EMBASSY OF CYPRUS, WASHINGTON DC
TURKEY'S SHOOT-TO-KILL POLICY THREATENS PEACE
International Community Condemns Fourth Murder in Buffer Zone
The situation in Cyprus is deteriorating as Turkish occupation troops carry out a
campaign of violence along the cease-fire line in Cyprus. Turkey is not only
undermining efforts to resume U.N.-sponsored talks aimed at reaching a
comprehensive settlement, but also threatening to provoke a military conflict in the
region.
The latest step in this campaign occurred on October 13, when Turkish soldiers shot
and killed an unarmed Greek Cypriot civilian, Petros Kakoullis, after he strayed a few
meters into the occupied area from the British military base of Dhekelia.
An eyewitness said Kakoullis, who was in the area collecting snails after a rainstorm,
was first confronted by two Turkish soldiers. While his hands were in the air the
soldiers shot Kakoullis, and then moved closer and shot him again while he was
wounded on the ground, killing the 58-year-old refugee. Turkish soldiers refused to
allow a British ambulance to reach the victim, and neither Cyprus government nor
British officials were able to inspect the area where the crime occurred.
Calling the Kakoullis murder "utterly unwarranted, premeditated, carried out in cold
blood and the fourth murder in a row," Cyprus Government Spokesman Yiannakis
Cassoulides said on October 14 that this most recent crime "sheds a different light on
the previous murders (of two civilian Greek Cypriot demonstrators in August and of
an unarmed Greek Cypriot soldier in June) and forces us to look at all four murder
cases from a different angle."
Far from isolated incidents, these crimes "could not have been perpetrated without
orders from the Turkish Cypriot leadership and the Turkish Government to shoot and
kill Greek Cypriots who enter the buffer zone or the area under Turkish control,"
Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides said in a letter to Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf
Denktash on October 22.
As further proof Turkey's occupation army now encourages the cold-blooded murder
of Greek Cypriots, Clerides noted that after shooting an unarmed Greek Cypriot
soldier in June "Turkish soldiers prevented the U.N. Peacekeeping Force from
approaching the point where he was lying mortally wounded by firing over their heads
until the victim died."
He also pointed out to Denktash that in all four recent murders "no condemnation,
regret, or sorrow has been expressed by you or any one on behalf of your side for
these barbaric murders."
Immediately following the Kakoullis murder the U.N. Peacekeeping Forces in Cyprus
(UNFICYP) stressed that "deadly force must not be used by either side against persons
who cross the respective cease-fire lines or enter the U.N. buffer zone,'' adding that
the UNFICYP commander "has, in the strongest possible terms, requested the
Commander of the Turkish Forces in Cyprus that he instruct the soldiers under his
command not to shoot unless their own lives are threatened."
Cyprus Foreign Minister Alecos Michaelides summoned the ambassadors in Cyprus of
the permanent members of the Security Council on October 14 to protest the latest
Turkish provocation, saying afterwards that Turkey's aim is to "discourage all those
interested in a Cyprus settlement." The Cyprus government denounced this latest act of
Turkish aggression worldwide, including lodging protests by the Cyprus embassy in
Washington with the U.S. State Department, and by the Cyprus mission to the Unied
Natons with the U.N. Secretary-General.
U.S.: Murder "Unwarranted and Unnecessary"
The international community strongly condemned the murder, with the U.S. State
Department spokesman calling it "unwarranted and unnecessary," and emphasizing that
the U.S. "deeply regrets and condemns the use of deadly force in this incident."
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Gregori Tarasov similarly criticized Turkey's
actions as "unprecedented, unacceptable and barbarous," and said recent developments
"only reaffirm the need for an overall Cyprus settlement."
In a resolution on October 24 the European Parliament not only denounced the murder
but called for "a thorough investigation of the incident in order to identify those
responsible and bring them to justice."
In addressing the broader aspects of the Cyprus problem, the European Parliament also
called upon its member states to "respond with continued firm pressure on Turkey
with the aim of freeing the island of the presence of all Turkish troops, guaranteeing
freedom of movement for all citizens and working for a just and peaceful solution to
the current Cypriot problem, along the lines of relevant U.N. Security Council
resolutions."
In a separate October 24 resolution, the European Parliament blocked millions of
dollars in E.U. aid to Turkey, stressing that the aid should be linked to respect by
Turkey for democratic principles and international law and for "significant progress
towards the political resolution of the Cyprus problem and the Kurdish issue."
Despite the widespread protests against the four recent murders, on October 29
Turkish occupation troops again fired at individuals on the cease-fire line, this time at
two unarmed British soldiers on routine work near the Dhekelia base. None of the
shots fired hit the soldiers, though their vehicle was damaged.
The British High Commission in Nicosia protested the attack and the U.S. State
Department Spokesman said on October 30 that Turkish troops "ought not to be firing
at people when they stray a meter or two over a line . . . We think this kind of thing
should not happen again in the future. We join the British in protesting this."
U.N. Dialogue on Reducing Military Tensions on Cease-fire Line
Following months of attempting to reduce tensions along the cease-fire line, the U.N.
Secretary-General's Resident Representative for Cyprus, Gustave Feissel, announced
on October 21 that U.N. officials have begun a series of consultations on ways to
minimize the possibility of violence in the U.N. buffer zone.
In his October 22 letter to Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, Cyprus President
Glafcos Clerides expressed his willingness to begin talks on the basis of extending the
1989 Unmanning Agreement, while expressing disappointment that the Turkish side
had rejected the Cyprus government's proposal for a more far-reaching agreement, one
in which "both sides should pull their forces some miles from the buffer zone . . .
leaving the buffer zone in the hands of the U.N. Peacekeeping Force."
An agreement for the military commanders of the Cyprus National Guard and
Turkey's occupation army to meet and discuss ways to defuse tensions along the
buffer zone had been announced by the permanent U.S. representative to the U.N.,
Ambassador Madeleine Albright, following her visit to Cyprus in July, but subsequent
Turkish demands prevented the talks from beginning.
PROSPECTS FOR DIRECT TALKS NEXT YEAR
"The prospect for face to face negotiations under the aegis of the U.N. during the first
half of 1997 is a real prospect," Britain's Special Representative for Cyprus, David
Hannay, said on October 18, following a series of consultations with Cyprus President
Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.
The Cyprus government strongly supports a resumption of direct talks leading to a
comprehensive Cyprus settlement, but "a meeting not adequately prepared will not
have any prospect for success," as Cyprus Government Spokesman Yiannakis
Cassoulides stressed on October 29, reflecting the consensus of the international
community.
Previous efforts to reach a settlement have failed, President Clerides said on October
18, because Turkey failed to display the political will needed to reach a settlement.
"That is why for any new initiative to be successful, common ground on the basic
aspects of the Cyprus question should be found before embarking on a new dialogue"
he said.
Hannay's visit is part of a coordinated international effort to achieve substantial
progress on Cyprus. The heightened international interest in a settlement, Hannay
wrote in The Times of London (October 25), stems from the threat to regional peace
created by the "inherently unstable" status quo on Cyprus. "There is a greater density
of modern weapons and men under arms in Cyprus than almost anywhere in the
world," Hannay wrote, echoing the assessment of the U.N. Secretary-General that
occupied Cyprus "remains one of the most densely militarized areas in the world." To
reduce the threat to regional peace and contribute to a lasting settlement President
Clerides has proposed the complete demilitarization of Cyprus, but Turkey has so far
rejected the proposal.
In addition to a visit later in the year by Han Sung Joo, the U.N. Secretary-General's
Special Representative for Cyprus, British Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind intends
to visit Cyprus soon since "a political settlement next year would be enormously
important to Cyprus and to Europe, and there ought to be better prospects for such a
settlement than there has been for some time."
U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Richard Beattie and other U.S. officials are also
expected to visit the region soon, an indication of the continuing high priority which
the U.S. places on resolving the Cyprus problem.
"I can tell you that the President is committed to making progress on this issue,"
President Clinton's National Security Advisor, Anthony Lake, said on October 9 at
Georgetown University. He said that the U.S. interest "is to see that dispute reconciled
for the sake of our NATO relations in the area and for the sake of the people of
Cyprus."
During the U.S. Presidential campaign both President Clinton and Republican
candidate Robert Dole reaffirmed their commitment to achieving peace in Cyprus.
Clinton called Cyprus "a high foreign policy priority," while Dole emphasized that he
has supported the demilitarization of Cyprus since the 1970s and was for "a just and
viable settlement of the Cyprus problem at the earliest possible time."
ARREST WARRANTS ISSUED IN MURDER OF SOLOMOU
The Cyprus government has issued arrest warrants for five individuals implicated in
the August 14 murder in the U.N. buffer zone of an unarmed Greek Cypriot civilian,
Solomos Solomou.
The suspects include Kenan Akin, an illegal settler from Turkey and so-called
"minister of agriculture" in occupied Cyprus; Attila Sab, so-called "chief of police" in
occupied Cyprus; a commander of the military occupation forces, Erdal Emanet;
commander of Turkey's 29th army division, Mehmet Karli; and a former Turkish
military commander, Hasan Kontaxi.
In an interview with the Turkish Cypriot weekly Aktuel (October 31) Akin denied
being present but said "I regret not being there. I could have pulled the trigger at least
once." He said the importance of Solomou's death had been exaggerated: "Why are
you making the killing of a dog sound so important?" In a separate article Aktuel
pointed out that in fact the photographic evidence of Akin's involvement in the murder
was irrefutable: "The photographs . . . are very clear and leave no room for doubt."
Attorney General Alecos Markides said on October 30 that there are other suspects but
that their identity has not yet been determined. He added that Interpol will be asked to
help apprehend the suspects. The Attorney General also said the Cyprus government is
gathering evidence on those involved in the murder of Anastasios Isaac on August 11
and that sufficient evidence will likely be collected soon to identify the suspects.
IN BRIEF . . .
In an October 25 message to U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali on the
51st anniversary of the founding of the U.N., Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides said
that everyone "must meet the great challenge of our times, which is the realization of
the vision of the founding fathers for a world where peace, justice, security, and
respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms will prevail for all." He added that
the people of Cyprus "continue to place our hopes on the United Nations for a just,
viable and lasting solution to the question of Cyprus through the implementation of all
the relevant resolutions." U.N. Resident Representative Gustave Feissel told celebrants
of U.N. day in Nicosia that the recent "tragic and unnecessary deaths . . . are a stark
reminder that the current situation in Cyprus is untenable and that a settlement is long
overdue . . . it is important that both Greek and Turkish Cypriots affirm that these
tragic incidents do not represent the true sentiments and desires of the people of the
two communities in Cyprus and that such incidents must never happen again.''
While the Cyprus government is fully "committed to speed up our harmonization
process with the E.U., it is equally important to maintain our role as a financial and
services center," Cyprus Foreign Minister Alecos Michaelides said in an address to
Cypriot business people on October 27. Emphasizing that Cyprus' geographic location,
high quality of services, market economy, well-trained work force, excellent
telecommunications and democratic institutions continue to attract offshore companies
to locate in Cyprus, Michaelides said that the approximately 25,000 Cyprus-based
offshore units generate revenues of $322 million and employ 2% of the work force.
U.S. and Cyprus government officials have intensified their already close cooperation
in preventing the shipment of non-conventional weapons trade to Iran and Syria,
Defense News reported (November 4-10). "As a major trans-shipment point in a
sensitive region, Cyprus has a role to play," a U.S. official was quoted as saying, and
"we are quite satisfied with their cooperation." Cyprus Government Spokesman
Yiannakis Cassoulides confirmed to Defense News that should Cyprus be notified by
the U.S. or Israel that equipment is being shipped through Cyprus for non-conventional weapons use "we will take action" to prevent it. He also confirmed that
Cyprus customs officials, working with U.S. officials, were able to seize a shipment
last year of zirconium, which is essential to the operation of nuclear reactors. The
article said the zirconium was destined for Iran.
Affirming that the Cyprus government welcomes the American intention to make a
major push on Cyprus in the coming months, Cyprus Ambassador Andrew Jacovides
said in an address at Wayne State University in Detroit on October 11 that to achieve
progress the U.S. and other interested parties should now focus "on getting the
necessary common ground, which in essence requires directing their efforts towards
Ankara in order to get the Turkish leadership (military and civilian) to moderate its
intransigent position on Cyprus." On October 6 Ambassador Jacovides attended a
memorial service in Wilmington, Delaware for the two Greek Cypriot civilians killed
by Turkish soldiers and extremists in August and he delivered an address to the
Hellenic University Club on the Cyprus problem and U.S. foreign policy in the
Eastern Mediterranean. In his remarks Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE), a ranking
member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, reiterated that he will continue to
be a strong voice demanding an end to Turkey's occupation of Cyprus. Stressing that
the U.S. must place the issue of reaching a comprehensive Cyprus settlement on the
"front burner," he condemned Turkey's aggression on Cyprus and said that to be
treated as a close American ally Ankara must act in accordance with the international
rule of law.
November 4, 1996
Embassy of Cyprus
Press & Information Office
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