Sir, The "two very important points" which the Turkish ambassador raised in his letter, of August 17th reveal a blatant attempt to mislead public opinion. If the Turkish Cypriot leader is "the single politician seeking a peaceful and just solution", then why does the United Nations Secretary General categorically state in his reports that "the Security Council is faced with the lack of political will on the part of the Turkish Cypriot side, which for the last 20 years is flouting the Security Council Resolutions on Cyprus"?
Unfortunately, the Turkish side has not yet shown the necessary will to accept a peaceful and just solution. It wants to consolidate the fait accompli, i.e. the recognition of the unilaterally proclaimed pseudo state which has been condemned by the Security Council, and the continued occupation by Turkey. The brutal way in which it has treated the protest marches of unarmed youths unfortunately manifests further aggressiveness and cannot, under any circumstance be described as "seeking peace".
The same applies to the recent transfer to Cyprus from Turkey of 2,500 men of the terrorist/fascist group "Grey Wolves" to fight unarmed demonstrators merely seeking the cessation of foreign military occupation and the anachronistic presence of walls which artificially divide my country. Unfortunately, it would appear that Turkey continues to fight both the application of international law and the implementation of the UN Resolutions in Cyprus.
It is amazing that the Turkish ambassador, ignoring the peremptory norms of international law, invokes the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee to justify the 1974 Turkish invasion and continued occupation of 37 per cent of the territory of Cyprus. In invoking the treaty, he also opts to ignore the provisions of the same treaty which guaranteed the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitution of Cyprus.
By invading, occupying and expelling 82 per cent of the population of this area, and then "recognising" it as a "state", Turkey used the treaty in order to destroy its very object, and not to "prevent bloodshed for the last 22 years" as the Turkish ambassador claims. - Yours, etc.,
Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to Ireland,
93 Park Street,
London WIY ET.