there was rumor or sight of military forces - creating a virtual vacuum into which the Turkish army could and did move without resistance and without the presence of people."

And why they were running away from the "peace force" Zan? Because they knew of the Turkish atrocities committed against those that didn't manage to escape from them.

Since 1974 there have been many series of negotiations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. All of these negotiations have been fruitless because of the Greek side's unwillingness to accept Turkish Cypriots' equality and the guarantee of their rights by Turkey.

The TCs can be equal on an individual basis, but the 18% minority can not be equated to the 82% majority. Also Turkey has no rights in Cyprus. Cyprus is our island, not Turkey's. The Cyprus problem is not solved exactly because you continue to insist on crimes and illegalities and you want to Turkify by force the north part of our island.

The Greek Cypriot side has been enjoying hundreds of millions of dollars of help from UN and EEC while the Turkish Cypriots have been denied all of their citizenship rights and share.

Republic of Cyprus doesn't need any financial help. It is Turkey which is dependent on IMF and the World Bank, since they are a 3rd world country. Nothing was denied to the TCs. It is you who deny to us 1/3rd of our island, and for this reason you face the concequences of your crimes and illegalities.

What is worse, these helps have been used by Greek Cypriots for their military expenses which rose to $500 Million between 1977-87 and $762 Million are envisaged for 1990-93 period. Today there are less than 20,000 Turkish soldiers in Cyprus as opposed to more than 15,000 Greek mainland troops and the Greek National Guard includes 21,000 troops and with reserves reaches 85,000.

There are 40.000 Turkish troops not 20.000, and there are just a couple of 1000s of Greek troops in Cyprus. Cyprus is a country under occupation, if we wouldn't spend money for military who would?

Finally, I am finishing my article with the words of the Greek Cypriot Defense Minister, Mr. Alonetis, on 11 March 1989:

"At the first opportunity we get, the Greek Cypriot National Guard will attack and regain by force of arms our occupied lands."

Therefore, nobody was surprised when Greek Cypriots began moving their forces to the Turkish Cypriot border during the recent Gulf-Crisis, hoping that Iraq would attack Turkey.

So? Our country is under occupation by foreign army. Of course when we find the chance we will liberate it. What else did you expect?

[miltiades]

Geez Zan...when did he write that article? Quoting what was probably a throwaway remark by a defence minister from 1989....after which "no one was surprised" 15 YEARS LATER when GCs moved to the TC 'border' during the 2003 Gulf crisis. Also there have been probably 50 or more UN resolutions on Cyprus since 1990...most of them critical of Turkey...too funny

And then came the Anna Plan...Recent enough for you???

You are a committed partitionist who will dig out any article with which to satisfy your insatiable hatred of the Cypriot people. The Cypriot people are fed up to the teeth with the likes of you , G/C fanatics and T/C fanatics.Your kind is the reason why our island is still divided.
You allegiance is with a foreign power that each and every single nation on earth regards as an occupying power.
In 1974 Turkey occupied a part of Cyprus , in 2008 Turkey is occupying a part of Europe , rest assured Mr partitionist that the count down has begun and sooner rather than later the people of Cyprus will be free , the T/C minority in the North will soon have a country they call call their own , a country recognised the world over ,CYPRUS.

And up pops Pappa 'RoC' wıth hıs usual crap about true Cyprıots. Your sense of faır play only kıcks ın when I post and you let go of all the antı Turkısh crap that ıs posted here on a daıly basıs.

You do not seem to understand that there ıs not a sıngle TC here that wıll gıve up what they have and walk ınto the 'RoC' as you want to sell ıt to them. Not even Bır.....You even dısmıss Bananıot ın your lıst of Cyprıots who seems to be workıng for a faır unıfıcatıon rather than the 'RoC' buılt on TC blood.

At least your recent denouncıng of the rallıes ın the UK because they carry the Greek flag ıs a step ın the rıght dırectıon but where were you all these years?......Dıd you sıng along to the Greek natıonal anthem wıth them??? Dıd you see the bearded traınee preısts ın theır tens sponsored by the GOC to march under these banners.....Where was your protest then. Why ıs the church not bannıng these people from the marches?

So my narrow mınded frıend......Payıng a few quıd ınto a TC charıty and havıng your eyes half open ıs not enough. When you can fully apprecıate what ıs goıng on around you wıth your own then you can ask us to walk ınto the jaws of terror wıth at least some dıgnıty. We would rather fend for ourselves and not have you donatıng to even more charıtıes because you lead us up the garden path. I suggest you carry on goıng to these rallıes and open your eyes a bıt more before gıvıng your support to facısts. Ignorance ıs blıss but treacherous for those that follow you.

Firstly I would ask that you respect the ideals surrounding charitable work , and let me remind you that the Oncology Hospital of Nicosia a highly respected Cancer Unit treats hundreds of T/Cs without any political considerations attached to their treatment, Keep your fascist mouth shut when it comes to charitable work and do not try and score cheap points.

You are the one that is utterly wrong and confused as what the T/C people really want. You belong to the partitionist camp and would resist any attempt at reconciling our people. I try my utmost to be a true Cypriot
and are constantly attacked by the extremists from both sides, but your days are numbered , wisdom and reason will win the day and Cyprus will be united .