When the Nobel peace prize was awarded to the EU, I was, at
that time, in Cyprus – an island divided and occupied by military force, with
innocent civilians dispossessed of their homes and forced to flee south.
Many Cypriot civilians vanished during and after the Turkish
invasion in 1974 and up to 1700 remain unaccounted for to this day.
Families are desperate to know what became of their loved
ones, but the Turks will not tell them. This is inhumane behaviour on the part
of the aggressor. I call upon the Government of Turkey to end the torment
immediately and in the name of humanity, reveal the locations of the missing
people.
Northern Cyprus is in fact EU territory. The EU has
negotiated and provided economic aid to an occupying force.
Mrs Ashton has surpassed her own reputation for inaction and
procrastination. She appears to be totally unable to advance the cause of the dispossessed.
Is the EU really so deluded to think it deserves its much
flaunted Nobel Peace Prize?
Recently, I was proud to receive a letter, thanking me for
my hard work, from the Mayor of Kyrenia on behalf of the 35,000 Kyrenians
forced to leave the town. They are seeking permission to return home this
Orthodox Easter in order to tend to their religious obligations for the first
time since the invasion.
I am proud to count a number of Kyrenians as my friends, and
I am very proud to be able to help them as I can. I look forward to the day
when they can return home permanently.
I’ve personally written to Mrs Ashton to seek her assistance
in making it possible for those Kyrenians to visit their town and hold a
religious service. Her reply was little more than bureaucratic waffle, of which
she seems very proficient at.
I have lived and worked in Cyprus, it is a beautiful island,
inhabited by beautiful people with a rich and gentle culture that goes back
more than 3000 years. Though the EU stands by and watches as the occupation
continues. This is a disgrace.
Please Mrs Ashton, for once, will you actually do something?
