Ledra Street Crossing WALL being Demolished
while Papadopoulos attends EU "Climate Change" Summit
8th March 2007
... a long overdue and much deserved:
Very public slap in the face for Turkey from Cyprus
news round up - 10th March

Comment at YouTube:
While some "powers that be" like to present the Cyprus problem as one of ethnic division between Greeks and Turks, those who consider themselves Cypriots will tell you that in fact the problem is that we are a country which is under continuing occupation by a foreign power -- Turkey -- a bully neighbouring country which behaves like a mother-in-law who moved into the house and refuses to leave

Comment (23rd March):
2 weeks later, Turkey has not obliged by pulling back its troops
 (surprise surprise), and has shown its lack of good will also in another way by ensuring the July 2006 Gambari agreement which represents a UN effort to set a new process in motion to restart efforts to find a comprehensive solution has now stalled.

Is this all an indication of a wish to "solve" the Cyprus problem
- even if its non-solution blocks Ankara's progress towards the EU?

No doubt Ankara will just continue insisting on "lifting isolation"
for the statelet it created in Cyprus following it's invasion in 1974
-- which has patently been it's sole intention all along.

The Taiwanisation of Cyprus proceeds, just as Ankara wishes!

Cypriots (whether Greek or Turkish Cypriot)
have no choice in the matter.

Turkish Cypriots experience "tensions" again
with the Turkish military
(they have no 'choice' - Ankara dictates what it wants done)
Newruz Festival for the Kurds marks the Spring Solstice

News-roundup for the last week, at 23rd March 2007
(includes items from Cyprus Weekly, Cyprus Mail & Turkish Press)

24th March 2007

The use of US-provided weapons (and the use of such aircraft to drop bombs [including US-provided napalm bombs in 1964]) by Turkey against Cyprus has been a very long-standing grievance for the people of Cyprus against US Government hypocricy.

How amazing that this item over stipulated use of weapons provided by the US has suddenly been 'revived' now (see Zaman report below) ... this is earthshaking news for Cypriots!

OK, so how do we now retrospectively prove that the use of any US provided weapons in Turkey's military actions against Cyprus all along were all illegal, and that therefore the specific people in power within succeeding US administrations in the US as well as in Turkey can be held personally as well as collectively responsible for such violations in the terms under which the weapons were sold?

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?
load=detay&link=106289

"Turkey has reportedly suspended negotiations with the US over the purchase of an additional 30 F-16 fighters after Washington set the condition that they not be flown over the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus.

"Military sources close to the Turkish Air Force Command (THK) told Today's Zaman that US technology restrictions, including a ban on their usage by Turkey over Cyprus, irked Ankara. "The US condition that fighters should not be used over Cyprus made us mad," said a source at the THK."

April / May 2007
Turkey goes into political melt-down in a shambles over election of a replacement President - Cyprus issue takes backstage while
the Turkish army is said to have 'staged' a not-so-behind-the-scenes
coup in having forced the Gopvernment to abandon its pursuit of either Erdogan or Gul as President

Viewpoint - 11th May 2007

The rule of law!

The European Union warned Turkey this week that it must abide by the rule of law. The warning was made by the EU's Expansion Commissioner Olli Rehn in reaction to the involvement of the Turkish military in Turkey's election process and the Generals veiled threat of a coup,if Abdullah Gul was elected to the presidency.
This prompted Rehn to declare that if Turkey wanted to keep its goal of joining the EU it needs to respect the basic principles of the union.
Rehn's clear warning to Turkey is certainly commendable and Cyprus, as a victim of Turkish aggression and gross violation of human rights, cannot but welcome it!
But, at the same time, Cyprus cannot refrain from pointing out that respect for the rule of law is a principle that needs to be respected without exception. And, most regretfully, this is by no means the case when it comes to the EU's position in connection with Turkey's refusal to implement the judgements of the European Human Rights Court dealing with Cyprus.
The EU has been tolerating this blatant Turkish Contempt of Court situation for decades in the cases where Turkey has been found guilty of violating the human rights of the Greek Cypriot refugees who were ethnically cleansed from the Turkish occupied north of the island and whose homes and other properties have been usurped.
The Rights Court fined Turkey heavily for this and ordered it to restore the refugees usurped properties, but the Turkish government has been refusing to do so.
It may well be pointed out to Mr Rehn that Turkey, emboldened by the EU's failure to punish it for its continuing contempt of court in connection with the Cypriot refugee cases, may well dump his latest demand that it must respect the rule of law in the waste paper basket without a second thought.
And, when it comes to respect for the rule of law, surely it is high time that the EU itself lived up to this principle itself by taking action against Turkey for its continuing failure to do so. In the final analysis the EU's failure to take such action makes it equally guilty of such a failure

Full archive from this issue (11th May)
Full archive from previous issue (4th May)