If you give way, you will
instantly have to meet some greater demand, as having been
frightened into obedience in the first instance; while a firm
refusal will make them clearly understand that they must treat
you more as equals. Make your decision therefore at once, either
to submit before you are harmed, or if we are to go to war, as I
for one think we ought, to do so without caring whether the
ostensible cause be great or small, resolved against making
concessions or consenting to a precarious tenure of our
possessions. For all claims from an equal, urged upon a neighbour
as commands before any attempt at legal settlement, be they great
or be they small, have only one meaning, and that is slavery.
[Speach of Pericles - Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian
War, Chapter V]
URGENT: An open letter to the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan.
Dear friend,
I thought you might find this letter useful. It would be very important if we all wrote to the UN Secretary General at ecu@un.org & inquiries@un.org as well as to the Hellenic government and Hellenic organizations to make them simply respect the facts and the right of the Hellenes to Justice.
Thank you for your attention.
Roberto Lopes.
São Paulo, Brazil - roblopes@uol.com.br - ICQ UIN: 829188
------- Forwarded
message follows -------
From: "Roberto Lopes" <roblopes@uol.com.br>
To: inquiries@un.org
Date sent: Thu, 21 Nov 2002 00:13:11 -0400
Subject: URGENT: An open letter to the UN Secretary-General, Mr.
Kofi Annan.
Send reply to: Roberto Lopes <roblopes@uol.com.br>
Priority: urgent
URGENT: An open letter to the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan.
Mr. Kofi Annan
Secretary General
United Nations
New York, NY 10017 USA
212-963-5012
Email: ecu@un.org
Secretary-General Mr. Kofi Annan,
I would like to share my disappointment with your attitude towards the invasion of Cyprus and the related plan you submitted.
That plan treats the PERPETRATORS and the VICTIMS of a brutal and planned INVASION as if they were equally in pursue of Justice.
---- The plan would encourage similar crimes by Turkey and others ----
That plan should NEVER be accepted because it would LEGITIMIZE SEVERAL crimes against humanity perpetrated by Turkey during the 28 years of INVASION of a large part of Cyprus.
The plan would also DEMORALIZE the several resolutions and reports of the UNITED NATIONS that condemn the INVASION of Cyprus.
The plan does NOT propose fair nor reasonable conditions for Cyprus to be FREED from the INVASION it suffered in 1974. But it ENCOURAGES Turkey and other military-ruled countries to commit similar crimes.
---- Any FAIR plan to end the INVASION of Cyprus should ASSERT ----
A plan about the invasion of Cyprus with Justice as its goal, must necessarily include at the least the following assertions:
- The IMMEDIATE withdrawal of the 45.000 occupying Turkish troops.
- The IMMEDIATE repatriation of the 120.000 Turkish settlers sent illegally to the occupied areas of Cyprus since 1974.
- The respect for the unquestionable right of the Hellenic Cypriots, as well as Armenians and Maronites to return to THEIR properties.
- The return of the Turkish Cypriots who were DISPLACED by the Turkish settlers (who now OUTNUMBER the Turkish Cypriots).
- The compensation of the victims of the many crimes perpetrated by the Turkish government during the 28 years of INVASION of Cyprus. An example of such compensation is the decision of the European Court of Human Rights in the case Loizidou vs. Turkey.
- The respect of all the many resolutions of the United Nations that have condemned the INVASION of Cyprus since 1974.
Unfortunately, the plan presented by the Secretary-General does NOT make those assertions. Instead, it LEGITIMIZES the INVASION of Cyprus and LEGITIMIZES several crimes against humanity.
---- The crimes against humanity that would be LEGITIMIZED ----
The plan would LEGITIMIZE the following CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, which have been DOCUMENTED and CONDEMNED not only by the United Nations but by the European Court of Human Rights as well:
- The PLANNED INVASION of an independent country. Most of the 37% of the territory of Cyprus were invaded 20 DAYS AFTER the order had been restored (after the coup d'etat). The Turkish INVASION resulted in the partition of Cyprus as proposed by Turkey SINCE THE 1950's.
- The ETHNIC CLEANSING of 200.000 persons (33% of the total).
- The KIDNAPPING of 1.600 of persons, including CHILDREN. Until TODAY the Turkish government refuses to say what was done to those persons.
- MASS MURDER of thousands, including the bombing of hospitals.
- MASS RAPE of women and children of all ages.
- Systematic LOOTING, DESECRATION and DESTRUCTION of Hellenic and Armenian churches and cemeteries.
- Systematic LOOTING and DESTRUCTION of the Hellenic CULTURAL HERITAGE, including archaeological sites of several MILLENNIA.
- EXTERMINATION of the ENCLAVED through persecution and all kinds of crimes. They were 20.000 in 1974 and are a couple of 100's now.
- CHANGE OF DEMOGRAPHY of the occupied areas by sending 120.000 Turkish settlers. The Turkish Cypriots have been REPLACED in large numbers. The Turks already OUTNUMBER the Turkish Cypriots.
- The imposition of a total lack of freedom of expression in the occupied areas. Journalists are systematically attacked, such as all the documented aggressions against the paper Avrupa/Afrika.
---- The INVASION of Cyprus is the CONTINUATION OF A GENOCIDE ----
The EXTERMINATION of the Hellenic Cypriots and the Hellenic cultural heritage in occupied Cyprus is the continuation of the same policy of extermination applied to all other territories ruled by Turkey.
The invasion of Cyprus is the most visible part of the present-day efforts to continue the Hellenic Genocide. For more information on the Hellenic Genocide, please see, among other works:
The Hellenic Genocide
Quotes from historical documents and related Photos.
http://www.greece.org/genocide/quotes
The United Nations cannot support the continuation of a Genocide.
---- CONTRADICTIONS that would DEMORALIZE the United Nations ----
The plan is AGAINST
the principles of the United Nations and their
efforts to make the world a place where JUSTICE prevails, not
FORCE.
Here are SOME contradictions found on the United Nations documents:
-- THE ROLE OF THE
SECRETARY-GENERAL
http://www.un.org/News/ossg/sg/pages/sg_office.html
> Equal parts diplomat and advocate, civil servant and CEO, the
> Secretary-General is a symbol of United Nations ideals and a spokesman
> for the interests of the world's peoples, in particular the poor and
> vulnerable among them.
How COULD a plan like the one of the Secretary-General represent the interests of the poor and vulnerable by LEGITIMIZING an invasion of a small country by a large one and by LEGITIMIZING all the MANY crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Turks against ALL Cypriots?
-- Universal
Declaration of Human Rights
http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html
> PREAMBLE
> Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in
> barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the
> advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech
> and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the
> highest aspiration of the common people,
How could ANY conscious person of ANY nation support a plan that would legitimize all the many barbarous acts of Turkey in Cyprus?
> Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly
> relations between nations,
That goal is NOT
achieved by ENCOURAGING INVASIONS and by trying
to MINIMIZE crimes against humanity, like the plan would do.
> Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter
> reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and
> worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and
> have determined to promote social progress and better standards of
> life in larger freedom,
This plan would RUIN this faith, not only in the eyes of the Cypriots but in the eyes of ALL persons of ALL nations who WILL learn in detail about all the crimes perpetrated by the Turks during the invasion of Cyprus and during the last 28 years of occupation.
> Article 1.
>
> All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and
> rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act
> towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
ALL human beings. That means the people of Cyprus too. The plan would tell the whole world that SOME people are NOT to be treated equally, as the CRIMES against them may be even LEGITIMIZED.
-- Charter of the
United Nations - Preamble
http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/preamble.htm
> WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED
>
> to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in
> our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and
How a plan that would LEGITIMIZE an INVASION and SEVERAL crimes against humanity would leave peace to the future generations?
> to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and
> worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of
> nations large and small, and
How would that plan consider equal large and small nations if it would reward the responsible for an INVASION of a very small country by a large one and thus ENCOURAGE similar crimes in the future?
> to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the
> obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international
> law can be maintained, and
What Justice can be seen in a plan that would LEGITIMIZE and REWARD all forms of INJUSTICE we could ever imagine?
> to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger
> freedom,
The plan would STRENGTHEN a regime that is the ANTITHESIS of anything we can associate to progress and freedom. Exactly the OPPOSITE can be seen today in the occupied areas of Cyprus, in which even the Turkish Cypriots (who were used as an EXCUSE for the INVASION) are replaced by the illegal introduction of about 120.000 Turkish settlers.
> AND FOR THESE ENDS
> to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as
> good neighbours, and
The plan would treat an INVASION and all the many hideous crimes perpetrated by the Turkish troops since 1974 in Cyprus as something that is WORTH DOING, because even the United Nations can LEGITIMIZE such actions.
That plan would tell the whole world: "WAR PAYS, not peace."
> to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security,
> and
That plan would not end the INVASION of Cyprus and instead, it would create the conditions for MORE conflicts in Cyprus.
> to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of
> methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common
> interest, and
That plan would encourage not only the military who rule the Turks but ALL dictators all over the world to USE FORCE, since even such a brutal INVASION can be treated as if it were IGNORED by all.
> to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic
> and social advancement of all peoples,
It's NOT with such UNFAIR treatment of the hundreds of thousands of Cypriots victimized by the INVASION of their country that the United Nations will achieve those goals.
On the contrary, the INVASION of Cyprus is a symbol of how the use of FORCE by dictatorships like Turkey is against those goals, as one can easily verify in the occupied areas of Cyprus.
-- ADDRESSING
SECURITY COUNCIL, SECRETARY-GENERAL ENDORSES THREE-PRONGED
COUNTER-TERRORISM STRATEGY
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2002/sgsm8417.doc.htm
> Your meeting today reflects your determination to confront reality
> rather than escape from it; to recognize an evil rather than excuse
> it.
Then, why should ANY conscious person of ANY nation excuse all the innumerable acts of terrorism perpetrated by Turkey against Cyprus, BEFORE, DURING and AFTER the INVASION of 37% of its territory?
The plan presented by Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, would mean the LEGALIZATION of the INVASION of Cyprus and would most certainly be seen as and ENCOURAGEMENT for similar crimes by all countries.
> First, we must dissuade the would-be perpetrators of terror by setting
> effective norms and implementing relevant legal instruments; by an
> active public information campaign; and by rallying international
> consensus behind the fight against terrorism. To achieve effective
> dissuasion, it is essential to remember that the fight against
> terrorism is above all a fight to preserve fundamental rights and
> sustain the rule of law.
The United Nations cannot expect to dissuade potential terrorists when one of its plans would LEGITIMIZE all forms of terrorism perpetrated by a State member against another State member.
---- Conclusion and a Request ----
The plan submitted by Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, could NEVER be supported nor accepted because it treats equally the perpetrators and the victims of several crimes against humanity and contradicts the principles and resolutions of the United Nations.
I would like to ask Secretary-General Kofi Annan as well as all who might read this letter to consider all the IRREFUTABLE documented FACTS that reveal the criminal character of the invasion of Cyprus and to act accordingly, respecting humanity's right to JUSTICE.
The United Nations Resolutions can be found online at:
http://www.kypros.org/Cyprus_Problem/UNresolutions-list.htmlEuropean Union documents on Cyprus
http://www.kypros.org/Cyprus_Problem/eudocs/A.htmlDetailed information on the invasion of Cyprus can be found at:
http://www.kypros.org/Cyprus_Problem/index.html
The invasion of Cyprus must END. It cannot be LEGITIMIZED.
Thank you for your attention.
Roberto
Lopes*.
São Paulo, Brazil
----
* Activist for the respect of human rights and the prevalence of Justice and researcher of certain crimes against humanity, such as the Hellenic Genocide and the invasion of Cyprus.
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