Letter by the President of the Republic, Mr Glafcos Clerides, to the Turkish Cypriot Leader, Mr Rauf Denktash (96-09-11)

Cyprus Press and Information Office: Statements and Announcements in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>

"Dear Mr Denktash,

My attention has been drawn to a public interview in which you are reported to have said, inter alia, that we should meet in order to cool the atmosphere and that it does not matter if we do not discuss the Cyprus problem, the fact alone that the two leaders can meet and that we are on speaking terms will mean something.

I fully share your view that steps are needed to cool the situation, but in my view such steps must be convincing. A meeting between us at this stage and a common statement will be unconvincing and will not defuse the situation, but it will give ground for public arguments which will add to the tension.

The reasons I am holding this view are as follows:

There is indisputable photographic and other evidence that in the case of the murder of Solomos Solomou, which occurred on the 14th August, Mr Kenan Akin, a settler from Turkey, was aiming his pistol towards the direction of the victim and Mr Ertal Emanet, 'Police Chief Inspector and Commander of Special Forces', was actually firing his weapon on the victim. Present at the time were also Attila Sav, 'Chief of the Turkish Cypriot Police', Lieutenant General Hassan Kountaksi, Commander at the time of the Turkish Forces in Cyprus, and Major General Mehmet Karli, Commander of the 28th Infantry Division. Mr Kenan Akin was made 'Minister of Agriculture and Forest' on the Turkish side three days after the murder of Solomos Solomou.

You will realise that, in so far as the Greek Cypriot community is concerned, a murder committed before so many officials and with the participation of some of them cannot be washed away by a meeting between us and by an appeal for calmness.

Regarding the killing of one soldier and the wounding of another of the Turkish side, you have already drawn the premature conclusion and stated publicly that it was a revenge killing by the Greek Cypriot side, without waiting the result of the independent inquiry of the United Nations or the British Bases and without waiting the result of our investigations.

May I remind you of a similar situation in 1975, when there was much greater tension than now. You telephoned me that a Turkish woman and her children were missing and that a revenge killing was suspected. Despite the great tension at that time, as Acting President of the Republic, I ordered an investigation. As a result, John Antoniou Vouniotis was arrested and tried by a Court. He was convicted and sentenced to death. President Makarios, who as a priest was against the death penalty, reduced his sentence to life imprisonment. He served his sentence. The conviction and sentence contributed greatly to the reduction of tension.

May I also remind you that on another occasion when a Turkish Cypriot was fired upon and killed by a sentry of a National Guard camp, though one might have claimed that he was unlawfully trying to get into the camp, full compensation was paid to his family.

In my view, a convincing step which we can now take together and which will really and permanently defuse the tension is to meet and discuss the issue of demilitarisation on the lines of the proposal I made in my letter to the Secretary-General on the 17th December 1993, copy of which is attached herewith for easy reference.

I am also enclosing copies of the photographic evidence."

Cyprus Press and Information Office: Statements and Announcements in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article