Speech of Andros Kyprianou, General Secretary of the C.C. of AKEL, at the mass rally to denounce the fascist coup d’etat and Turkish invasion
AKEL C.C. Press Office,15th July 2014, Nicosia
Yet another year on this day we are awakened in the morning by the sound of the sirens recalling the betrayal of Cyprus; awakend again, recalling that voice heared on the state radio seized by the coupists on 15th July 1974 announcing that “Today, the National Guard has intervened…Makarios is dead.” So many painful years compressed into one moment… So much suffering and woe in such a small country…
“We will not rush to partition the island. We will wait. The opportunity will be given to us on a plate “. This is what Rauf Denktash[1] stated in 1962. The opportunity was provided to Turkey with the treason committed in that Black July of 1974. The culprits and guilty, both within and outside of Cyprus, had began paving the way for Turkey to invade Cyprus long before that summer.
The U.S. and NATO had decided that “the best solution for Cyprus is partition” since the middle of the 1960’s. In this way they could use our country as a base for spying and surveillance, as an unsinkable aircraft carrier and military base. To achieve this objective they drew up and elaborated partitionist plans, one after the other. The statement of Acheson[2], instigator of the well-known partitionist plan, that if he had the US Sixth Fleet at his disposal he would partition Cyprus the very next day is characteristic. Imperialism has never abandoned this goal. On the contrary, it constantly made plans to fulfil thid goal.
In 1972, the U.S. gave the «green light» according to Panagiotakos[3] to the Greek Junta and its tools to proceed with the execution of a coup d’etat, as the Finding on the File on Cyprus[4] revealed. In the end, the coup was defeated. The Soviet Ambassador to Cyprus Astavin had passed on the information about the premeditated crime to President Makarios, confirming that theCyprus issue was discussed at the NATO summit in 1971 in Lisbon Portugal. At this summit the decision was taken to impose a solution as soon as possible “that would be in the interests of the Alliance.” Yet moreproof of how closely NATO monitored and and directed developments is provided by the well-known intervention of the then NATO Secretary-General Joseph Luns in the crisis that broke out within the Holy Synod of Cyprus in support of the three anti-Makarios Bishops.
Isn’t this true? Is this all perhaps therpoduct of AKEL’s propaganda that simply convinced everyone of its obsessions? Were the coup and invasion “accidental events” that occurred because of the “insanity” of a “national-minded clique” and the rsult of the “spontaneity” of “immature young people who were misled by the vision of Enosis, namely the union of Cyprus with Greece”?
Every year at this time the Right and extreme-right feel very uncomfortable about the crime committed by their political spectrum against our homeland. This is the reason why they have always invoked the same excuses and pretexts; pretexts like the one we heard today from the press spokesperson of the governing Democratic Rally party and of the Minister of Education about “ordinary people who were misled” and “exploited”, as well as all the talk about a “civil war” not a coup d’etat. In recent times the following excuses have been used: “but that’s not exactly what happened”, “we, the people, are first and foremost the ones to blame” and “let’s not get bogged down in conspiracy theories.”
In other words, today they want our people to “think again” and view what occured from a different perspective., namely that history should re-write the lies, without any respect to those who lived through the event, were killed and without any respect to History.
“The Junta people were mad”, so they would like us to believe that the members of EOKA B were simply ”misled yougnsters”, therefore they should be forgiven. They would like us to believe the “The US and NATO are victims of Soviet and AKEL propaganda” – consequently they would like us to believe that the US and NATO have no responsibility for all that took place. Instead, according to this logic, the US and NATO tried to help us, as they can help us today as well.
However, to convince the people about all of these perceptions it is not enough simply to discredit AKEL as a “propaganda machine”. The vast evidence about the betrayal of Cyprus must be forgotten once and for all and History must be turned upside down. The signature of the NATO Secretary-General Joseph Luns in the document of 12th July 1974 must be buried which reveals that the violent overthrow of Makarios and the Turkish invasion was agreed. The “Thank you’ of Ecevit[5] addressed to the United States after the invasion and the “Green Light” given to the attempted coup d’etat of 1972 must also be buried, as well as the “Apology” made by Richard Holbrooke[6] years later.
They must also continue to competely ignore and disregard the Greek Parliament’s Finding on the Cyprus problem, which was revealed recently. They would like the Finding of the File on Cyprus to stay forever out of sight and the testimonies given by the leading protagonists to the Commission of the File of Cyprus to be kept confidential as a closely-guarded secret. The mercenaries dedicated to the revision of history insist until today on deriding the historical truth that AKEL has been defending for decades. However, to complete their project they will have to find a way to re-write the testimony of even the late Galfkos Clerides[7], who characteristically stated the following to the Commission for the File on Cyprus:
“My own assessment is that Henry Kissinger was fully aware that a coup d’etat would take place in Cyprus. The justification Kissinger gives that because at that time the “Watergate” scandal had broken out and he was busy and that it slipped his mind is absurd … Because, I believe that they had even agreed which region of Cyprus Turkey will occupy. And the reason they did not enter into the city of Famagusta was because this wasnt part of the agreement with the Americans.”
No matter how much it disturbs some, the truth must be told because history should have lessons for everything – even for the future. Another historical truth is that not even NATO itself, nor even Turkish expansionism could have managed to attack Cyprus had there not been any willing servants, both local and foreign traitors, to help them. Regardless of whether they persist until today in pardoning, whitewashing and honouring them or not, the fact remains that the Greek Junta, Grivas[8] and EOKA B sent our people to the execution squad. The betrayal was deliberate, organized and prepared long before, at all levels – ideological, political and military.
Makarios and AKEL who supported him, were the ones who wanted a united, non-aligned and independent Cyprus. Therefore, Makarios had to be overthrown and AKEL exterminated. The plans for the physical and political annihilation of Makarios were hatched and elaborated one after the another. Some of these plans were signed by Grivas himself, but also by his henchmen. At the same time, anti-AKEL frenzy and campaigns reached a climax, given that AKEL was the only mass force that united Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots for the defense of their common gain, namely Cyprus independence and the Republic of Cyprus. “If Makarios wishes to make somewhat amends he should today without hesitation clamp down on AKEL. If the power of the texts of laws is not sufficient, he should endeavour to legislate new laws. The prohibition and banning of AKEL is a national necessity. AKEL is the branch of Moscow. Its existence is a provocation and a threat”, wrote the press just before the coup d’etat. As we approach 15th July, the day of the betrayal, criminal actions intensified: political killings and assasinations, torture and abuse, theft of weapons from National Guard camps, hatred and fanaticism.
Whenever fascism raises its head in our country it is the Left that is the first to pay with its blood and subsequently the whole country. The barbed wires of division that mark and seperate the land of Cyprus, the result of the double crime of 1974, represents the most bitter and irrefutable evidence of this truth. This is why we will never stop repeating the historical truth.
This is why we will not stop defending history itself because it was written by our people with its own blood.
Our History was written by the bullits of fascism that murdered our comrades Costas Misiaoulis, Costakis Evagoras, Sotiris Adamou Constantinou, Nikos Flourentzou, Kyriakos Papalazarou, Andreas Kestas, Pampos Christofi, Tasos Christofi, Pantelis Charalambous, Christakis Kombos and so many others… It was written by threats of the fascist armed with a machine gun while arresting and handcuffing patriotic fighters saying to them “You will never see the sun again, your grave is open.”Our History was written in the interrogations carried out inside the Central Prison with the constant question “Answer – Don’t you belong to the Left?”. It was written by the courage of the resistance of the members and cadres of AKEL who wherever they happened to be, gave as one voice the same answer to this question: “I am a member of AKEL I am a communist and proud to be a member of AKEL and I do not regret it, not even now”, “I have no weapons, if you made the coup to kill communists I tell you that yes, I am a communist, go on and kill me.” Our History was written by the mass graves opened by the pistol of the junta to bury “the dogs of Mouskos[9]” elswhere and the so-called “Heroes of the Nation” somewhere else.
History was written in the rage and shame for the “super-Greeks” nationalists, “super-patriots” who ran to hide in the mountains so that they would not fight in the front line against the Turkish army invasion. These very same forces who dressed up as doctors and nurses to stay in the rear of the fighting during the war. These bullies and cowards who sent the others to fight in the war so that they themselves could afterwards sleep soundly in their homes, to end up years later, as the lyrics of a poem say, “Those who should have been sent to the gallows were to be found in important positions and with power, while the brave lads and men stained with their blood the place of sacrifice.”
Five days after the coup d’etat, the Turkish invasion completed the crime of 1974. The Greek Junta as another Pontius Pilate “washed its” hands in the blood of the people of Cyprus. How else can one characterize the testimony of Bonanos[10], one of the leading Greek instigators of the coup d’etat, who admitted that he knew from the dawn of 20th July about the beginning of the Turkish army landing on Cyprus soil but had “prioritized other things to do,” which is why he made no contact with the General Staff of the National Guard? How else can one characterize the fact that aircraft were ready to take off and the pilot crews were waiting for orders that never came? That ELDYK[11] was not utilized and as it should have been used? That the coastal military outposts were evacuated in Kyrenia[12]? Georgitsis[13] completed with his testimony the puzzle of the betrayal. He said that Bonanos had told the Greek Army General Staff “let’s allow the Turks for reasons of honor and prestige to put a foot somewhere in the Kyrenia area.”
In the end they didnt just let Turkey put a foot in Cyprus for reasons of prestige. They opened the door for Turkey to invade and continue to occupy until today more than one-third of the territory of our homeland. They opened the door to Turkey to invade and spread death, bloodshed and tears to many thousands of Cypriots; to separate the Cypriot people through force of arms; to dig the barbed wires of the occupation deep into our land; to transfer to our island over 40, 000 Turkish soldiers; to colonize continuously the occupied areas with settlers from Turkey, threatening the very survival of both the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots on the land of their birth so that our people are living permanently with the threat looming in their own country.
Gavril Theodosiou, Andreas Stylianou, Gerasimos Leontiou, Evelthon Ioannides, Karasamanis and so many other comrades who fell fighting in the hour of the great battle defending the freedom and dignity of our homeland.
“Betrayed and tormented people … the junta fell, but the damage for Cyprus has been done and I do not know what the epilogue of the Cyprus tragedy will be.” Forty years later, these words of Makarios still wander over our troubled homeland. Forty years later, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots are still suffering from the occupation. Forty years have elapsed and on one side certain circles and forces are still insisting that we can still continue to indefinitely postpone the solution of the Cyprus problem. Or, even worse, that the best solution is a non-solution, with half a state, albeit a state that will be purely Greek. At the same time, on the other side, we have those circles and forces who want to forget what happened and for us to forget what we have to assert and fight for; to forget that our goal for forty years now is a free, sovereign, independent, free and federal Cyprus, liberated from foreign armies and bases. These two schools of thought agree in their substance: either by inaction or by abandoning our lomg-standing positions, the result will be the same tomorrow, that is to say that the Cyprus problem is unsolved and the partition of our country is on our doorstep.
AKEL does not discuss any such scenarios. It does not even discuss the prospect of ending up with something less or something different from what we have agreed with the international and the Turkish Cypriot community. In contrast, AKEL stands at the forefront of the struggle, seeking to unite Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots around our long-standing goal: the solution of the Cyprus problem, a reunified Cyprus with a single sovereignty, which will ensure that there is one state with a single international personality, a single citizenship, as it exists in every state. Bi-zonal, so that there are two regions in the federation and each community shall govern one of these. Bi-communal, so that both communities shall participate effectively in the federal bodies and decisions. A solution with political equality as described by the resolutions of the United Nations.
Unfortunately, at present developments do not forebode anything positive. President Anastasiades misguided by his passion to be elected President, has trapped himself between the two heterogeneous schools of thought that supported his candidacy during the pre-election campaign.
AKEL supported the procedure for the solution of the Cyprus problem, although President Anastasiades deliberately chose not to heed our concerns and undermined the Christofias-Talat joint communiques. The result of the attempt by Mr. Anastasiades to try to agree something better than these joint communiques is known to all. In the end the Joint Declaration drawn up was comparatively weaker, particulalry on the issue of indivisible sovereignty.
However, it appears that the lesson has not been drawn from the mistake. AKEL insists that the talks should continue from where they had been broken off by the Turkish Cypriot side in March 2012; that President Anastasiades should not just abandon, but put forth and project the convergences achieved by Demetris Christofias, reserving the right to further discussion on specific issues he had strong views about. AKEL had warned that otherwise the opportunity would be given to Eroglu to free himself once and for all from these convergences and attempt to shift the responsibility for a breakdown of the talks on us.
Unfortunately, so far Mr. Anastasiades has not found the strength to put our country’s interests over and above petty partisan interests. He did not find the strength to acknowledge that although during the elections he himself criticised the tactics of Christofias, it is precisely the abandonment of these tactics which is harming Cyprus’ cause. In contrast, so far the President is following the path of beginning neogiotiations from scratch, as the other political parties are demanding, something that is patently obvious will only result in a deadlock.
Now is the time for Mr. Anastasiades to overcome his weakness of seeking to satisfy all views. The time has come for him to devote all his strength to working with honesty and consistency towards the solution of the Cyprus problem. We already are measuring enough damage as a result of the policy that has been persued so far. If we continue with this policy we will have lost the game when the phase of negotiations on positions commence. The procedure will collapse and responsibilities will be apportioned on the Greek Cypriot side as well. This is the reason why it is important today, and not tomorrow, that the President rises to the occassion and faces up to the challenges.
Today the picture of the black-clad Mother of Cyprus again is vivid from the depths of our country’s modern history. The Mother of Cyprus crying over her child, over her child’s sacrifice – without asking for pity, without seeking revenge. Asking only vindication. Asking only that this thirst and this battle should not cease. For our children and grandchildren to live in a peaceful, free and reunited Cyprus.
Honour and glory to our heroes and martyrs!
[1] Former leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, a fierce right-wing anti-communist and nationalist who always promoted partition and persecuted the TC democratic progressive forces.
[2] US President Johnson’s special Cyprus representative who presented a plan for the dissolution of the Republic of Cyprus and partition of Cyprus through “double enosis”, i.e. the division of Cyprus between Greece and Turkey.
[3] Greek fascist junta Ambassador in Nicosia before the coup d’etat.
[4] A special commision set up by the House of Representatives to look into the betrayal of Cyprus through a detailed investigation whose Findings were approved by the majority of the House but rejected by the governing DISY party and coalition rightwing EVROKO “European party”.
[5] Turkish Socialist Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit during Turkey’s invasion in the summer of 1974.
[6] US President Clinton’s Special Envoy on Cyprus in November 1997 made a belated apology about US involvement on the Cyprus problem.
[7]Former President of the Republic 1993-2003, founder and for many years leader of the right wing conservative Democratic Rally party
[8] The leader of the underground armed EOKA B, fiercely anti-communist and nationalist.
[9]The derogatory term of abuse used by the ultra-right and EOKA B against President Makarios.
[10]The Chief of the Junta Armed Forces of Greece in 1974, one of the main culprits of the Cyprus tragedy.
[11] The Greek Force in Cyprus ELDYK is the permanent Greek military force stationed in Cyprus as part of the 1960 Treaties imposed on Cyprus. Turkey has a corresponding force called TOURDYK.
[12]The district where the Turkish army first landed its troops, forming a military bridgehead in 1974.
[13]Greek Brigadier General, head of the coup d’etat.
