THE PRESIDENT
Thank you
for a very interesting speech, Mr President, and for the support
that you have given the Council of Europe. You lived for ten years
in Hungary, and among the many languages at your command is Hungarian.
You were in Hungary in 1956 and lived through the Hungarian uprising,
so you have seen what has happened in Eastern Europe. You were present
at that historic event. Therefore, we were very interested to hear
your views of the European confederation and the role of the Council
of Europe in this respect. Once again, thank you very much.
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
Thank you for your
kind words and for giving me this opportunity to express my personal
views on the prospects for a European confederation. Not only do I
fully support President Mitterrand’s proposal that we should look
forward to the establishment of a European confederation but I believe
there is a vital need for such an institution. That need arises
from the fact that the revolutionary changes in Eastern Europe have
created a political vacuum. The only body within which problems relating
to European co-operation can be discussed – not problems of general
world interest, which are discussed in the United Nations – is the
Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, which should deal
only with problems of security. There is nothing else.
But fortunately for us all, we have the Council of Europe.
I am sure that when it was established the moment was not foreseen
when it could act as the link between East and West. But, today,
it is able to do just that. I personally believe that it is imperative
in this new climate to create a new forum in which all European
nations can sit down, exchange ideas, discuss the problems, and
try to find ways by which they can learn from each other’s experience
and then apply what they decide in their own countries of their
own free will, not as a result of imposition from outside.
We need a European confederation because many East European
countries are part of a greater European family. In that sense,
Mr Gorbachev’s idea of a common European home and President Mitterrand’s
proposal for a European confederation are not conflicting ideas.
On the contrary, the one could be conceived as a development of
the other. We need to feel that we belong to the same group and
we must develop links among countries. A European confederation
would provide the forum for those links.
As the world stands today, we must either create a new institution
from scratch or we must build on what exists. It is my personal
view that there is nothing better than the Council of Europe and
its Assembly, with its background and tradition of promoting and
safeguarding human rights and promoting the implementation of and
respect for human rights and democratic processes throughout the
world, but particularly in Europe.
The Council of Europe should take the initiative and promote
co-operation among European countries as quickly as possible. It
is not necessary for us to decide in advance the form of a European
confederation. We can have confidence in the ability of everyone
here and future members to develop forums as life goes on. But two
things are important: first, the initiative must be taken; secondly,
we must address the possibility that a European confederation will
not be limited to political, social and cultural matters. We need
a forum where economic cooperation can be discussed. You may say
that that is the European Community. We have the European Community,
but it will take some time before it decides how to develop and
what form of association it will offer to the rest of Europe. In
the meantime, we need to be able to exchange views and address issues that
relate to economic development as well.
To sum up, first, I believe that we need a European confederation
because that will provide the necessary links to cement relations
of the European countries. At the same time, it will help the East
European countries to strengthen their institutions and become open
democratic societies as they all aspire to be for the benefit of their
populations and for the benefit of Europe.
The Council of Europe is the ideal organisation that can use
its experience to develop and help create this European confederation
and it is within this framework that it will have to provide a forum
for discussion of all problems, including the problem of economic
co-operation.
THE PRESIDENT
Thank you,
Mr Vassiliou. I can assure you that you will see a lot of initiatives
from our side in this respect very soon. We have no fewer than eighteen
parliamentary questions for oral answer. I remind you that only
questions from those members present will be answered.
The eighteen questions to Mr Vassiliou have been tabled and
they are set out in Document 6172. Some questions have a common
theme and have been grouped. I propose to ask Mr Vassiliou to reply
to these questions together, and then to each remaining question
individually. I shall then invite the members concerned to ask a
brief supplementary question if they wish. Supplementary questions
are not the occasion for debate and, if members are brief, that
will make it possible for more questions to be answered. It may
be possible to provide written answers to any questions not reached
owing to lack of time.
The first four questions will be taken together. They are
tabled by Mr Martinez, Mr Martino, Mr Frangos and Mr Speed, and
read as follows:
“Question No. 1:
Mr Martinez,
To ask the President of the Republic of Cyprus whether he
thinks that the solution to the problem of Cyprus with a view to
the island’s reunification could be found in a federative arrangement,
respecting the identity and autonomy of each of the two communities
which make up the country’s population.
Question No. 2:
Mr Martino,
Pointing out that, to secure respect for ethnic and national
diversity, our century favours introducing federal or confederate
arrangements which sometimes have major human consequences, as in
Eastern Europe;
Recalling that, for the time being, President Vassiliou does
not actually represent all the people of Cyprus and that, on the
basis of the principle of self-determination, the Turkish Cypriots
have their own democratic multiparty constitution;
Bearing in mind that the Secretary General of the United Nations,
Mr Pérez de Cuéllar, has not so far succeeded in solving either
the international law issue or the problem of the painful past which
divides the two communities,
To ask the President of the Republic of Cyprus whether he
does not think that the progress made by new generations now makes
it possible to find a solution for Cyprus whereby the rights of
individuals and communities are respected.
Question No. 3:
Mr Frangos,
Noting that the crumbling of the Berlin Wall leaves Cyprus
alone in the European space divided territorially and demographically,
To ask the President of the Republic of Cyprus if he believes
that the East-West dialogue currently under way can contribute towards
putting an end to this discrimination against Cyprus, which includes
a violation of the human rights of all Cyprus’s citizens; and what
is his position concerning a federal solution to the Cyprus problem,
based on the high-level agreements between the leaders of the two
communities in Cyprus and the United Nations resolutions.
Question No. 4:
Mr Speed
To ask the President of the Republic of Cyprus if his Government
regards the 1960 Constitution and Treaties as still binding upon
it.”
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
As you have heard
in my speech, the federal solution is the solution that I envisage.
In my opinion, it is the only realistic solution to the Cyprus problem.
The federal solution is not one that has come easily to the Cypriot
side, because traditionally it has stood for a unitary state. However,
if one wants to reach a solution to a problem, one must be ready
to compromise. The historic compromise that the Greek Cypriot community
had to make was to see that the federal solution was the best solution
for the solving of the Cyprus problem. Therefore, we fully support
the federal solution within the framework of one Cyprus, and we
are ready to work for it.
Mr MARTINEZ (Spain)
Thank you, Mr Vassiliou,
for your presence here and for your very enlightened speech. There
has been a tendency within the Assembly to claim that perhaps we
should not devote too much time to discussing the Cyprus question
because that might interfere with the initiative taken by the United Nations
Secretary General, who remains the man responsible for the achievement
of peace in your country. Do you believe that, since the Cyprus
problem is a wound in the body and soul of Europe, the Council of
Europe is the body where this matter is to be tackled and where
we have to try to find peaceful solutions?
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
I not only believe
that the Council of Europe should be discussing the Cyprus issue;
I take this opportunity to thank you for the continuing interest
that the Council has shown in the Cyprus problem. I should like
to point out that the Cyprus problem is not simply one that interests
the Cypriots, whether Greek or Turkish. In essence, today, taking
into consideration the developments in the world and the nationalistic
expressions of discontent that we have seen all around the world,
we can see that the Cyprus problem is very much a problem of interest
not only to Cyprus but to the whole world, since from the way that
the Cyprus problem could be solved one could find a blueprint for
the solving of similar problems around the world.
It is also important because it shows how differences in two
communities can be exacerbated and become an international problem
if a foreign country that has sympathies and interests with one
side is permitted to interfere and take the role of “peacemaker”.
If we were to think of similar situations in Europe – I am sure
that we would not like to enumerate them – we would be afraid to
think of the consequences to world peace of such ethnic conflicts.
I believe that the Cyprus problem, in that sense, is one not
only of interest to Cyprus but to the whole world and especially
to Europe. In that sense, it is appropriate that the Council of
Europe has been discussing it.
Furthermore, I do not think that discussing it here in any
way jeopardises the solution of the problem; on the contrary, it
will help to bring to the attention of all those interested the
fact that the solution needs to be early, and I think it would help
the efforts of the Secretary General rather than hinder them.
Mr MARTINO (Italy) (translation)
President Vassiliou,
I have to say that I was not entirely satisfied by your reply or
by the statement you made, wide-ranging and comprehensive as it
was. Personally, I will only be satisfied when you, President Vassiliou,
and Mr Denktash shake hands on a federalist solution, however it
may be reached, closing a painful and unhappy episode from the past
and generating an opportunity for peace – as the handshake between
Reagan and Gorbachev has created a chance for peace for all humanity.
All I was asking was for some sort of idea as to when such
a handshake might take place. I understand that it does not depend
entirely on you, but it is up to you to make the first move.
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
I am extremely sorry
that you are not fully satisfied with my speech. I tried my best
to be as objective as possible. However, I am surprised that you
are asking when a handshake can take place. This handshake took
place last August, in Geneva, between Mr Denktash and myself, when
the Secretary General invited us to start a series of meetings with
the prospect of solving the Cyprus problem. We have shaken hands,
and the event was covered by the television networks.
Since then, we have had similar meetings in Cyprus and we
have had eight hours of discussion. Unfortunately, when the Secretary
General submitted his ideas for helping to reach a solution, Mr Denktash
tended to forget the handshake, and move away. Since then, he has
still not replied formally that he will come back to sit down and
talk. I hope that he will answer positively and come to New York,
where the Secretary General has invited us, and that the new handshake
in New York will be productive.
I can assure you that if there is one thing I am striving
for, it is to see the unity of Cyprus. I am convinced that that
unity will be to the benefit of both Greek and Turkish Cypriots
as well as to the benefit of Turkey, Greece, the Mediterranean –
our common sea – and Europe.
Mr FRANGOS (Greece) (translation)
Mr President,
your statement and reply were very satisfactory. I do not therefore wish
to put a supplementary question, but should like to congratulate
you and thank you for your contribution to world peace and the solving
of the Cyprus problem.
Mr SPEED (United Kingdom)
Will you
confirm your Government’s view that, both now and under any proposed
federal constitution, the Turkish-Cypriot community and the Greek-Cypriot
community have equal political rights?
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
Yes, we believe
that the federation that we are looking for – as I said in my speech
– should have two constituent parts. One should be administered
by the Turkish-Cypriot community and the other by the Greek-Cypriot
community. We are ready to go further than probably any other federal
constitution in the world to guarantee that each community will
be safe in the knowledge that it will be able to administer its
territory for ever. There will be a guarantee that it will never become
a minority or lose the ability to administer its territory. These
two territories should be equal in their fields of competence, as
in all federations, but at the same time the Federal Republic of
Cyprus should make certain that its citizens are all equal.
THE PRESIDENT
We now come
to Questions Nos. 5 and 6, by Mrs Lentz-Cornette and Mr Ward, respectively:
“Question No. 5:
Mrs Lentz-Cornette,
Noting that the 1960 Cypriot Constitution stipulates, in Articles
1 and 2, that the Republic is made up of the Turkish and Greek communities,
To ask the President of the Republic of Cyprus, whether, given
the structure of this basic law, it is possible to refer to the
Turkish community as a minority and how it is possible to envisage
in the future a federation, which must be based on the equality
of the federated states, while considering that the Turkish Cypriots
form a minority.
Question No. 6:
Mr Ward,
To ask the President of the Republic of Cyprus if he accepts
that, for the first time for many years, the Turkish community in
Cyprus feels safe; and if he considers that this leads to the conclusion
that the only way forward is a recognition that each community in
Cyprus will need to be in control of its own area with suitable
co-ordination of international relations, leading to mutual respect
of the equal rights and freedoms of both the main communities in
Cyprus.”
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
Essentially, I have
already answered Question No. 5 by what I said to Mr Speed. I said
that we do not look at the Turkish community as a minority but as another
community. There are two communities in Cyprus and within the framework
of the federation each will administer one area. As I stated, no
federation can exist unless its citizens are all equal, irrespective
of ethnic origin or religious beliefs. I have also answered Mr Ward’s
question by what I have already said.
Mr WARD (United Kingdom)
Mr President,
you will be aware that this spring you are hosting the Inter-Parliamentary
Union Conference in Nicosia when, it is hoped, some 100 countries
will be represented. It is important that people should be able
to see at first hand the problems that both parts of Cyprus face
– this is a golden opportunity to do just that. Would you be able
to give an undertaking that representatives arriving in Nicosia
for the Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference will be allowed to
go back and forth across the Green Line so that they can see as
much of the problem as possible?
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
Mr Ward, I assure
you that all parliamentarians coming to Cyprus will have the chance
to meet and talk with as many Turkish Cypriots as possible. However,
all parliamentarians coming to Cyprus will be coming to the Republic
of Cyprus. The world recognises only the Republic of Cyprus and
not the self-proclaimed so-called Republic of North Cyprus. Therefore,
we cannot in any circumstances encourage any moves that lead to
meetings that take an official character, which might lead to an
indirect recognition of this self-proclaimed entity. We favour and
will continue to favour contacts with Turkish Cypriots, whether
they are ordinary people or politicians but we will not favour moves
that aim at helping accentuate the problem rather than solving it.
THE PRESIDENT
We now come
to the next group of questions. They are by Mr Andreas Müller and Mr Redmond,
and read as follows:
“Question No. 7:
Mr Andreas Müller,
Having, as co-author of the 1987 report on national refugees
and missing persons in Cyprus, a direct interest in the process
of eliminating tension between the northern and southern parts of
the island,
To ask the President of the Republic of Cyprus:
a. what steps have been taken since
1987 to restore trust between the two communities by means of direct contact
through joint events (Doc. 5716, Recommendation 1056, paragraph 18.e);
b. what steps the government has taken since 1987 to foster
economic co-operation in the whole island (Doc. 5716, Recommendation 1056,
paragraph 18.f).
Question No. 8:
Mr Redmond,
To ask the President of the Republic of Cyprus how the opening
of Varosha could help Cypriots practise living together, in the
interests of both Greek and Turkish Cypriots; if he will comment
on recent contacts across the Green Line between Greek and Turkish
Cypriot doctors, trade unionists and journalists; and how he considers that
such contacts can be encouraged.”
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
I should like to
thank Mr Andreas Müller for raising the problem of the need for
further contacts between the two communities. Since the day I was
elected, I have done my best to promote such contacts. We have invited,
and are always inviting, Turkish Cypriots to move freely. We are
providing work opportunities for many Turkish Cypriots to work on
equal terms and conditions as Greek Cypriots. I have corrected things
that were not functioning well due to the situation in the past.
One was the payment of social insurance contributions to those Turkish
Cypriots who were entitled to them. We have started payment and,
with the help of the United Nations, were able to make arrangements
so that all those who are entitled to the payments can receive them.
We have promoted relationships between political parties. We are
opening our hospitals for free medical care to Turkish Cypriots.
We are also promoting environmental co-operation where that is necessary
and possible.
However, much closer economic co-operation is not possible
as long as the partition is there and as long as the legal owners
of properties and factories are not permitted either to go back
to their properties or to come to some other kind of arrangement.
For that reason, we are doing our best to promote a solution to
the problem as quickly as possible to ensure that all Cypriots,
whether Greek or Turkish, can benefit from the island’s huge economic
potential.
I should also like to answer the question concerning the opening
up of Varosha. We fully support that and believe that such a move
would considerably improve the climate in Cyprus. It would also
enable Greek and Turkish Cypriots to work on a large scale together,
to promote joint projects, and to get first-hand experience of working
together after so many years. It will create a climate that would
quickly lead to a final settlement. We have therefore been supporting
and asking Turkey to help open up Varosha to its legitimate inhabitants,
under the auspices of the United Nations.
Mr Andreas MÜLLER (Switzerland) (translation)
Thank you,
Mr President, for all the efforts you have made to bring the two
communities closer together, even though it falls far short of what
we had in mind when we unanimously adopted the resolutions in this
Assembly. We can all agree with the remark you made about the need
for an effort to forget what must be forgotten. Now to my further
question, to test the strength of your conviction: Mr President,
what is your position with regard to the general amnesty proposed
unanimously by this Assembly?
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
I am fully in favour
of an amnesty in the sense that there is not much to be gained in
trying to find people from one side or the other who have committed crimes.
Indeed, at my meetings with Mr Denktash, when discussing the prospects
of freedom of movement in a united Cyprus he always said: “But how
can we let killers move among our people?” I reminded him that the people
whom he described as killers were already old men and represented
no danger to anyone and that the same was true of killers from his
side. I therefore fully agree that we should forget in the sense
of not taking reprisals, but not in terms of failing to learn the
lessons so as to ensure that similar events do not take place in the
future. In that sense, I fully support the idea of an amnesty.
Mr REDMOND (United Kingdom)
I am sure
that you, Mr President, would agree that fear and mistrust keep people
apart. That is why it is important that people from both sides at
all levels and from all groups should talk together. I was pleased
to hear of the progress referred to in President Vassiliou’s reply,
but may we have an assurance that additional facilities will be
made available so as to ensure that that dialogue continues to progress?
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
I assure the Assembly
that we are prepared to give every facility, not just in terms of
providing venues but in terms of the free transport and ability
to stay for any Turkish Cypriot who wishes to move among the Greek
Cypriot people to talk to colleagues, people from the same village
or other acquaintances. Unfortunately, however, the Turkish military
authorities do not always permit such contacts, so we can never
be sure that they will take place. For instance, just the other
day some doctors were to meet, but they were stopped. Some trade-unionists
who were to meet were also stopped. Unfortunately, the other side
has been setting up all kinds of hurdles and prohibitions. Nevertheless,
we are persistent people and we are persevering. I assure the Assembly
that we will do everything possible to facilitate as many contacts
as possible at all levels.
THE PRESIDENT
We now come
to the following questions by Mr Cox and Mr Faulds:
“Question No. 9:
Mr Cox,
To ask the President of the Republic of Cyprus whether, as
is often claimed, the Republic of Cyprus has large stocks of military
arms and equipment.
Question No. 10:
Mr Faulds,
In view of the British Government’s stated disapproval of
the build-up of armaments in the south of Cyprus as not being conducive
to a peaceful settlement,
To ask the President of the Republic of Cyprus if he will
give an assurance now that this arms build-up will stop forthwith.”
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
Yes, we have some
stocks of arms and military equipment, but it may be better to answer
the question by repeating what our Minister of Defence said at the
seminar organised just a few days ago in Vienna under the auspices
of the CSCE. He said that while a country such as Cyprus should
have no military doctrine and no army at all, if we have a military
doctrine, it is because it is imposed on us by certain facts of
life. For instance, there are still 35 000 fully trained Turkish troops
– probably the best in the Turkish army – stationed in Cyprus, more
than 350 tanks, and big military air bases covering the whole island.
Every year, joint military exercises take place between Turkish
planes and naval forces and the Turkish troops stationed in Cyprus.
In such conditions, the least that one owes to oneself is
to try to build a credible defence capability. At present, this
consists of 11 000 national guardsmen, but we are making every effort
to increase that number to 12 000 or 13 000. As that is the number
of young people that we have, however, it is not easy to achieve
such an increase. We are also trying to create a few hundred permanent
soliders to man the new guns that we have bought, but there are
difficulties there, too, because in a situation of full employment
young men prefer peace and working in hotel management and other
tourist activities to bearing arms.
As we are having such difficulty increasing the number of
guardsmen from 11 000 to 12 000 or 13 000, there is not one chance
in a million that we could ever match the 35 000 troops that the
Turks have. We must therefore train our people as well as possible
so that we can defend ourselves. We have 16 tanks, which we hope
to increase to 30 or 40, but that is far fewer than the 350 that
the Turks have. It is a joke to think that Cyprus could ever become
a military danger or threat to Turkey. Everyone knows that. We are
simply trying to build an ability to defend ourselves and not be
blackmailed by the huge and unnecessary Turkish military presence
in Cyprus. Nevertheless, as I said in my speech, we are ready at
any moment, be it today or tomorrow, to disband our forces and turn
our guns into ploughshares.
Mr COX (United Kingdom)
I thank
you for that reply, Mr Vassiliou. I very much welcome your extremely
firm commitment to the demilitarisation of Cyprus. I am sure that
we should all welcome that. In view of your reply to my question,
can you confirm that the Government of Great Britain, which is one
of the guarantor powers for Cyprus, has made repeated requests to
Mr Denktash for a substantial reduction in the number of Turkish troops
in the north of Cyprus but that he has regrettably never responded?
As you have said that you hope to meet Mr Denktash in the near future,
can you tell the Assembly whether the removal of troops and military equipment
from the north will be a major item on the agenda?
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
The British Government
has asked Turkey to reduce forces – not Mr Denktash, because he
does not decide those matters – and the Greek Government has also
made such requests. When Prime Minister Papandreou met President
Ozal to discuss ways of improving relations between their two countries,
the Greek Prime Minister asked for Turkish forces in Cyprus to be reduced.
There have also been announcements in the Turkish press from time
to time to the effect that Turkey would reduce its forces as a good
will gesture. Going back a little further, when Turkey was asking
the United States Congress to remove the embargo on the supply of
arms to Turkey, imposed because NATO or United States arms had been
used in the invasion of Cyprus, Turkey promised everyone that if
they would just remove the embargo Turkey would withdraw its troops
and the problem would be solved. The embargo was removed more than
ten years ago, but unfortunately the troops are still there.
We certainly have been asking, we are asking and we will be
asking. We hope that, at the end of the day, Cyprus will not be
regarded in the manner of The Times Diary a few days ago. We hope
that we shall not have the honour to be included in “Trivial Pursuits”
in the form of the question: “Which is the country in the world
a part of which is still occupied by another European country?”
Mr FAULDS (United Kingdom)
You will
remember, Mr Vassiliou, from our previous encounter that I do not regard
you as the President of Cyprus, with due respect, of course. I see
you as the leader of the Greek Cypriot regime...
THE PRESIDENT
Order, please.
Mr FAULDS
I
read that as approval.
You gave some answers just now, Mr Vassiliou, about the military
build-up. I have to say that the figures I have available do not
tally with those you gave us. My information is that the Greek Cypriots
now have 25 000 armed troops in the south of Cyprus and can mobilise
75 000 more in 24 hours. Did you not mislead the Council when you
referred to the “Turkish invasion”? As you must well know, Turkish
forces in the north of Cyprus are entitled to be there under the
treaty of guarantee of 1960. There was no invasion. There is no
occupation but a necessary intervention on the part of the Turkish
Government – indeed, a legal intervention under the treaty of guarantee
of 1960. How can you believe that the military build-up – we have
to disagree about the figures – can possibly induce confidence among
the Turkish Cypriots whose trust you have to win?
I have here, Sir, a charming photograph of you, looking perhaps
a little harassed, but you have on your lapel an EOKA badge. Perhaps
the press would like to see this later, because photographs tell
good stories, I am told, usually the truth. How can you explain
that your appearance at an EOKA rally in the recent past, wearing this
EOKA badge – which is the badge of the terrorist organisation that
pursued Enosis with Greece – is likely to induce confidence among
the Turkish Cypriots? Would it not rather suggest that you still
support EOKA, and that you still support EOKA’s aims, which were,
and possibly still are, enosis with Greece?
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
I do not know where
to start. I know that Mr Faulds is a good actor. I do not know how
well informed he is...
Mr FAULDS
This
is genuine.
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
But he has certainly
made a good appearance here. He was able to present things as being
true which certainly do not represent the truth. There is no point in
going into a personal exchange of ideas as to whether what I say
is true or whether what Mr Faulds says is true, but I will state
in front of this august body that we are ready to accept any international
supervision or control to count how many armed troops we have and
how many Turkish troops there are. That will establish the truth
and show Mr Faulds – I am sorry to say this – that I am telling
the truth and that the figures he is reporting are not true.
As to whether I am the President of the Republic of Cyprus,
I will mention what happened at the first meeting between Mr Denktash
and the late Archbishop Makarios in 1977, when they signed their
agreement. Mr Denktash said to Archbishop Makarios, “You know, your
Beatitude, that I do not recognise you as President of Cyprus”.
The Archbishop, with his humour, said, “Don’t worry, Mr Denktash,
it is enough for me that the whole world recognises me”. It is the
same for me now...
Mr FAULDS
He
was the legal President.
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
I am the legal President,
because the Constitution of 1960 says clearly that the President
of the Republic is chosen by the Greek Cypriots and the Vice-President
is chosen and elected by the Turkish Cypriots. That is how I am
the President.
Concerning the famous photograph that you have – it is not
a secret photograph – let me first tell you that EOKA was described
by the British in those days as a terrorist organisation, but I
am sorry to say that the British, in the colonial days, had a tendency
to describe any group of people fighting for independence and for
their own freedom as a terrorist organisation. That is something
that belongs to the past. We are now looking forward to co-operation,
and we are happy with the co-operation that we have with the British
Government and between the British and the Cypriot people.
EOKA was the body that fought for independence. It is true
that it wanted union with Greece. There is no doubt about it. It
is also true that it had to accept a compromise: instead of getting
union it had to adapt to the acceptance of the Zurich Agreements,
which in essence meant the independence and establishment of the independent
republic.
Any president of any country has a duty to honour its traditions
and the battle of its people for independence. In that sense, I
should be congratulated by you and not criticised. If you are talking
about terrorist organisations, there was a terrorist organisation
in those days which was called TMT, and it specialised in intercommunal strife.
As I said before and repeat now, what is important is not to dwell
on the past and not to look at differences or at what excesses there
have been by individual members of EOKA or of TMT at some stage
afterwards, not during the fight for independence.
It is well known that there has been intercommunal strife,
and I am the last person to deny that. What I am saying is that
we cannot build a future by referring all the time to the strife
of the past. We have to learn from the past and build a peaceful
future for both communities through a federal Cyprus.
THE PRESIDENT
Next, we
come to Question No. 11, by Sir Dudley Smith. It reads as follows:
“Question No. 11:
Sir Dudley Smith,
To ask the President of the Republic of Cyprus why, until
a settlement is reached, he objects to the peace-keeping role of
the Turkish troops in northern Cyprus.”
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
All I can say in
answer to the question is: God save the world from similar peace-keeping
roles. If peace-keeping means the throwing away of one-third of
the population, making people refugees in their own country, killing
about 1% of the total population and having 1 600 missing persons,
that is a very difficult way. It will end up like describing – well,
I prefer not to go on. I do not agree that this is a peace-keeping
effort. I do not think that anybody accepts that it is. We certainly
object to the continous presence of Turkish troops in Cyprus. We
should like to see them departing as early as possible, because
that will be the biggest contribution Turkey can make to regional
peace at this moment.
Sir Dudley SMITH (United Kingdom)
Is Mr Vassiliou
aware that, far from feeling intimidated, as I know from personal
experience, the northern Cyprus people, the Turkish Cypriots, feel
much safer with the peace-keeping force of Turkish troops there?
It has enabled them to develop to a modest extent their own particular
prosperity. Bearing in mind the reply you gave to my British colleagues
a few moments ago, they are acutely aware that, since there has
been this support, there has not been one political intercommunal
murder or serious injury.
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
There were no incidents
between 1967 and 1974, although no Turkish troops were present,
and in 1974, when the coup d’état took place under the Greek junta,
there was not one incident against a Turkish Cypriot until Turkey
decided to invade, using the coup d’état as a pretext. I do not
know whether anyone anywhere in the world could accept that situation
with a neighbouring country.
I shall refer you to the way that I answered this question
when I was in Malaysia. I did not use a European example. As you
know, Malaysia is a multiracial country, and about one-third of
the population is Chinese, but they live throughout the country.
In the past there was a danger of intercommunal strife. It is a
Muslim country. I asked the interlocutor what he would think if
China were to come into Malaysia, occupy one half or one-third of
the country, throw out all the Malays, oblige all the Chinese to
come to live in that part of the country and give them the properties
that belonged to the Malays, saying: “You can live in these.” What
if they then said to Malays in the rest of the world: “This is peace.
This is what you should recognise”? That interlocutor looked at me
and said: “So that is what it is really.” There were no further
comments. I do not think that I need to comment further on this
question.
THE PRESIDENT
We come
to Question No. 12, by Mr Alemyr, which reads as follows:
“Question No. 12:
Mr Alemyr,
To ask the President of the Republic of Cyprus how he sees
the fate of the Turkish population settled in northern Cyprus since
the division of the island, in the event of a future reintegration
of northern Cyprus and the Republic of Cyprus.”
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
I believe that the
Turkish population that has settled in northern Cyprus should be
guaranteed a safe future. I do not see the future in Cyprus as a
future of confrontation but of co-operation. Turkish Cypriots, within
the framework of a solution, like Greek Cypriots, should be given
the option of coming back to their villages. Many Turkish Cypriots
may now be multi-millionaires because the properties that they owned,
and still legally own according to our laws and rules, are now worth
a lot of money as a result of the tourist development of Cyprus.
Every Cypriot, whether Turkish or Greek, but you are talking about
the Turks, should be given the option to decide whether he wants
to go back. If he does not want to go back – I think that the majority
of Turkish Cypriots will freely exercise the option not to go back
– he should be allowed to stay and he should be helped to settle
there for ever.
If a Greek Cypriot wants to go back, and the house that he
wants to return to is occupied by a Turkish Cypriot, proper arrangements
will have to be made. New facilities, or perhaps a new house, will
have to be provided for the Turkish Cypriot so that he does not
feel that he has been evicted from what was his provisional home,
but feels that he has been given a chance to have a secure future,
based on the legality of the united federation.
In other words, we do not envisage a solution that will put
anyone in jeopardy but, on the contrary, we envisage a solution
that will ensure that Turkish Cypriots will feel secure and that
they will feel that they have a future, not only for themselves
but for their children as well.
Mr ALEMYR (Sweden)
Thank you for
your answer, Mr President. The reason for my question was that the Foreign
Relations Committee in the Swedish Parliament got the message from
one of your officials that if a settlement were possible between
Turkey and Cyprus, to make a free united Cyprus, all the Turks would
be sent back by force to Anatolia. You made a good answer, and I
thank you for it. I think we both agree that it is important for
the future to make it possible for all the people to live there,
and to live in human dignity, and I hope that we can all co-operate
to ensure that.
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
I think that there
has been a misunderstanding here on my part. I was referring to
Turkish Cypriots who have moved to the north, rather than to settlers.
I believe that it is better for the settlers to be given help and
support so that they can return to Turkey, because they did not
come into Cyprus as part of a legal process, as immigrants come
into Sweden or any other European country nowadays. Not only that,
they have also been used, and are being used, as a means of controlling
the Turkish-Cypriot population, by giving them political rights
which are being used to the detriment of the indigenous Turkish-Cypriot
population.
For the benefit of all Cypriots, those people should be helped
to resettle in Turkey. However, people who have married Turkish
Cypriots should have the opportunity to choose to stay. As a matter
of fact, a number of Greek Cypriots have married Turks and they
are living in peace. So, those people who are legally married to
a Cypriot should be able to live with that family, but the others
should be helped to return. That has been a basic demand on our
part.
THE PRESIDENT
We now come
to Question No. 13, by Mr Pahtas:
“Question No. 13:
Mr Pahtas,
Pointing out that, as a result of the tragic events of 1974,
which followed the invasion of Cyprus by Turkish military occupation
forces, there is the major humanitarian problem of the 1 619 missing
persons, including Greek citizens, who were alive at the time of
their illegal capture by the Turkish military and about whom we have
since had no information;
Noting that sixteen years later, at a time when freedom is
being recovered throughout Europe and worldwide, a member country
of the Council of Europe does not yet know the fate of some of its
citizens,
To ask the President of the Republic of Cyprus:
a. what information he has on the subject, and
b. what the European institutions can do about these people.”
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
Missing persons
are a human tragedy. We would like the cases to be solved as quickly
as possible and not to be exploited politically. This is a human problem
which we want to be resolved. I have appealed to Mr Denktash and
to Turkey to help us to solve it, and I have repeatedly said that
we do not intend to exploit the issue politically.
Mr PAHTAS (Greece) (translation)
Mr President,
our principles are expressed in our total respect for human rights
and for democracy, and in our struggle to defend them.
Our aim here is to help build a Europe which is independent
of the military blocs and in which no foreign troops are stationed
in any of our countries.
Despite all this, we are confronted with a paradox, or rather
several paradoxes.
Mr President, you are the President of a Council of Europe
member state, over one-third of whose territory is occupied by the
military forces of another country, Turkey, which is also a Council
of Europe member state.
Recently, the German Democratic Republic removed all the obstacles
and lifted all the barriers hindering free circulation of persons.
In Cyprus, however, a non-existent frontier is being turned into
a wall.
We are discussing the building of European unity in a very
thorough manner: but one European country is still divided in two
by outside military forces!
Every attempt is being made to achieve one aim – to stave
off an outburst of popular feeling of the type which led to democratisation
in the countries of Eastern and Central Europe.
In Cyprus, whole communities are being “imported” from the
interior of Asia. If this continues, most of the population of the
occupied territories will soon no longer belong to the original
population. What we are seeing here is a new colonisation process.
At the same time, the refugees of the two communities are being
prevented from returning to their homes.
All of this has led the Secretary General of the United Nations
to abandon his general policy and take sides, declaring that Mr Denktash’s
attitude disturbed him – and, more specifically, that he no longer
understood what Mr Denktash was saying.
Mr President, what do you think of the reaction of the Secretary
General of the United Nations?
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
We want a meeting
to take place and we want it to succeed. We hope that Mr Denktash
will co-operate and help to make this meeting a successful one.
THE PRESIDENT
Next, we
have Questions Nos. 14 and 15, by Mr Atkinson and Mr Lambie, which
read as follows:
“Question No. 14:
Mr Atkinson,
To ask the President of the Republic of Cyprus what consultation
he has held with Mr Denktash in preparing his statement today.
Question No. 15:
Mr Lambie,
Considering that it is only fair, and indeed essential, that
this Council should hear both sides of any case before it can come
to a view,
To ask the President of the Republic of Cyprus if he has any
objection to the Council of Europe inviting Mr Denktash, the leader
of the Turkish Cypriots, to address the Parliamentary Assembly as
he has just done.”
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
I am asked what
consultations I had with Mr Denktash before delivering my statement.
As I said, I have been trying to have consultations with Mr Denktash
over the past month, but he has refused to consult on anything,
far less on a statement. I am surprised by these questions.
Mr ATKINSON (United Kingdom)
Do you
accept that, in the present circumstances of your divided country, when
preparing addresses to national assemblies of importance, such as
ours, it would be appropriate for you to consult the leader of the
Turkish-Cypriot community rather than to speak for only one part
of your country? Can you confirm that you attempted to speak to
Mr Denktash about the preparation of your speech to us?
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
I am very surprised
by your remarks, Mr Atkinson. You know that Cyprus is a republic
and that the President is properly elected. Mr Denktash and the
Turkish-Cypriot community have chosen to move away and are separated
from us at the moment. We have always said that we would welcome
the Turkish Cypriots back to live with us under the Constitution,
if that is what they wish. Unfortunately, they have refused to do
that. I thought that you would have known that. One can only consult
someone within the framework of legally accepted institutions. Those
institutions exist, but unfortunately the Turkish Cypriots have
chosen not to participate in them. That is why we had no opportunity to
consult them.
Mr LAMBIE (United Kingdom)
I had
asked you whether you would have no objection to this Assembly inviting Mr Denktash
to come and address us. You have put your side of the case today.
In the new spirit of glasnost that appeared throughout your speech
today, would you have any objection to Mr Denktash being invited
to give his side of the case?
During my time as a member of the Council of Europe I have
met at an official level in the Parliamentary Assembly, in committees
and in sub-committees only representatives of the Greek community
in Cyprus. In your speech you said that you were in favour of looking
to the future. Will you give us a guarantee that in the near future
you will include in the Cypriot delegation to the Council of Europe
members of the Turkish community? That would go a long way towards
bringing us all together.
Mr Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus
It is not for me
to decide who addresses the Assembly. As far as I know, the rules
are clear. This is an Assembly of twenty-three nations and only
the heads of those nations are invited to address it. In that sense,
there is no scope for Mr Denktash.
The views of the Turkish Cypriots are well known. There have
been many opportunities, in fact-finding missions and others, to
hear those views, and I am sure that there is no lack of knowledge
of them. I repeat that we are aiming at a solution and that we want
Cyprus to be reunited. We have always wanted the Turkish Cypriots
to be part of the delegation. It is not our choice that they are
not here: it is theirs.
This Assembly contains representatives of the twenty-three
parliaments of its member states. Unfortunately, the Turkish Cypriots
have chosen to withdraw from our parliament. Places exist for them,
but they do not want to participate. They want to impose a partition
on the island and to destroy the republic. The whole world stands against
partitions. Ethnic problems cannot be resolved by partitioning countries.
As I said in my speech, and as I am sure you will agree, it would
help no one if Europe was to become a bloc of three hundred countries instead
of thirty-five, but that is what would happen if every ethnic community
was permitted to set up its own state.
We are trying to do something that will benefit the Cypriot
people, but we are fighting your battle, too, for a better Europe
and a better world.
THE PRESIDENT
Thank you,
Mr President. On behalf of the Assembly, I express our thanks to
you for your answers to all the questions. I also thank you for
your support of our Organisation, and I wish you and Cyprus all
the best for the future.
