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Visitors to Northern Cyprus today, enjoying the welcome of their Turkish Cypriot hosts and the beauty and tranquillity of our land will find it hard to imagine the terrible suffering we endured only a few years ago, which made it necessary to have a Turkish Cypriot State in the North and a separate Greek Cypriot State in the south.

The British granted independence in 1960 on the basis of a partnership constitution agreed between the two peoples of Cyprus. However, within three years the Greek Cypriots threw the Turkish Cypriots out of all our official positions by force of arms, and ignored the Supreme Constitutional Court when it ruled in our favour. The Greek Cypriots then proceeded to murder hundreds of Turkish Cypriot men, women and children. They attempted genocide against us three times - in 1963, 1967, and 1974.

On 28th December 1963 the London Daily Express carried the following report: "We went tonight into the sealed-off Turkish Cypriot Quarter of Nicosia in which 200 to 300 people had been slaughtered in the last five days. We were the first Western reporters there and we have seen sights too frightful to be described in print. Horror so extreme that the people seemed stunned beyond tears."

On 14th January 1964 "Il Giorno" of Italy reported: "Right now we are witnessing the exodus of Turkish Cypriots from the villages. Thousands of people abandoning homes, land, and herds. Greek Cypriot terrorism is relentless. This time the rhetoric of the Hellenes and the statues of Plato do not cover up their barbaric and ferocious behaviour." We were squeezed into defended enclaves, where we had to live for 11 years, surviving as best we could on humanitarian aid from Turkey.

In his memoirs, the US Under-Secretary of State, George Ball, said "Makarios’ central interest was to block off Turkish intervention so that he and his Greek Cypriots could go on happily massacring Turkish Cypriots. Obviously we would never permit that." The fact is that neither the US, the UK, the UN, nor anyone, other than Turkey eleven years later, took effective action to prevent it.

Glafcos Clerides, now the President of the Greek Cypriots, said at the time "we the Greek Cypriots are in full control of the Government. All the Ministers are Greeks. Our government is the only one recognised internationally - why should we bring the Turks back in? The Turks today control only 3% of the land. They have no rich resources and they are living through difficult times from an economic point of view. They will ultimately have to accept our point of view - or go."

We the Turkish Cypriots appealed to Britain and Turkey, who had guaranteed the 1960 Agreement, but Britain took no effective action. Turkey was unable to land troops in 1963 and 1967, but sent its soldiers to rescue us in 1974 when a large force of Greek Cypriot militia, led by one Nicos Sampson and backed by Greek troops, tried to overthrow the Greek Cypriot leadership and annex the island to Greece (ENOSIS). Most of the Greek Cypriots who died in 1974 were killed by their own people.

The Greek newspaper Eleftherotipia published an interview with Sampson on 26th February 1981 in which he said "Had Turkey not intervened I would not only have proclaimed ENOSIS - I would have annihilated the Turks in Cyprus."

"On 20th July 1974 Turkey intervened under Article IV of the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee" - (UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office doc. CPS/75, Jan, 1987).

"Turkey exercised its right of intervention in accordance with Article IV of the Guarantee Treaty of 1960." (Standing Committee of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe 29th July 1974). We established a safe haven for our people in the North and we have lived in peace under our own state since 1975.

WHY ARE TURKISH SOLDIERS STILL IN CYPRUS?

Because international guarantees, including a guarantee from Britain, and the actual presence of UN troops in Cyprus since 1964 failed to protect the Turkish Cypriots, we have concluded that the only effective guarantee for the safety of our families is to ask Turkey to keep its troops in the northern part of Cyprus for so long as may be necessary.

WHAT ABOUT PROPERTIES AND MISSING PERSONS?

As a result of the appalling behaviour of the Greek Cypriots many innocent people on both sides have disappeared and have lost their property. Pending a settlement, Turkish Cypriot property in the south is occupied by Greek Cypriots, and vice versa. Turkish Cypriots have accepted that our missing persons were killed, but the Greek Cypriots keep this issue alive for political reasons.

IS THERE A "GOVERNMENT OF CYPRUS?"

No. The Greek Cypriots destroyed the 1960 partnership Constitution, and they do not have, and have never had, the right to rule the Turkish Cypriots. There are now two states and two governments in Cyprus, but the Greek Cypriots have used their political influence in Britain and America to persuade the world to deal with them as if they were the legitimate government of all Cyprus. This is a grave injustice to the Turkish Cypriots and must be stopped. The Greek Cypriots almost succeeded in silencing the Turkish Cypriot voice in the world, and have consistently extracted one-sided resolutions from the UN and the Commonwealth.

WHAT ARE THE PROSPECTS FOR AN AGREED SETTLEMENT?

The UN started a new round of talks in 1999, but the prospects are not good. In 1986 the Turkish Cypriots accepted the UN proposals, which both Britain and the UN described as a good basis for settlement. They were rejected by the Greek Cypriots. Again, in 1992 the Turkish Cypriots accepted the UN plan but it has become clear that the Greek Cypriots will agree to nothing which would prevent them gaining domination over the whole island at some time in the future. The Turkish Cypriots will not of course agree to anything which would leave that possibility open. We have proposed a Confederal structure for the future.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE STATUS QUO?

There is nothing unjust or unreasonable in two separate states in Cyprus, as it is abundantly clear that the two peoples cannot for the foreseeable future live together. The Turkish Cypriots are however suffering an international embargo on our trade and communications. This is most unfair as we have done no wrong, and it must be lifted immediately.

SHOULD CYPRUS JOIN THE EU?

Neither the Greek Cypriots nor the Turkish Cypriots have any right alone to commit the island to membership of the EU. This can only be done by a joint application after a settlement, which we would welcome. Until a joint application is made, Britain would be in breach of the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee if it failed to veto the unilateral application made by the Greek Cypriots.