The Muslim News
By Ahmed Versi in Lefkosa (Nicosia)
“I am not, at the age of 74, going to be bullied by anybody and my health does not allow me to be locked up for days,” Rauf Denktas, President of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), told The Muslim News in an exclusive interview at the Presidential Palace on October 8. President Denktas was defiant in the face of suggestions that the US negotiator, Richard Holbrooke, may revive the deadlocked negotiations between the TRNC and Republic of Cyprus (representing the Greek Cypriots in the south) by forcing both sides to negotiate in a closed session, just like the one forced upon Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia (who were forced to stay in Dayton, USA, till they agreed on an American solution to the Bosnian crisis). “No one can settle the Cyprus problem by bullying or by force as an enforced settlement will be destroyed in a few years,” the President added. President Denktas explained that the Turkish Muslims have suffered under the rule of the Greek Cypriots since the 50’s. In 1955, Archbishop Makarios, together with George Grivas, terrorised the Turkish Cypriot population by wantan killings. However, in 1959, sensing the possibility of a divided Cyprus, Makarios accepted the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus in which Turkish and Greek Cypriots would share power. This did not last long and in December 1963, he violated the international Cyprus treaties and Constitution and launched attacks on the Turkish Muslims by mass killings. This was followed by a coup d’etat by Greece against Makarios in July 1974. Turkey intervened under the international Treaty of Guarantee (Britain and Greece are the other two Guarantors) to stop the massacre and rapes of Turkish Muslims. Cyprus, since then has been divided into two sectors, the Turkish Muslim north and the Greek Christian south. In 1983 Turkish Cypriots declared independence and Rauf Denktas was elected the President. Only Bangladesh and Turkey recognised the new Republic. However, due to the pressure by the USA, Bangladesh withdrew its recognition and sacked its Foreign Minister. President Denktas defended the declaration of independence, which he said was “forced upon us by the Greek Cypriots when they ejected us (in 1963) by force of arms from Republic of Cyprus in which we were confederate partners, having equal rights with them”. Both the communities had autonomy in their communal affairs, religious, education, legislative, executive, judiciary. He recounted the atrocities committed by the Greek Cypriots: “Overnight we lost 103 villages, one-quarter of our people became refugees and we were confined to three per cent of the area of Cyprus (from the 33 per cent of the land we use to cultivate), surrounded by the Greek forces. We lost hundreds of our people and many became missing persons arrested by the Greek Cypriots.” The difficulties that followed was endured by the Turkish Muslims and “for twenty years we waited patiently for the re-establishment of a partnership state under the 1960 Constitution but the Greek Cypriots refused because they were supported by the UN as the Government of Cyprus”. He added that they kept on asking the world community “how can a 100 per cent Greek Cypriot Orthodox Christians represent a government which was composed of Muslims also?” President Denktas blamed Britain and the USA for the continuation of the impasse as the USA has “to placate their own Greek lobby” and Britain “to protect their bases against Greek Cypriot terrorism”. The acceptance by the EU the application of the Greek Cypriots has made them even more intransigent, commented the President. He angrily added that the EU, by “disregarding even our existence, has decided to convert Cyprus into a Christian stronghold”. President Denktas expressed surprise that the EU has disregarded the 1960 agreement by accepting only the Greek Cypriots for membership of the EU. He added that the “Guarantee System will be destroyed and we shall be exposed to the oppressive measures of the Greek Cypriots anew, this time under the umbrella of the EU”. The European Union (EU), which has rejected the application by Turkey for membership since 1963 (Greece is a member of the EU), has agreed to consider the membership of the Republic of Cyprus (which represents only the Orthodox Christian Greek in the south). The accession talks will begin in March, 1998, with five other applicants (Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Estonia and Slovinia) during the British presidency. The TRNC has not been invited for the membership as EU only recognises the Christian south. The legal argument has been rejected by the EU saying this was a political matter. “Can justice be done in complete disregard over the legal rights?” asked the President. When the Greek Cypriots were massacring the Turkish Cypriots, “where were the EU members?” Only Turkey, under the Treaty of Guarantee, came to their rescue and only through independence have the Muslims been able to live in security. “We must act under the rule of law otherwise the rest is just loose talk.” Turkey, says the President, has the right of veto under 1960 Agreement to prevent Greek Cypriots to become EU member. “The EU has no right to destroy that balance.” TRNC has threatened that if Greek Cypriots are accepted as a member of the EU, “we shall have the same relationship with Turkey”. President Denktas rejected suggestions that TRNC will become part of Turkey. He said: “This does not mean union with Turkey. Turkey will help to make TRNC stronger.” The only solution to the problem, said the President was the acknowledgement of bizonality, “which has been a fact of life for the last 24 years”. The world community must recognise the establishment of a “partnership in a Federation or Confederation and the continuation of the Guarantee system of 1960”. President Denktas is appealing to the Muslim community for their support. “We are not destroying a unitary state, as has been claimed by the Greek Cypriots, and we are not a minority in this state. Cyprus is a Greco-Turkish Cypriot partnership state and when the Greek Cypriots destroyed this unitary state, we had the right to independence.” He hoped the Muslim countries would “give a hint to the Greek Cypriots that we stand a very good chance of being recognised so that the Greek Cypriots are given a motivation for settling the Cyprus problem”. President Rauf Denktas has appealed to the British Muslims to take interest in the Cyprus problem and use their influence on the British Government during their EU presidency next year to prevent the membership of the Greek Cypriots. “I want the Muslim community to understand that our Muslim community in Cyprus will be wiped off the map of Cyprus if the EU accepts the membership of Greek Cypriots.” He warned: “We are reaching a very dangerous precipice.”