Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Open letter to US Secretary of State C. Rice
Dear Secretary:
I repeatedly watched on TV your statements to the Press, following your meetings with the leadership of the Greek government and, concerning your words about the Cyprus issue I’d like to briefly point out the following:
The Greek-Cypriot population is roughly 700.000 people. The post-Attila free Cypriot territory is (64% of 9.251 sq km) 5.921 square kilometers.
Against the Greek Cypriot community and the legitimate Government of Cyprus (recognized as such by the whole World with the single exception of Turkey), Turkey has permanently stationed in the occupied Northern region of the island some 50.000 (fifty thousand) heavily armed troops of its own armed forces. Turkey insists that this force is necessary to contain the threat(...) posed by the Greek-Cypriots (some 700.000 as mentioned above).
Now, in order to put this into perspective, let me bring forward some facts you are certainly aware of:
According to the CIA’s own data, the population of Iraq is 26,783,383 people (July 2006 est.) and the total land-area of the country is 432,162 sq km.
The United States has, at this time, some 133.000 combat troops in Iraq while the total non-US “coalition” forces are at this period at least 23.000 (according to GlobalSecurity.org). Then there are the more than one hundred of the so-called Private Security Companies which employ at least 25.000 (twenty-five thousand) professional gunmen in Iraq right now, in order to protect the Coalition Provisional Authority’s effort to rebuild the county’s infrastructure. So, to make things a bit easier to grasp, let’s say that the US-led Occupation applies a total foreign force of roughly 200.000 (two hundred thousand) heavily armed and equipped people to control an area of 432,2 thousand square kilometers where some 26,8 million people live and where there is continuous and vicious resistance/insurgency.
If the United States were to apply on Iraq, Turkey’s practice in Cyprus, then the US and its allies should have 200.000 x 38,3= 7.660.000 (seven million-six hundred sixty thousand) foreign troops stationed in Iraq by analogy of the population difference and 200.000 x 47= 9.400.000 (nine million four hundred thousand) foreign troops by analogy of area difference..!
Dr. Rice, please note that in Cyprus, Turkey enjoys zero resistance against its troops. Its huge military presence serves one main purpose: to slap the Greek-Cypriots with the idea that Cyprus is in part Turkish, will stay at least in part Turkish for ever and if the Greeks don’t accept this reality then Turkey might as well swallow the whole island.
The above listed simple arithmetic should clearly demonstrate to any impartial observer the magnitude of the Turkish burden upon the Greek-Cypriot community; a burden which has been borne by the free Cypriots for 32 years already and shows no sign of it being lifted off in the foreseeable future.
So, Miss Secretary of State of the United States of America, if you think that the Greek-Cypriots are responsible for the “isolation of Northern Cyprus”, I ask that you think again. Think of the 50.000 Turkish soldiers and the more than one hundred thousand Turkish migrants who have flooded the occupied territory since the invasion, stealing the properties of the lawful Greek-Cypriot owners. Think about at least this- because there is a lot more to think about, and then make up your mind about who is responsible for the “isolation of Northern Cyprus”.
Dr. Rice, the Greeks and the Greek-Cypriots understand that the US interests in our region dictate that you say what you say. This letter only endeavours to show that the Greeks, the Greek-Cypriots and many Turkish Cypriots too, I’m certain, know better.
I repeatedly watched on TV your statements to the Press, following your meetings with the leadership of the Greek government and, concerning your words about the Cyprus issue I’d like to briefly point out the following:
The Greek-Cypriot population is roughly 700.000 people. The post-Attila free Cypriot territory is (64% of 9.251 sq km) 5.921 square kilometers.
Against the Greek Cypriot community and the legitimate Government of Cyprus (recognized as such by the whole World with the single exception of Turkey), Turkey has permanently stationed in the occupied Northern region of the island some 50.000 (fifty thousand) heavily armed troops of its own armed forces. Turkey insists that this force is necessary to contain the threat(...) posed by the Greek-Cypriots (some 700.000 as mentioned above).
Now, in order to put this into perspective, let me bring forward some facts you are certainly aware of:
According to the CIA’s own data, the population of Iraq is 26,783,383 people (July 2006 est.) and the total land-area of the country is 432,162 sq km.
The United States has, at this time, some 133.000 combat troops in Iraq while the total non-US “coalition” forces are at this period at least 23.000 (according to GlobalSecurity.org). Then there are the more than one hundred of the so-called Private Security Companies which employ at least 25.000 (twenty-five thousand) professional gunmen in Iraq right now, in order to protect the Coalition Provisional Authority’s effort to rebuild the county’s infrastructure. So, to make things a bit easier to grasp, let’s say that the US-led Occupation applies a total foreign force of roughly 200.000 (two hundred thousand) heavily armed and equipped people to control an area of 432,2 thousand square kilometers where some 26,8 million people live and where there is continuous and vicious resistance/insurgency.
If the United States were to apply on Iraq, Turkey’s practice in Cyprus, then the US and its allies should have 200.000 x 38,3= 7.660.000 (seven million-six hundred sixty thousand) foreign troops stationed in Iraq by analogy of the population difference and 200.000 x 47= 9.400.000 (nine million four hundred thousand) foreign troops by analogy of area difference..!
Dr. Rice, please note that in Cyprus, Turkey enjoys zero resistance against its troops. Its huge military presence serves one main purpose: to slap the Greek-Cypriots with the idea that Cyprus is in part Turkish, will stay at least in part Turkish for ever and if the Greeks don’t accept this reality then Turkey might as well swallow the whole island.
The above listed simple arithmetic should clearly demonstrate to any impartial observer the magnitude of the Turkish burden upon the Greek-Cypriot community; a burden which has been borne by the free Cypriots for 32 years already and shows no sign of it being lifted off in the foreseeable future.
So, Miss Secretary of State of the United States of America, if you think that the Greek-Cypriots are responsible for the “isolation of Northern Cyprus”, I ask that you think again. Think of the 50.000 Turkish soldiers and the more than one hundred thousand Turkish migrants who have flooded the occupied territory since the invasion, stealing the properties of the lawful Greek-Cypriot owners. Think about at least this- because there is a lot more to think about, and then make up your mind about who is responsible for the “isolation of Northern Cyprus”.
Dr. Rice, the Greeks and the Greek-Cypriots understand that the US interests in our region dictate that you say what you say. This letter only endeavours to show that the Greeks, the Greek-Cypriots and many Turkish Cypriots too, I’m certain, know better.
