I am not preventing Turkish Cypriots from entering the EU. I am telling them that the application for EU membership was made by the Greek Cypriot leaders pretending that they represent the whole island including Turkish Cypriots; that the application was politically motivated as stated by Mr. Clerides: “When we enter the EU Turkish guarantee will become non-effective and all Greek Cypriot refugees will be able to return North and thus Hellenism will be victorious”. In other words what the Greek Cypriot administration failed to achieve through the application of the Akritas Plan and embargoes coupled with lies they tell in diplomatic circles that the problem began in 1974, they now try to obtain the same result through EU membership. 

 The application for EU membership cannot be treated by us as a legal and valid application not only because it was not made by a constitutional government serving the whole population but also because the 1960 Treaties prohibit the entry of Cyprus into such a union unless both motherlands are members and both co-founder partners of the 1960 Republic (Turkish and Greek Cypriots) agree to it. That is why we paid priority to the settlement of the Cyprus problem so that a legitimate government composing of both sides ensue! This has not been possible so far due to Greek Cypriot intransigence. 

I talked with Mr. Clerides from 1968 to 1973. We almost agreed on putting geography (as local autonomy) under the 1960 constitutional set up. Makarios rejected it because I did not accept minority status and I insisted on the continuation of the guarantee system. Clerides and Greece urged Makarios to agree but he refused. After the 1974 coup and arrival of Turkey I helped Clerides to settle all the humanitarian problems and he helped me likewise. In 1975 we agreed and exchange of population took place. We were ready to start talking a settlement on a bi-zonal basis when Makarios (who was in Athens) declared that he would never accept a settlement based on bi-zonality. Then,  Mr. Clerides resigned, Makarios came back to Cyprus and refused  to talk to us still expecting that “the world” would pull Turkey out and he would take over the whole island and hand it to Greece. Finally in 1977 I forced him through diplomatic channels and UN Secretary-General  to meet me. We met and agreed on a bi-zonal, federal settlement in which the three freedoms would be restricted in order to give Turkish Cypriot side the protection and security it needed. Immediately Kyprianou and Lyssarides attacked Makarios for having agreed to such a settlement. Makarios died in a few months time and Mr. Kyprianou took over. He refused to see me until 1979 when again I forced him to the table through the UN Secretary-General. We agreed on a similar formula: bi-zonal federation as agreed with Makarios! But Mr. Kyprianou had no intention of establishing a new partnership with Turkish Cypriots. On and off the talks continued for eleven years. His Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Rolandis resigned, declaring that Kyprianou was using him to deceive the world that he was for a federal settlement when he was not! And indeed when Kyprianou lost the elections he became bold enough to declare that he never wanted federation. “I served the national cause” he said “by honoring the will and testament of the great leader Makarios!” According to this will and testament Makarios had said that by what he had achieved in Cyprus (namely throwing all Turkish Cypriots from the partnership state and from all of its organs) he had brought Cyprus to the nearest point to Enosis. “There is no going back on this except for Enosis” he had said. 

And it is here that we have got stuck, because Greek Cypriot leaders believe that Turkish Cypriots have no alternative but to accept this illegal Greek Cypriot fait accompli and that they will eventually succeed in getting back the whole island under this title. 

Mr. Vasiliou won the elections against Clerides. We later saw in the Greek Cypriot press that Vasiliou, in order to get the support of other parties including that of Kyprianou, had given them written assurances that he would follow the same national line. Five more years were lost when Mr. Clerides won the elections on the ticket that the set of ideas (on which an agreement was likely) was tantamount to partition. That was 1992/93. For two years Clerides refused to see me saying that there was no common ground between us, thus rejecting the UN formula as set out in the set of ideas. 

After two years I managed, again through the UN Secretary-General, to see Mr. Clerides in the residence of Mr. Feissel, in 1994. What he told me indicated that he was not in need of a settlement and would never be as long as Greek Cypriot side was recognized as the government of Cyprus! Now the hope of entering the EU was growing. So why should he bother talking to Turkish Cypriots? 

He told me that he would be talking to me if I agreed to support the application of the government of Cyprus for EU membership well knowing that I could not do so prior to a satisfactory agreement and prior to entry of Turkey into the EU as per 1960 Agreements. Then we had the New York and Glion talks all under the shadow of EU and statements to the effect that “Cyprus” would be a member whether there was an agreement or not.            

It is in this atmosphere that I wanted to have direct talks with Mr. Clerides. He wanted UN to be present because unknowingly, UN and its resolutions support the dictum of Makarios that the title of Cyprus government represents Greek Cypriots as the sole people of Cyprus and that any agreement has to be under this cloak! The endeavours of De Soto failed because what he produced was not an answer to the ills of Cyprus and did not satisfy either side. Greek Cypriot double-talk about the Annan Plan should not distort this reality. Public polls showed that 71% of Greek Cypriots do not support EU membership, but accept it for the sake of the national cause! And I am sure you will agree that the whole trouble arose from this national cause! 

If you have not read the Akritas Plan please read it and then, look at the condition of Turkish Cypriot villages in the South.

How would you feel if we had destroyed the constitutional order (as Makarios did in 1963) and declared to be the legitimate government of Cyprus and forced you to live in “enclaves” surrounded by armed people for eleven years?

The arrival of Turkey saved us from utter destruction and is a defence measure against the illegal occupation of the joint seat of 1960 constitutional government. When Greek Cypriots who occupy that joint seat abandon the claim that they are the legitimate government of all, then the way to a balanced, fair and permanent settlement will be opened.

 Yours sincerely,      
Rauf R. DENKTAÞ
      President