Above: The demands of the original inhabitants of Ayios Amvrosios, Kyrenia district, were clear at the anti-occupation rally in Nicosia, December 2002. Any settlement that does not guarantee their right to return to their occupied homes and lands is not acceptable. Enlarge photo

• The Kofi Annan document is highly ambiguous and contains numerous contradictions, in particular between its foundation agreement and the detailed provisions. The contradictory elements of the plan serve to hide the implications of accepting a deal which at first glance may seem attractive due to the return of certain territories.

• The plan will give Turkey the right to intervene in the affairs of Cyprus. No Greek Cypriot will feel comfortable with this, given Turkey’s actions against Cyprus in 1963, 1967 and most disastrously in 1974 when it illegally invaded the island. The possible retention of up to 7,500 Turkish troops on the island, along with the abolition of the Greek Cypriot national guard render such ‘security guarantees’ as meaningless to the Greek Cypriots.

• The Turkish Cypriots, though a minority of 18 per cent would be given the same control over the policies and laws of Cyprus as the Greek Cypriot majority of 82 per cent. “Political equality” granted to the Turkish Cypriots and a loose federal system will practically recognise the current illegal occupation regime. It’s administrative decisions, such as the issuing of illegal title-deeds to the colonists, will be recognised by the plan.

• The Republic of Cyprus will cease to exist and three new states emerge will emerge. Numerous UN resolutions and European Court of Human Rights decisions will be ignored. This is an insult to the Greek Cypriot people, in particular those who fought Turkey and won at the European Court of Human Rights, such as Titina Loizidou.

• The laws of the two component states will have the same status as the laws of the central state, with no state’s laws having more importance than the others. This means that each component state will be granted almost complete autonomy to do as it wishes.

• Citizenship will be granted by each component state and the conditions for doing so left entirely with the component state. Once a person has been granted citizenship of a component state they will automatically become a citizen of Cyprus. Not only will large numbers of illegal Turkish colonists be given Cypriot citizenship, but there is no guarantee that Turkey will not continue its policy of colonizing Cyprus, given the fact that the Turkish Cypriot state will have the right to issue citizenship to whoever it wishes.

• Basic human rights and the fundamental freedoms granted by the EU will be taken away from the Cypriots. The theft of Greek Cypriot properties will be forgotten and the title-deeds issued by Denktash’s illegal regime will be legitimised. There will be restrictions on the right to free movement, ownership and settlement anywhere on the island.

• There are provisions in the plan for a Presidential Council and rotating Presidency. There will be six persons on the Council and a different president every ten months. Any decisions will have to be agreed by all six members of the Presidential Council or by a simple majority (which must include a Turkish Cypriot). This is surely a recipe for disaster and will rapidly lead to the non-functioning of the state.

• The plan states that the areas which will be returned to the Greek Cypriots will for no more than two and half years continue to be administrated by the Turkish Cypriot component state. Who can guarantee the Greek Cypriots that Turkey will willingly return these areas in the specified time period?

• Much of the plan deals with property issues. Refugees and property owners in the Turkish Cypriot component state will be forced to accept compensation for their lost properties or engage in property exchanges. In some cases property will be restored to the genuine owners but this will be severely limited. Current users will be entitled to keep possession of properties. Compensation will be at 1974 prices plus inflation or at today’s prices (depending on which revision of the plan you read). This is unacceptable for many reasons. On economic grounds Lobby has pointed out time and time again how valuable the stolen lands are likely to be in the future. Why accept compensation (which may never be paid) for land that can only rocket in value? Even if compensation is ever paid to Greek Cypriot refugees, it would be paid by the Greek Cypriot tax payers, not by Turkey which is guilty under international and European law for preventing the refugees from returning. It is a gross insult and a violation of all ideals of human rights to reward the thief and penalize the victim.

No other country would accept such blatant violations. Why should the Cypriots? The time has come for every voice to be heard. Please show us your support and endorse our absolute rebuttal of this plan.