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From the above map it
can clearly be seen that the Greek, Maroniate and Armenian Cypriots who
were Orthodox Christians formed the majority of the population in the parts
of Cyprus that Turkey captured.
The following
statistics also show that the Christians who made up 82% of the population
owned the majority of the land.
Land Ownership by
Ethnic Group:
60.9% - Greek/Armenian/Maronite
Cypriots
12.3% - Turkish Cypriots
0.5% - Others
26.3% - State/Church Land
Source:Department
of Lands and Surveys (refer to Annex 14 in Volume II of the
"Memorandum by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of
Cyprus" submitted to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of
Commons, 27 February 1987.
The district of Kyrenia
which was the first to be invaded was almost exclusively Greek Cypriot
populated.
As soon as the first
wave of the invasion began on 20 July 1974 Turkeys aim was to ethnically
cleanse Cyprus of its Greek Cypriot majority.
When the second wave
was launched on 14 August 1974 in violation of a UN
Ceasefire
and demands for Turkey's withdrawal Turkey proceed to move out from the 5%
of Cyprus territory it had already captured in the Greek Cypriot district
of Kyrenia after already ethnically cleansing it and began to round up
Greek Cypriot civilians by force village by village and transported them to
concentration camps in violation of the Geneva Convention. In so doing
Turkish troops with the encouragement of Turkish Prime Minister Bulent
Ecevit perpetrated unspeakable war crimes against the civilian population
including mass rapes, systematic tortures and savage bodily mutilations.
Greek Cypriot populated villages were also subjected to wave a upon wave of
bombings and napalm attacks.
Turkeys claim that the
brutal invasion of 1974 was a "peace mission" to save the Turkish
Cypriots is not only sikening but is completely refuted by the evidence.
The European Court of
Human Rights judged in 1996 and 2001 that the property rights of the
refugees are still valid and inviolable. The refugees property is sill
theirs and cannot be taken away from them. Any solution that places
obstacles in the way of the refuges right to return and enjoy their
property is ruled out by the ECHR. Therefore any form of partition of
Cyprus territory or restrictions on the freedom of movement and right to
property ownership of the refugees is illegal.
From the map below it
can be seen that a separate Turkish Cypriot entity is not only completely
unviable in itself but would also make the Greek Cypriot entity unviable
even if it were to be based only on the villages which contained a Turkish
Cypriot majority since it would place restrictions of freedom of movement.
Half of the land and
property in the areas marked in green would still include Greek Cypriot
owned land and property since the property owned by the Turkish Cypriots is
only 12.3% of the occupied territory.
Any attempt to create a
separate entity under Turkish Cypriot control which incorporates Greek
Cypriot owned land or property would be cementing an act of genocide and
would make it virtually impossible for the refugees to return.
The only solution that
is compatible with international law and which does not violate human
rights is the restoration of a democratic unitary state. Any deviation form
this solution would be challenged justifiably in the courts.
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