Tag: Peace

  • Bircan Ünver received the “ANUVRAT AHIMSA AWARD FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE-2023”

    Bircan Ünver received the “ANUVRAT AHIMSA AWARD FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE-2023”

    bircan unver

    “ANUVRAT AHIMSA AWARD FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE-2023”

    Subject: Bircan Ünver received the “Anuvrat Ahimsa Award for International Peace-2023” in Mumbai, India on January 30, 2024.

    Founder of the Republic Of Türkiye, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1981-1938), not only envisioned but worked extremely hard to invest in and build up toward, “Peace at Home, Peace in the World“, in particular, followed by the formation of the Republic of Türkiye on October 29, 2023.

    In spirit, as one of the grand-daughters of Atatürk, I am greatly honored and excited to receive the Anuvrat Ahimsa Award for International Peace-2023 by Anuvrat Vishva Bharati Society in Mumbai, India on January 30, 2024.

    I have been committed to working towards seeding peace, nonviolent, and seeking the truth over decades as a self-mission, along with through the works of the Light Millennium Global Organization (introduced on the web in August 1999) for nearly a quarter century.

    This effort has intersected our paths with Dr. Sohan Lal Gandhi & Anuvrat Global Organization through the #UNDGC (formerly UN Department of Information UN.DPI/NGO) at the United Nations since both organizations were already associated with the UN.DPI/NGO in 2007.

    Consequently, I participated as a keynote speaker in the 7th ICPNA – International Conference on Peace and Nonviolent Action, which was dedicated to the “Non-Violent Lifestyle” theme in Jaipur, India in 2008, then it followed in 2014 and 2019 in Delhi. In this line, the upcoming 11th ICPNA‘s theme is:

    “Only Nonviolence Can Guarantee World Peace and Environmental Sustainability”

    The 11th ICPNA will be presented virtually on February 13-26, 2024.
    For more information, please visithttps://icpna.anuvibha.org/#/flow?lang=en

    Over the years, we have been collaborating with the Anuvrat Global Organization on various concepts such as #NonViolentLifeStyle, #Gandhi149, #Gandhi150, #GandhiAndEnvironment (on several occasions), and #UNCivilSociety conference-related programs.
    In particular, after working on several Gandhi and nonviolent related programs, which inspired me to visit Gandhi Museums in India.

    Consequently, I have visited two Gandhi Museums in Delhi (in 2019), Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad (in 2019 & 2024); Gandhi Home Museum in Mumbai (2024). All these further inspired me to continue working on the “Nonviolent” and “Seeking the Truth” concepts. As Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) powerfully stated the following: Truth is God, and in His 11 principles and “Life of Tree”,  “Nonviolent” & “Truth” are at the core. (Ref. Gandhi Ashram, Ahmedabad, India.)

    In this background, I am grateful to Dr. S.L. Gandhi, who nominated and made sure to present this award to me in the presence of H.H. Acharya Mahashraman before I left Mumbai on Jan. 30, 2024.

    Indeed, it was a great honor, excitement, and surprise to receive the Anuvrat’s 2023 International Peace Award, which has enormously motivated me to continue working in this line toward expanding our reach and engaging with as many organizations and people collaboratively as we can from all walks of life.

    Despite all the scheduling challenges, the Director of the Children Peace PalaceMr. Sanchay Jain in Rajsamand, Udaipur, the President of the Anuvrat, Mr. Avinash Nahar, General Secretary Mr. Bhikam Surana, along with the Anuvrat’s volunteer Mr. Deepak Jainall together as a joint collaborative effort, they made it possible.

    To that extent, I would like to acknowledge Mr. Arvind Vora, who is the key contact of the Anuvrat Global Organization at the United Nations based in New York, and co-founder of the Shanti Fund.

    This was an unexpected, further empowering, and utmost symbolizing finale of my trip to India, along with many other honorable recognitions and exciting programs, which was started on the 3rd of Jan. 2024, and concluded by the 1st of Feb. 2024.

    Once again,  I would like to thank wholeheartedly Dr. S.L. Gandhi and the Anuvrat Vishva Bharati Society, along withall who made it possible.

    Greetings to you all from Istanbul

    With peace, love, light, and working together toward a nonviolent world!


    Bircan Ünver, Founder-President & Head NGO Rep. of
    The Light Millennium, Charitable 
    Global Human Advancement Organization to the
    United Nations Department of Global Communications (since 2005)
    www.lmglobal.org | www.lightmillennium.org

    anuvrat ahimsa award bircan unver
  • Former Mossad chief: For the first time, I fear for the future of Zionism

    Former Mossad chief: For the first time, I fear for the future of Zionism

    The nation of Israel is galloping blindly toward Bar Kochba’s war on the Roman Empire. The result of that conflict was 2,000 years of exile.

    By Shabtai Shavit

    Menachem Begin before an image of David Ben-Gurion
    Menachem Begin before an image of David Ben-Gurion

    From the beginning of Zionism in the late 19th century, the Jewish nation in the Land of Israel has been growing stronger in terms of demography and territory, despite the ongoing conflict with the Palestinians. We have succeeded in doing so because we have acted with wisdom and stratagem rather than engaging in a foolish attempt to convince our foes that we were in the right.

    Today, for the first time since I began forming my own opinions, I am truly concerned about the future of the Zionist project. I am concerned about the critical mass of the threats against us on the one hand, and the government’s blindness and political and strategic paralysis on the other. Although the State of Israel is dependent upon the United States, the relationship between the two countries has reached an unprecedented low point. Europe, our biggest market, has grown tired of us and is heading toward imposing sanctions on us. For China, Israel is an attractive high-tech project, and we are selling them our national assets for the sake of profit. Russia is gradually turning against us and supporting and assisting our enemies.

    Anti-Semitism and hatred of Israel have reached dimensions unknown since before World War II. Our public diplomacy and public relations have failed dismally, while those of the Palestinians have garnered many important accomplishments in the world. University campuses in the West, particularly in the U.S., are hothouses for the future leadership of their countries. We are losing the fight for support for Israel in the academic world. An increasing number of Jewish students are turning away from Israel. The global BDS movement (boycott, divestment, sanctions) against Israel, which works for Israel’s delegitimization, has grown, and quite a few Jews are members.

    In this age of asymmetrical warfare we are not using all our force, and this has a detrimental effect on our deterrent power. The debate over the price of Milky pudding snacks and its centrality in public discourse demonstrate an erosion of the solidarity that is a necessary condition for our continued existence here. Israelis’ rush to acquire a foreign passport, based as it is on the yearning for foreign citizenship, indicates that people’s feeling of security has begun to crack.

    I am concerned that for the first time, I am seeing haughtiness and arrogance, together with more than a bit of the messianic thinking that rushes to turn the conflict into a holy war. If this has been, so far, a local political conflict that two small nations have been waging over a small and defined piece of territory, major forces in the religious Zionist movement are foolishly doing everything they can to turn it into the most horrific of wars, in which the entire Muslim world will stand against us.

    I also see, to the same extent, detachment and lack of understanding of international processes and their significance for us. This right wing, in its blindness and stupidity, is pushing the nation of Israel into the dishonorable position of “the nation shall dwell alone and not be reckoned among the nations” (Numbers 23:9).

    I am concerned because I see history repeating itself. The nation of Israel is galloping blindly in a time tunnel to the age of Bar Kochba and his war on the Roman Empire. The result of that conflict was several centuries of national existence in the Land of Israel followed by 2,000 years of exile.

    I am concerned because as I understand matters, exile is truly frightening only to the state’s secular sector, whose world view is located on the political center and left. That is the sane and liberal sector that knows that for it, exile symbolizes the destruction of the Jewish people. The Haredi sector lives in Israel only for reasons of convenience. In terms of territory, Israel and Brooklyn are the same to them; they will continue living as Jews in exile, and wait patiently for the arrival of the Messiah.

    The religious Zionist movement, by comparison, believes the Jews are “God’s chosen.” This movement, which sanctifies territory beyond any other value, is prepared to sacrifice everything, even at the price of failure and danger to the Third Commonwealth. If destruction should take place, they will explain it in terms of faith, saying that we failed because “We sinned against God.” Therefore, they will say, it is not the end of the world. We will go into exile, preserve our Judaism and wait patiently for the next opportunity.

    I recall Menachem Begin, one of the fathers of the vision of Greater Israel. He fought all his life for the fulfillment of that dream. And then, when the gate opened for peace with Egypt, the greatest of our enemies, he gave up Sinai – Egyptian territory three times larger than Israel’s territory inside the Green Line – for the sake of peace. In other words, some values are more sacred than land. Peace, which is the life and soul of true democracy, is more important than land.

    I am concerned that large segments of the nation of Israel have forgotten, or put aside, the original vision of Zionism: to establish a Jewish and democratic state for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. No borders were defined in that vision, and the current defiant policy is working against it.

    What can and ought to be done? We need to create an Archimedean lever that will stop the current deterioration and reverse today’s reality at once. I propose creating that lever by using the Arab League’s proposal from 2002, which was partly created by Saudi Arabia. The government must make a decision that the proposal will be the basis of talks with the moderate Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

    The government should do three things as preparation for this announcement:

    1) It should define a future negotiating strategy for itself, together with its position on each of the topics included in the Arab League’s proposal.

    2) It should open a secret channel of dialogue with the United States to examine the idea, and agree in advance concerning our red lines and about the input that the U.S. will be willing to invest in such a process.

    3) It should open a secret American-Israeli channel of dialogue with Saudi Arabia in order to reach agreements with it in advance on the boundaries of the topics that will be raised in the talks and coordinate expectations. Once the secret processes are completed, Israel will announce publicly that it is willing to begin talks on the basis of the Arab League’s document.

    I have no doubt that the United States and Saudi Arabia, each for its own reasons, will respond positively to the Israeli initiative, and the initiative will be the lever that leads to a dramatic change in the situation. With all the criticism I have for the Oslo process, it cannot be denied that for the first time in the conflict’s history, immediately after the Oslo Accords were signed, almost every Arab country started talking with us, opened its gates to us and began engaging in unprecedented cooperative ventures in economic and other fields.

    Although I am not so naïve as to think that such a process will bring the longed-for peace, I am certain that this kind of process, long and fatiguing as it will be, could yield confidence-building measures at first and, later on, security agreements that both sides in the conflict will be willing to live with. The progress of the talks will, of course, be conditional upon calm in the security sphere, which both sides will be committed to maintaining. It may happen that as things progress, both sides will agree to look into mutual compromises that will promote the idea of coexisting alongside one another. If mutual trust should develop – and the chances of that happening under American and Saudi Arabian auspices are fairly high – it will be possible to begin talks for the conflict’s full resolution as well.

    An initiative of this kind requires true and courageous leadership, which is hard to identify at the moment. But if the prime minister should internalize the severity of the mass of threats against us at this time, the folly of the current policy, the fact that this policy’s creators are significant elements in the religious Zionist movement and on the far right, and its devastating results – up to the destruction of the Zionist vision – then perhaps he will find the courage and determination to carry out the proposed action.

    I wrote the above statements because I feel that I owe them to my parents, who devoted their lives to the fulfillment of Zionism; to my children, my grandchildren and to the nation of Israel, which I served for decades.

    Haaretz, 24.11.14

  • CYPRUS: Two Nations and two States by Rauf R. Denktas

    CYPRUS: Two Nations and two States by Rauf R. Denktas

    EQUAL TREATMENT, BY THE WORLD, OF THE TWO NATIONS IN CYPRUS IS THE KEY TO A PEACEFUL AND LASTING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO PEOPLES OF THE ISLAND.

    RDBy His Excellency, Rauf R. Denktas, President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

    It gives me great pleasure to address the Turkish World from the pages of FOCUS. I congratulate the founders of the World Turkish Congress for this worthwhile publication.

    The idea of establishing a medium of communication within this organization is both timely and beneficial.

    I am sure that this publication will significantly contribute to the renewed awareness on our part of our common heritage and in informing the world about the affairs of the Turkish World.

    In this context, I would like to say a few words about the Cyprus issue which is again under discussion between the two Nations on the Island. The inability to find a diplomatic solution to this long-standing dispute is due to the fact that the cause of the problem has not been correctly diagnosed.

    The Cyprus problem arose thirty years ago as a result of a Greek Cypriot attempt to convert by force of arms, a partnership state into a purely Hellenic state.

    In the course of this campaign of violence, the Greek Cypriots did not only massacre, abduct and uproot thousands of Turkish-Cypriots but they also ejected them from the entire government apparatus.

    That the international community continued to treat the Greek Cypriot side as the “Government of Cyprus”, in spite of the above, has left no incentive to the Greek Cypriots to settle the problem with us on the basis of political equality.

    Furthermore, the Greek Cypriots have been enriching themselves economically from the continuation of the status-quo while the Turkish Cypriots are kept under an inhuman embargo.

    This in a nutshell is the core of the Cyprus problem and unless a remedy is found to the illegal and immoral monopolization by the Greek Cypriots of the title of “the Government of Cyprus”. The Greek Cypriots will have no incentive to settle a dispute on a just and lasting basis.

    The Turkish-Cypriots deserve to be treated as an equal political entity in Cyprus as much as the Greek-Cypriots. They have established their own state nine years ago through the exercise of their right to self determination. A negotiated solution can only be achieved by the recognition of the reality of the existence of two Nations and two States in the island. Equal treatment, by the world, of the two nations in Cyprus is the key to a peaceful and lasting relationship between the two peoples of the island.

    FOCUS on the Turkish World, November 1992, the World Turkish Congress

  • RELEASE MORDECHAI VANUNU

    RELEASE MORDECHAI VANUNU

    VANUNUTargeting: Barack Obama (President, USA), Rt Hon David Cameron (Prime Minister, UK) and Binyamin Netanyahu (Prime Minister, Israel)
    Started by: Gail Vaughn

    The following letter has been sent by Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate, and Gerry Grehan, Chair of the Peace People, Northern Ireland, to President Barak Obama, UK Prime Minister David Cameron, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, other world leaders and prominent personalities, to ask for their help in obtaining the lifting of all restrictions on Mordechai Vanunu and for him to be granted freedom to leave Israel.

    Please express your support for this letter by signing this petition.

    28 July 2010

    We are writing to you on behalf of a good man, a man of peace and conscience, who was returned to prison for three months on 23 May 2010.

    He was released from prison on Sunday 8 August 2010.  We need your support to help gain his freedom from Israel.

    He is Mordechai Vanunu the Israeli nuclear whistle blower.  In October l986, Vanunu told the world that Israel had a Nuclear Weapons Programme.  He was kidnapped and given 18 years imprisonment for espionage and treason.  Twenty four years later he continues to be punished.  In the Jewish Scriptures there is great emphasis on justice and freedom.   He served the full 18 years of his sentence (twelve years in solitary confinement, described by Amnesty International as “cruel, inhuman and degrading”).  Upon his release, the Israeli Government put severe restrictions upon him, including forbidding him to leave Israel and speak to the foreign media.  It was the breaking of these restrictions, in summer 2004, by speaking to the foreign media, (mainly a long interview to the BBC), which resulted in his being returned to solitary confinement again this May.

    Last month Amnesty International declared him a prisoner of conscience and called on the Israeli authorities to lift the restrictions immediately.  “The restrictions on Mordechai Vanunu arbitrarily limit his rights to freedom of movement, expression and association and are therefore in breach of international law.  They should be lifted and he should be allowed to start his life again as a free man.   Mordechai Vanunu should not be in prison at all, let alone be held in solitary confinement in a unit intended for violent criminals.   He suffered immensely when he was held in solitary confinement for 11 years after his imprisonment in 1986 and to return him to such conditions now is nothing less than cruel, inhuman or degrading.”  18 June 2010 Amnesty International

    Yet, when he is released from prison he will still have to remain in Israel and the restrictions will be reviewed and probably renewed yet again, as they have been renewed each year for the past 6 years.

    Vanunu is seen as a traitor by some, a hero by others.   One thing is clear, he has been punished and served the full sentence and it is time after 24 years to do the human thing and let him live as a free man.

    The Israeli Supreme Court continues to accept the Secret Services’ claims that he still has secrets, but a report by Reuters, 20 December 2009, shows that he does not :

    ” … Yet Uzi Eilam, a retired army brigadier-general who ran the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission between 1976 and 1986, said anything that Vanunu — a cause célèbre among disarmament campaigners — might still disclose about Dimona is of little relevance. “I’ve always believed he should be let go,” said Eilam.

    “I don’t think he has significant things to reveal (about Dimona) now.”

    However, we believe that he will be free and our hope is that you will in some way facilitate his early release which would be welcomed by a world waiting and watching for a peaceful and secure future for Israel and its people.    We would greatly appreciate your advising us of any action you take – info@peacepeople.com.

    Shalom,
    Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate
    Gerry Grehan, Chair of the Peace People

    Vanunu has been nominated year after year for the Nobel Peace Prize.

    The many prominent names who have called for his release and respect of his human rights over the last 24 years include:

    The late Nobel Laureates Joseph Rotblat and Harold Pinter; Nobel Laureates Former President Jimmy Carter; Archbishop Desmond Tutu; Mary Ellen McNish (on behalf of AFSC); Betty Williams; Adolfo Perez Esquival; Rigoberta Menchu; Shirin Ebadi; Wangari Maathai; Mairead Maguire; John Hume

    Kidnap victims Brian Keenan; Anthony Gray

    Politicians and human rights activists: the late Robin Cook, former UK Foreign Secretary; former Israeli Minister Shulamit Aloni; Helen Bamber; Simon Hughes; Daniel Elsberg; Bruce Kent; Noam Chomsky; Rabbi Philip Bentley (USA); Michael Mansfield QC; Dr Paul Oestreicher; Baroness Helena Kennedy QC; Tariq Ali; Jeremy Corbyn; Ken Livingstone; Ben Birnberg; David Goldberg QC; Alex Salmund

    Actors, writers, musicians and artists:  Emma Thompson; Julie Christie; Susannah York; Vanessa Redgrave; the late Corin Redgrave; Yoko Ono; Bono; Peter Gabriel; the late Graham Greene; the late Yehudi Menuhin; Janet Suzman; Gilad Atzmon; Richard Hamilton; Michael Rosen; David Gilmore; Benjamin Zephaniah, Alexie Sayle; Maggie Hambling; Tom Conti; Simon Callow; Jeremy Hardy; Miriam Margolyes; Prunella Scales; Arnold Wesker; John Williams; Roger Lloyd-Pack; Christopher Logue; the late Adrian Mitchell

    Journalists:  Andrew Neil; Jon Snow; John Pilger; Robert Fisk; Duncan Campbell; Victoria Brittain; Richard Norton-Taylor

  • AMERICA CAN RELY ON TURKEY, BUT NOT ON ANTI-TURKISH LOBBIES IN AMERICA

    AMERICA CAN RELY ON TURKEY, BUT NOT ON ANTI-TURKISH LOBBIES IN AMERICA

    What follows below is a yet another typical, toxic and vituperative anti-Turkish propaganda, this time from the notorious Turk-hater Congressman Sarbanes, the son of equally notorious Turk-hater Greek-American Senator Sarbanes—of originator of US-arms-embargo-on Turkey- in-1970s fame. Sarbanes spewed this disinformation and falsifications to mark the 36th anniversary of the Turkish rescue and peace operation on Cyprus on July 20, 1974 to protect the lives and liberty of the island’s Turkish Cypriots. First Sarbanes’ words, then my rebuttal. Enjoy!

    ***

    CAN AMERICA RELY ON TURKEY ?

    by Rep. John Sarbanes, Huffington Post, July 20, 2010

    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/can-america-rely-on-turke_b_652739

    Turkey has been getting a lot of attention recently. American foreign policymakers, among others, are beginning to realize that the United States cannot count on its ally Turkey in a pinch. But American surprise and dismay at Turkey ‘s increasing petulance on the world stage and among its NATO peers reflects just how naive the U.S. has been in its interpretation of Turkish behavior over many decades. Turkey ‘s unreliability as a NATO ally and its incompatibility with Western democratic values is well understood by those who have long suffered Turkish aggression in the Eastern Mediterranean .

    Turkey ‘s failure to genuinely uphold the shared values of NATO makes it a weak link in the alliance. By design, NATO originated as a defensive political and military alliance for those countries engaged in the hostilities of WWII. Turkey , the largest NATO member not to have fought in WWII, was enlisted to reinforce defenses against the Soviet Union . Yet, in the summer of 1974, NATO member Turkey invaded and occupied more than one third of the island Republic of Cyprus . Coming at the height of the Cold War, and at a time of delicate relations between Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, and the NATO alliance, Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus risked war with NATO member Greece and a resultant rupturing of the NATO alliance.

    Adding insult to injury, the weapons used by the Turkish military to invade Cyprus were those of its NATO benefactors, principally the United States . In 1975, the Congress imposed an arms embargo on Turkey for its offensive use of American weapons. Rather than fulfill its NATO obligations, or follow its legal obligations as demanded by Congress , Turkey retaliated by closing all American military installations on Turkish soil, and by severely restricting American access at two NATO bases. At that time, military installations in Turkey were deemed essential surveillance posts in the Cold War fight against the Soviet Union . Turkey refused to reopen these facilities until the U.S. lifted the arms embargo, signaling that its relationship with the United States was never more than a transactional one, rather than one rooted in a shared commitment to the rule of law, individual liberties, democracy, and collective Western security.

    July 20th marks 36 years that the Turkish military has occupied Cyprus . In that time, neither the Republic of Cyprus nor its people have directed any aggression towards Turkey . In stark contrast, Turkey maintains an active colonization program where it is illegally resettling some 180,000 Anatolian Turks into the homes and possessions of the 200,000 Greek Cypriots it evicted from the occupied territories. The Turkish military is also systematically eradicating the Hellenic and Christian heritage from the occupied territories. All but five of the 500 Greek Orthodox Churches in the occupied territories have been looted, desecrated, or destroyed. To no avail, the international community, including the United States , the European Union, the United Nations, the European Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Justice have all called on Turkey to honor its international obligations and cease and desist from these hostilities against the people of Cyprus .

    The Republic of Cyprus is a full-fledged member of the European Union. Turkey seeks that status as well, but as a NATO member illegally occupying European Union soil, Turkey puts NATO and the EU at loggerheads. The result is that the EU and NATO are unable to cooperate in the consolidation of their economic and strategic interests in the Eastern Mediterranean .

    Turkey ‘s ongoing occupation of Cyprus is compelling evidence that it has little interest in meeting the standards of individual liberties, human rights and religious tolerance shared by America and other democratic nations. Lacking the ties that bind, Turkey is apparently quite willing to jeopardize relations with its long-time allies. Witness its 2003 denial of the deployment of US forces along the Northern Iraq border and its recent vote in the U.N. against Iran sanctions.

    The United States and its allies must call upon Turkey to abide by international law and meet its responsibilities as a dependable NATO partner. And on this, the 36th anniversary of the invasion and occupation of Cyprus , the United States should demand an immediate withdrawal of the 45,000 Turkish soldiers now occupying northern Cyprus . Until that occurs, policymakers in the White House and in the Congress must press the issue in every conversation with their Turkish counterparts. In this way, the United States can work towards establishing a strong, enduring, and values-based alliance with Turkey that will serve to bring justice to the people of Cyprus , strengthen NATO, and reinforce collective Western security.

    ***

    TURKISH INTERVENTION BROUGHT PEACE TO THE ISLAND – Part 1 of 8

    The Cyprus question is one of the longest-running ethnic conflicts in the world dating back to the mid-1950’s. It is the result of the Greek Cypriot armed campaign to annex the island to mainland Greece – an irredentist ambition known by the Greek term enosis –against the will of Turkish Cypriots, one of the two ethnic peoples of Cyprus for over four centuries, and against the internationally established legal status of the state of Cyprus.

    CYPRUS WAS BORN OUT OF A COMPROMISE, THEN RENEGGED ON IT – Part 2 of 8

    The independent Republic of Cyprus was born as a compromise solution in 1960. The Republic of Cyprus was a partnership state based on the political equality of the co-founding Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot peoples. It had a Greek Cypriot president and a Turkish Cypriot vice-president, each with veto powers to ensure political equality at the executive level. The legislature reflected the demographic balance between the two communities, on the one hand (with a 70/30 per cent ratio), and their political equality and effective participation in the legislative process, on the other. The judiciary was composed of one judge from each side, with a “neutral” judge from a third country as its president. This partnership Republic was guaranteed by the three “Guarantor” powers – Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom – under a special international treaty, the Treaty of Guarantee.

    DELICATE INTERNAL BALANCE WAS DESTROYED BY GREEK ULTR-NATIONALISTS, NOT TURKS – Part 3 of 8

    The “state of affairs” thus created by the Zurich and London Agreements of 1960 was based on an internal balance between the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities, as well as an external balance between Turkey and Greece as the respective “motherlands” of the two ethnic peoples of the
    island. This seemingly perfect system of checks and balances, however, faced a serious challenge within three years of its inception, when the Greek Cypriot side attempted to amend the Constitution by removing all provisions that gave the Turkish Cypriots a meaningful say in the affairs of the State. Failing that, they launched an all-out armed attack on the Turkish Cypriots throughout the island, killing and wounding thousands, driving one-quarter of the Turkish Cypriot population out of their homes and properties in 103 villages and causing widespread destruction.

    GREEKS TURNED CYPRUS INTO A SLAUGHTERHOUSE VICTIMIZING TURKISH CYPRIOTS – Part 4 of 8

    The ferocity of this onslaught was described by former Undersecretary of the US State Department, George Ball, in his memories titled “The Past Has Another Pattern” by observing that Makarios, the then Greek Cypriot leader, had “turn(ed) this beautiful island into his private abattoir.” He further stated that “Makarios’ central interest was to block off any Turkish intervention so that he and his Greek Cypriotes could go on happily massacring the Turkish Cypriots.”

    THE TURKISH RESCUE OPERATION SAVED THE TURKISH CYPRIOTS FROM ANNIHILATION – Part 5 of 8

    The Turkish rescue operation undoubtedly saved the Turkish Cypriot community from mass-extermination; prevented the annexation of Cyprus to Greece, and thus saved the independence of the island. Turkey’s legitimate and timely action has kept the peace on the island since 1974. Today, the Constitution of the Republic is dead and the “Cyprus” government has been completely usurped and monopolized by the Greek Cypriots. Turkish Cypriots and successive Turkish Governments have worked for the achievement of a settlement and have either initiated or accepted all major United Nations documents aimed at such just and lasting solution.

    THE “ANNAN PEACE PLAN”: ACCEPTED BY TURKS, REJECTED BY GREEKS – Part 6 of 8

    The latest and most elaborate document in this respect was the “Annan Plan” named after former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who was the architect of the plan. The Annan Plan was put to separate and simultaneous referenda of Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots on April 24, 2004. It was overwhelmingly accepted by the Turkish Cypriot people by a 65% majority; but was rejected by the Greek Cypriot people, at the behest of their leadership, by even a greater margin of 76%.

    EU AND USA FAILED TO KEEP THEIR PROMISES TO TURKISH CYPRIOTS – Part 7 of 8

    Although the United States, the European Union and other members of the international community have joined in the call for the lifting of the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots, little has been done to put words into action in this regard. What is at stake is not only the long-overdue and well deserved restoration of the human rights of the Turkish Cypriots through their integration with the international community, but also the credibility of those who have made promises and took decisions to end this
    isolation. Concrete and meaningful steps in that direction will not only put an end to this untenable situation but will also help the unification efforts on the island by motivating the Greek Cypriot side to come to a just and lasting settlement.

    NO BLOOD SPILLED FOR 36 YEARS, THANKS TO TURKISH INTERVENTION – Part 8 of 8

    Despite the absence of an international solution to unify the island of Cyprus, Turkish Cypriots have been enjoying peace and tranquility and have developed strong democratic institutions, world class universities, tourism facilities and able entrepreneurs. In fact, Turkish Cyprus can be a model for other nations in that region on how to cope with hardship within the framework of democracy and respect for human rights. A beautiful country with its unspoiled nature and famous for its warm Turkish hospitality, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is a place worth visiting year around. For more information on travel and other issues related to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, please visit www.trncinfo.com.

    ***
    For more information please visit: www.tc-america.org. and www.ataa.org

  • Israeli rabbi will meet Turkish PM in Ankara

    Israeli rabbi will meet Turkish PM in Ankara

    Rabbi Menachem FromanChief Rabbi of the Israeli settlement of Tekoa, Rav  Menachem Furman, plans to visit Turkey upon Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan‘s invitation, the Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported.

    Furman’s visit will take place on the backdrop of controversy in the Turkey-Israel bilateral relations in connection with the Israeli military’s attack on the Turkish humanitarian ship Mavi Marmara routing to Gaza that lead to murder of nine Turks in late May.

    Furman, whom is known for his ties with the leaders of the Muslim world, is in contact with the Erdogan administration for more than a year.

    He said peace in the Middle East can be achieved only through dialogue and close contact with representatives of the Muslim clergy. Furman believes Turkey will become the country that will bring peace to the region.

    Israel regards Furman’s upcoming Turkey visit and his meeting with Turkish politicians as an important step toward reconciliation with former military and strategic ally.

    This will be Furman’s second visit for the last month. He also plans to meet with the head of the politburo of the Palestinian movement Hamas, Khaled Mashaal

    https://en.trend.az/news/society/religion/1722815.html, 19.07.2010

    Rabbi Menachem Froman