The Washington Times Prints CANA Letter To Editor: Cyprus has a long and ingrained Greek history

For Immediate Release: May 7, 2010

Contact: Nikolaos Taneris, New York, Tel. (917) 699-9935

The Friday, May 7, 2010 edition of The Washington Times, one of the most widely
circulated political newspapers in America, published Cyprus Action Network of
America (CANA) Press Officer, Nikolaos Taneris’ letter to the editor “Cyprus has
a long and ingrained Greek history”, responding to former president of the
Maryland American Turkish Association, letter “("There are Turkish Cypriots,
too,". Taneris’ published letter to the editor highlights EOKA history, the
Turkish military and Turkish Anti-Cypriot crimes in Cyprus, and will be read by
thousands of Americans from political commentators to Washington insiders,
think-tanks, foreign embassy workers and opinion makers. This is the caliber of
smart activism that proves how pivotal CANA is for public relations of the
Cyprus Cause to Americans.

The text of the letter appears below, followed by The Washington Times letter to
which the letter responds. To see the Letter to the Editor online, visit
(www.washingtontimes.com) and click on the 'Letters to the Editor' section, or
try this link:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/may/07/cyprus-has-a-long-and-ingrained-greek-history/

LETTER TO EDITOR: Cyprus has a long and ingrained Greek history


Friday, May 7 2010

Letters to the Editor
The Washington Times
3600 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002

To the Editor:

Cyprus gained its independence from the British Empire in 1960, but even the
British Ministry of Defense could not deny that for 3,500 years, Cyprus' Greek
identity of language and culture has been retained ("There are Turkish Cypriots,
too," Letters, Monday).

Over the centuries, numerous empires have come and gone, and quite a few ethnic
communities have blossomed in Cyprus: Armenians, Latins and even Arab Maronites.
But it was the yoke of the British Empire that sought to force the impression of
"two peoples" on the island in order to implement its partition plans. During
the 1955-59 struggle to liberate Cyprus, not a single Turkish Cypriot
participated. Instead, the British, with the aid of Turkey, established the
Turkish terrorist organizations Volgan and TMT to attack Greek Cypriots and
other communities, including even the Turkish Cypriots. It was the British who
recruited the Turkish Cypriots into their police and security forces to crack
down on anti-colonial activism.

The Turkish military invasion did not protect anyone's interests but those of
the mass murderers and rapists who pillaged the property of anyone who was not
Turkish. Scores of Greek and Armenian monasteries and churches have been
forcibly converted into hotels and casinos, and the Turkish military recently
went so far as to bulldoze a Neolithic settlement in order to plant Turkish
flags. In his letter, Timur Edib, former president of the Maryland American
Turkish Association, talks of the "balance" the Green Line has lent to Cyprus.
Balance? Hardly. Just ask the multitudes of nationalities that were displaced
forcibly or murdered by the Turkish military on the "Turkish-and-only-Turkish"
side of the Attila Line.

NIKOLAOS TANERIS

Press officer, Cyprus Action Network of America

New York
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Washington Times
Letter to editor published May 3, 2010
There are Turkish Cypriots, too

May 3, 2010

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: There are Turkish Cypriots, too

By
My family has more than a dozen missing relatives in Cyprus. Many disappeared in
the late 1960s, and others disappeared in 1974, so it was with great pleasure
that I read your article "Ghosts of conflict" (Geopolitics, March 31).
Unfortunately, such a well-written article about the humanity of the efforts of
young searchers working for the Committee on Missing Persons was politicized
with the comments in a Tuesday letter to the editor by Cyprus Ambassador Andreas
S. Kakouris. While the article went to great lengths to give an unbiased
explanation of past events and emphasized that the work of the committee was
only about bringing closure to families with missing relatives, Mr. Kakouris'
letter makes a blatant partisan and political statement that distorts the
article and is insensitive to the mission of the workers as well as to the
Turkish Cypriot population on the island.
The map to which Mr. Kakouris refers does not distort history or lack
sensitivity. It simply depicts the current status of the island and the existing
demographic reality. I would surely hope Mr. Kakouris did not intend to be
insensitive to my Cypriot family, members of which have lived there for more
than nine generations, by dismissing them as persons without status. The
establishment of the Green Line boundary has brought security and stability to
my family and balance to protect the interests of the island's two peoples. I am
grateful that you ran the article.
TIMUR EDIB
Former president
Maryland American Turkish Association
Rockville, Md.
####

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Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA)
2578 Broadway #132
New York, NY 10025
New York: Tel. 917-699-9935
Email: cana@cyprusactionnetwork.org
www.cyprusactionnetwork.org
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