Cyprus-Forum.com

[paliometoxo]

IT’S NOT every day that a man who shot you in the head asks you to lunch but this coming Saturday, Yiannis Maratheftis will sit down for lunch with Fat’hi Akinci in Lefka, 35 years after the latter put a bullet in his head.

The two men fought for opposite camps in 1974, meeting in less amicable circumstances during a battle in Lefka, where Akinci shot Maratheftis in the head.

For 35 years, the Turkish Cypriot thought he had killed Maratheftis, an army radio operator, as he later found his helmet with a bullet hole in it and his radio abandoned at the scene of battle. What he didn’t know was that Maratheftis had managed to crawl away from the place where he’d been shot, sought medical treatment and live to see another day.

Akinci only discovered what really happened a month ago when he read Panicos Neocleous’ book, The Ignored: 1974, translated into Turkish and released this summer, which gives a full account of the shooting in Lefka.

Neocleous last year published a book in Greek on the events of 1974, based on 135 interviews with soldiers who’d fought across the island from Limnitis to Famagusta.

The author told the Sunday Mail he was interested in extracting the “real stories of war”. Due to the confines of space, only 50 interviews were included in the book, giving 50 accounts of the war, including one on the shooting and survival of Maratheftis.

According to Neocleous, the book has become something of a bestseller in Turkey and the north after being translated and published in the Turkish language in June. Having read the book, Akinci discovered that Maratheftis was still alive and contacted Neocleous immediately to ask that the two be put in touch. On August 6, the two men met at a café on Ledra Street in the government-controlled areas.

“When I initially called Yiannis, he said yes immediately and with great joy. They met on August 6 in an exceptionally good climate. It didn’t even take more than a few seconds before they embraced. The two became friends instantly,” said Neocleous.

“Fat’hi brought an olive branch for Yiannis, who promised to plant it in his field, and the two agreed to pick the olives together. I then suggested a second meeting at the ‘scene of the crime’ in Lefka.”

Next Saturday, the Maratheftis and Neocleous families will descend on Lefka in the north to visit the site of the shooting, after which Akinci has invited the entire group for lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Neocleous said the book had many real stories which had not been heard. One of his intentions was to put the truth out there for all to read. Not all, however, agree with this version of the truth.

The retired educator told the Sunday Mail that the book caused a bit of a backlash among Greek Cypriot parties and the government, as well as in Turkey while the reaction from Turkish Cypriots has been mostly positive.

Despite many efforts to get sponsorship for the book and its translation into Turkish, Neocleous expressed regret that the government and Education Ministry chose “not to contribute one cent” to the project.

“You are the first Greek Cypriot journalist to interview me. Turkish Cypriot journalists tell me it’s become a bestseller in Turkey. They say it really shook up the Turkish government and army because it says certain truths, allowing the Turkish people to learn for the first time the true behaviour of the army.

“I get emails from Turks and Turkish Cypriots all the time. Hurriyet put it on their front page to say it was full of lies; this was a good advertisement for me,” said Neocleous.

“I can tell you it’s a very objective book. I spoke to 135 soldiers who fought in 1974, though there was only room for 50 of them in the book. The Turkish press say all 50 were stationed at St Hilarion but that is not true, only three were.”

Neocleous said further proof that the book was a good source of facts came from Akinci himself who said that the book described the events of that day in 1974 exactly as they happened. “That should answer those who say I have tried to distort the truth,” said the author.

He argued that the book tells things as they happened, warts and all. One account described the day when Greek Cypriot prisoners of war were badly beaten after a Turkish officer read in the paper that 37 Turkish Cypriots were massacred in Aloa village. There are also references to massacres in Tochni.

“I had four aims when writing this book. First to reveal how Greek officers betrayed us in 1974 when Greek Cypriots were fighting a war without weapons. Second, to show that the behaviour of Turkish troops was brutal and hard, though where they showed good behaviour, I wrote that too.

“Third (was) the role of the UN. The conclusion being that they were informants for both sides. They would come and record our positions, then the Turks would find their targets. And lastly, I wrote it because those who fought in 1974 have been ignored. Hence the title of the book,” he said.

Neocleous acknowledges that the book has ruffled a few feathers on both sides of the divide for various reasons. This does not seem to faze the retired educator.

“I was organising rallies and events in the north from 20 years back when not even birds could fly over,” he said.



Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2009

[Byron]

You dont need to shoot someone in the head before you become friends !

Although an interesting story, I fail to understand the logic of your post.

[EPSILON]

IT’S NOT every day that a man who shot you in the head asks you to lunch but this coming Saturday, Yiannis Maratheftis will sit down for lunch with Fat’hi Akinci in Lefka, 35 years after the latter put a bullet in his head.

The two men fought for opposite camps in 1974, meeting in less amicable circumstances during a battle in Lefka, where Akinci shot Maratheftis in the head.

For 35 years, the Turkish Cypriot thought he had killed Maratheftis, an army radio operator, as he later found his helmet with a bullet hole in it and his radio abandoned at the scene of battle. What he didn’t know was that Maratheftis had managed to crawl away from the place where he’d been shot, sought medical treatment and live to see another day.

Akinci only discovered what really happened a month ago when he read Panicos Neocleous’ book, The Ignored: 1974, translated into Turkish and released this summer, which gives a full account of the shooting in Lefka.

Neocleous last year published a book in Greek on the events of 1974, based on 135 interviews with soldiers who’d fought across the island from Limnitis to Famagusta.

The author told the Sunday Mail he was interested in extracting the “real stories of war”. Due to the confines of space, only 50 interviews were included in the book, giving 50 accounts of the war, including one on the shooting and survival of Maratheftis.

According to Neocleous, the book has become something of a bestseller in Turkey and the north after being translated and published in the Turkish language in June. Having read the book, Akinci discovered that Maratheftis was still alive and contacted Neocleous immediately to ask that the two be put in touch. On August 6, the two men met at a café on Ledra Street in the government-controlled areas.

“When I initially called Yiannis, he said yes immediately and with great joy. They met on August 6 in an exceptionally good climate. It didn’t even take more than a few seconds before they embraced. The two became friends instantly,” said Neocleous.

“Fat’hi brought an olive branch for Yiannis, who promised to plant it in his field, and the two agreed to pick the olives together. I then suggested a second meeting at the ‘scene of the crime’ in Lefka.”

Next Saturday, the Maratheftis and Neocleous families will descend on Lefka in the north to visit the site of the shooting, after which Akinci has invited the entire group for lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Neocleous said the book had many real stories which had not been heard. One of his intentions was to put the truth out there for all to read. Not all, however, agree with this version of the truth.

The retired educator told the Sunday Mail that the book caused a bit of a backlash among Greek Cypriot parties and the government, as well as in Turkey while the reaction from Turkish Cypriots has been mostly positive.

Despite many efforts to get sponsorship for the book and its translation into Turkish, Neocleous expressed regret that the government and Education Ministry chose “not to contribute one cent” to the project.

“You are the first Greek Cypriot journalist to interview me. Turkish Cypriot journalists tell me it’s become a bestseller in Turkey. They say it really shook up the Turkish government and army because it says certain truths, allowing the Turkish people to learn for the first time the true behaviour of the army.

“I get emails from Turks and Turkish Cypriots all the time. Hurriyet put it on their front page to say it was full of lies; this was a good advertisement for me,” said Neocleous.

“I can tell you it’s a very objective book. I spoke to 135 soldiers who fought in 1974, though there was only room for 50 of them in the book. The Turkish press say all 50 were stationed at St Hilarion but that is not true, only three were.”

Neocleous said further proof that the book was a good source of facts came from Akinci himself who said that the book described the events of that day in 1974 exactly as they happened. “That should answer those who say I have tried to distort the truth,” said the author.

He argued that the book tells things as they happened, warts and all. One account described the day when Greek Cypriot prisoners of war were badly beaten after a Turkish officer read in the paper that 37 Turkish Cypriots were massacred in Aloa village. There are also references to massacres in Tochni.

“I had four aims when writing this book. First to reveal how Greek officers betrayed us in 1974 when Greek Cypriots were fighting a war without weapons. Second, to show that the behaviour of Turkish troops was brutal and hard, though where they showed good behaviour, I wrote that too.

“Third (was) the role of the UN. The conclusion being that they were informants for both sides. They would come and record our positions, then the Turks would find their targets. And lastly, I wrote it because those who fought in 1974 have been ignored. Hence the title of the book,” he said.

Neocleous acknowledges that the book has ruffled a few feathers on both sides of the divide for various reasons. This does not seem to faze the retired educator.

“I was organising rallies and events in the north from 20 years back when not even birds could fly over,” he said.



Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2009

Lets have all T/cs and G/cs gry on this case. -because of the cry they can not see easily what they are signing- lets them cry and sign the CB Annan solution!!!