| By Eleni Paidoussi Mienve:: of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) visited Cyprus recently after an invitation of that country’s Pro- 8ressive Party of the Working People (AKEL). While in Cyprus, the committee Visited the war-ravished villages and towns, as well as four refugee camps where 200,- 000 Greek Cypriots live; poor and rich, workers, peasants, scientists face every day in makeshift towns of tents and hard- Ship, with coyrage characteristic of the Cypriots. The committee was enthusiastically re- Ceived in camps and yillages, and represen- tatives of the refugees discussed their prob- lems and standards of living as refugees. The representatives of the KKE brought the Cypriot people greétings from the Mainland of Greece and the devotion of the Greek people, especially the working class, to their struggle. _ While in Cyprus, the KKE representa- tives met with President Makarios and assured him of the Greek people’s solidar- ity with the Cypriots. The representatives of KKE and AKEL issued a joint communique in which they outlined their common interest for world Peace, their solidarity to the Portuguese People and their Communist Party. and their absolute agreement with the Palestin- ian people and their right to their own lands. In dealing with the Cypriot problem, the two committees agreed on full cooperation in achieving the set goal: removal of the Turkish occupation forces and all foreign troops from the Cypriot soil, the return of the refugees to their homes, the search for and return of the missing Greek Cypriots, total demilitarization, a democratic solu- tion of the Cypriot problem as per the UN Tesolution for a soveriegn, independent, . non-aligned Cyprus where Greeks and Turks will live happily and in harmony. _ Cyprus has faced many marauders in its long history: Persians, Romans, Arabs, Franks, Venetians, Turks, British. In 1878, Britain “rented” Cyprus-from the then Turkish occupation forces, for military Purposes, but seon the ‘‘civilized’’ western Conquerors proved to be more brutal than those preceding them. To this day, a deep- Seated hate for the British is widespread in both the Greek and Turkish communities Of the island. The Cypriots fought for their independ- €nce valiantly; an army of 25,000 men took Part in World War II, hoping that with Peace Cyprus would be returned to its peo- .Ple. But the British had other ideas: they hung, jailed, exiled and used the ‘divide and conquer” motto by sowing hate be- tween the Turkish and the Greek commu- hities. Even before the Zurich peace agree- Ment was signed in 1958, the schism be- tween the two peoples had been wide €nough. The British managed to instigate the Turkish minority against Greeks who Would ‘eventually demand union with Greece,” while encouraging the ultra-right- ist forces of Col. Grivas to accept nothing but union (enosis) with Greece. Gens who made up 80% of the pop- > ulation, and Turks have lived hanmonious- ly Side-by-side for hundreds of years; they traded and went to the same cafes, obeyed € same laws, spoke their own dialect, Worked together and were more civilized than the ‘civilized’? British imperialists. Suddenly, in 1958 when the British insisted, and succeeded, in having the Turkish gov- €rnment as co-signers of the Zurich Agree- » Ment, Greeks and Turks of Cyprus found Out that they had to be enemies; that they Mustn’t talk or trade with each other any eee: Divided by the infamous ‘“‘green ine,” guarded by the UN forces, they had ees WORLD MAGAZINE Thousands of Greek Cypriots demonstrate in Nicosia to demand independence and de- mocracy for Cyprus. to live in separate sections. While under- neath the surface emotions ran amok and brutal uprisings ended in bloodshed, women of the two sectors embraced and tearfully exchanged household goods as they sepa- _ rated from life-long friendships in villages and towns they had lived in for genera- shops, fields, schools. unions, factories for many years, stole glances at each other, had suddenly become a curse. The British imperialists had done their work well. ~ independent nation frequently rocked by brutality, unrest and open warfare. The 1967 junta take-over in Greece that shocked - the world played a major role in the de- “velopment of events in Cyprus. President Makarios did not show enthusiasm in seek- ing union with the Greek junta in the main- land. The U.S. had been eyeing Cyprus for bases ever since World War II and the Greek junta was ready to provide them. The years from 1967 to 1974 were years. of provocations and blackmail, betrayal and intrigue, and there was more than one attempt on President Makarios’ life. In July 1974, a coup by a few Greek Army of- . ficers stationed in Cyprus tried to depose For a free Cyprus ATLANTIC SHARK IN THE MEDITERRANEAN Drewn by V. Chernikov New Times the Cypriot government and establish a dictator named Sampson; infamous for his bloody attacks on the Turkish minority. Sampson, a personal friend of Ioannidis, the Greek junta, which was in turn financ- ed by the U.S. His first- act was an at- tempt on President Makarios’ life, which failed. ; The coup, though short-lived, became a hot subject internationally and brought un- told disaster on the island, for both the Greek and Turkish populations. The Turk- ish government, claiming fear for the man- iacal hate of Sampson, invaded the island with 40,000 troops after it brought havoc with planes and napalm, while the 6th Fleet, anchored in Piraeus, and the U.S. naval forces in the Mediterranean, ‘‘could not see a thing.’’ The American plan for NATO bases on a divided Cyprus, was working. In the process, the Greek junta which had outlived its purpose, was sacri- ficed. The handwriting on the wall was there for everyone to see. In November 1973, 400 young students and workers had Greek Cypriot National Guardsmen hold back Greek Cypriot students who are demon- ating before the American Center in Nicosia, January 1975, in protest.against the U.S. str position on Cyprus. fallen under the American-made tanks of the Greek junta on the Polytechnic grounds and the Greek people began to rise. In July 1974, the Greek Junta met its doom, but not before handing over the reigns to Kar- too late to spare Cyprus the bloodbath and the events that followed. In the following months, the chauvin- istic government of Turkey achieved a pop- ulation shift, moved tens of thousands of Turkish people to the island, evicting Greeks from towns and villages and hom- es, and formally divided the island to suit their and the U.S. imperialists’ plans. In Turkey, the outlawed Communist Party has been outspoken against the in- vasion and has warned the people that it only serves the militarist plans of the U.S. imperialists. But in Turkey, the prisons are full of political prisoners and daily arrests are commonplace. The Turkish government and their rep- resentatives refused any talks because they the U.S. and in fact are telling Congress what to do. The U.S. arms embargo to Turkey is up for discussion soon, while the problem: will be put on the UN Assem- bly once again. The Ford Administration insists that the aid is ‘‘arms to’keep the peace.”’ But the Cypriots know better. They now have an island of ruins, thousands of maimed and massacred, 6,000 missing, all due to the napalm bombs, tanks, planes, the U.S. calls ‘“‘arms for peace.” PACIFIC TRIBUNE—NOVEMBER 28, 1975—Page 5 tions.. Workers who worked side by side in . afraid of their greetings. Their relationship . Sate began its historic ascent as an © then dictator of Greece, was financed by - ‘amanlis who was waiting in Paris. It was: hold fast to their ‘‘divided” island as does’