OF
OCCUPIED
AMMOCHOSTOS
(FAMAGUSTA)
Evagorou
35, Dheryneia
Famagusta
Tel.: (00357) 3 740860
740762
Fax:
740861
Working Hours:
Monday
to Friday
7.30 – 16.30
The
Cultural Centre of Occupied Famagusta is erected on the outskirts of Famagusta,
right next to the hermetically sealed “Attila Line” which since 1974
artificially divides our island, in Dherynia.
This
Centre operates as a viewpoint where Famagusta people come to gaze from afar,
with the use of binoculars and telescopes, at their beloved and looted city
turned into a Ghost Town. Various information leaflets in different languages,
presentations of video films and Art Exhibitions, organized cultural and
traditional events, are also offered to the visitors free of charge.
Since
1974, Turkey continues to occupy by force 37% of the territory of the Republic
of Cyprus and is systematically engaged in practices of ethnic cleansing, racial
separation and racial discrimination.
The
Cyprus problem is a clear case of massive and continuing violation of human
rights by Turkey, in breach of the principles of the Charter. The General
Assembly, the Security Council and the Commission of Human Rights of the U.N. as
well as the Non-Aligned Movement, the Commonwealth, the European Parliament, the
Council of Europe and other International organizations, have many times called
for the restoration of Human Rights of the population of Cyprus, in particular
the Refugees.
Turkey,
in utter disregard of these resolutions has not yet withdrawn her armed forces
and continues to occupy 37% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus. The
Turkish invasion and continued military occupation has resulted in the
collective denial of all Human Rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of
Cyprus, since occupation in itself constitutes a negation of all those rights.
By
her forcible uprooting of the Greek Cypriot population of Famagusta (and of the
rest of our occupied areas) and by her refusal to allow them to return, by her
importing settlers from Anatolia, Turkey is furthering her policy for
geographical separation of the two communities and her expansionist plans.
The term “ghost town was coined by Swedish journalist Jan-Olof
Bengtsson who wrote in Kvallsposten (21.09.77) “Today, September 1977, the
breakfast tables are still set, the laundry still hanging and the lamps still
burning. Famagusta is a ghost-town”.
Important points regarding the Political Question of the Town:
In November 1978 the British-American-Canadian
Framework for a solution of the Cyprus Problem proposed the immediate
resettlement of Famagusta which the plan envisaged as an act of goodwill and
progress towards a speedy and final solution of the Cyprus problem.
In his 1978 report to the Security Council the UN
Secretary-General suggested: “The time may be ripe for a concrete attempt
to deal with some important aspects of the existing stalemate on the ground,
thus creating an opening for further significant steps...The status of
Famagusta which obviously should not be kept in its present empty and
decaying condition, may provide an opportunity of the kind. Since Famagusta
is situated in the immediate vicinity of the buffer zone and is patrolled by
UNFICYP troops, it would seem natural to envisage United Nations assistance
in this connection.
In May 1993 the UN Secretary-General proposed a
package of confidence-building measures as a first step towards an overall
settlement. A key issue in the set of proposals was the opening of the
fenced area of Famagusta to resettlement by its original inhabitants.
On 29 June 1998 two resolutions were adopted by
the UN Security Council 1178 and 1179 which reaffirmed all previous
resolutions and called for the withdrawal of non-Cypriot forces as described
in the set of ideas, stressing the importance of eventual demilitarization
of the Republic of Cyprus as an objective in the context of an overall
comprehensive settlement. Since 1974, numerous resolutions have been adopted
by the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, calling inter alia
for the return of the refugees to their homes and properties.
One
would assume that in view of all these International Resolutions, the town would
have been returned to its people long ago. Yet, twenty-six years after its
capture, it remains a “ghost town”. The people of Famagusta, like all other
Greek Cypriot refugees have a burning desire to return. It is their town.
Thirty-six centuries of their history is there.
We
invite you at the Centre to confirm yourself Turkey’s breaches and contempt
for:
·
Nigh every article of the Convention and its First
Protocol in full practice
·
The U.N Secretary – General’s proposal for the
resettlement of Famagusta by its inhabitants under U.N. auspices
·
The High Level Agreement on 19 May 1979 that
“…priority be will be given to reaching agreement of the resettlement of
Varosha under U.N. auspices, implemented without awaiting the outcome of the
discussion on other aspects of the Cyprus problem.
· The Security Council Resolution 550 of 11 May 1984 that: “………………. considers any attempts to settle any part of Famagusta by people other than its inhabitants as inadmissible and calls for the transfer of this area to the administration of the U.N.