i On the edge of Nicosia. (Second from left) Cypriot youth pi sh n Kyrenia before the Turkish invasion. (Above) Map of Cyprus family prior to the invasion. (Bottom) Greek Cypriot strikers in | | | | 3 ‘iisleading, can hide the fact that the problem of Cyp- _ Sis not one of differences between Greek and Tur- 7 Cypriots, but a problem of Turkish and im- _ tlalist occupation of the island. Not that differences - paveen Greek and Turkish Cypriots are non- ij nt, but these différences can be overcome by ~7endly talks, whereas the differences between Cyp- ‘Sand foreign occupation, Cyprus and imperialism, (© Unbridgeable. Greek and Turkish Cypriots have mon interests and a common enemy. Their com- won Interests, economic, political and cultural, dic- : ics Common front and a common struggle against Nialism and foreign occupation which is their _ : pon enemy.” Adgantee under which the Turks and Greeks in- , vitae the island, and which makes it possible for | tain to maintain its military bases. Britain, Greece Ade rkey are guarantors of Cyprus independence lar, Ms, Papaioannou stressed. ““Cyprus must become aly independent, sovereign, territorially integral, _ aligned and demilitarized. It must become a ”,.< of peace and friendship, not only of its own 7 €, but of all the peoples in the area.”’ . _, tween 1964 and 1979 the UN’s General Assem- _ / and Security Council passed innumerable resolu- A Tecognizing the independence of Cyprus. Resol- “ts passed since the Turkish invasion have called € withdrawal of all Turkish troops and for inter- |. dunal talks between the Greek Cypriots and the Kish Cypriots in the the occupied lands. Talks are Process between the two communities under the *Pices of the United Nations. _, /€ world progressive community has sharply “mned the Turkish occupation, noting that the N responsibility rests with U.S. imperialism, Merely must give the word and the Turkisk ‘T9 troops would be withdrawn. ‘ y hasn’t this come to pass? Perhaps it is be- is NATO, under the leadership of the Pentagon, “S Cyprus as a key element in its strategy of plug- & the gaps in the Middle East as a result of the d changes that have recently taken place in the ” Papaioannou criticized harshly the 1960 Treaty of | The dissolution of the military alliances, SEATO and CENTO, and the success of the Iranian revolu- tion, which overnight replaced the U.S. gendarme in the Mideast with an anti-imperialist government, has forced a shift of gears in monopoly’s strategy for that region. Thus the U.S. has recently added bases in Oman, Somalia and Kenya to those in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Additional bases exist in the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean, not to mention the two dozen in Turkey. No longer are the proxies or surrogates in the region considered equal to the task of containing na- tional liberation revolts to insure the flow of oil and profits for the multinational corporations. The intense U.S. military buildup in the Persian Gulf region, flowing from the Carter doctrine, which defines the region’as an area of vital interest for the U.S., has perhaps most clearly signalled U.S. inten- tions. Said Fantis, ‘‘The U.S. is frantically pursuing its plans for the strengthening of NATO’s southeast wing in order to make it a beachhead for operations in this area.’’ That is why solidarity between ourselves and the Arab resistance movement, led by the Palestine Liberation Organization, is so important.” _ The AKEL political bureau member sees similarities between the solution NATO is trying to impose on Cyprus and the Camp David agreement, which ignored the central question in the Middle East — Palestinian independence. - For this reason, AKELhas been critical of Cyprus President Spyros Kyprianou for his handling of the economy, his coddling of remaining fascist elements, andhis lack of resolve in pursuing the intercommunal talks on reunification. _ A document outlining decisions reached at a re- cent central committee of AKEL stated: The prestige of the president and the government has suffered because . . . of the way in which it has handled the serious problem of rapprochement of the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots. On this mat- ter, the president and the government limit them- selves only to declarations but fail to take any meas- ure that would lead to the materialization of these declarations. J.J. Johnson AKEL and other democratic forces in Cyprus in- sist that the solution of their country’s problems must include the following ingredients: e All Turkish and foreign troops must be with- drawn from Cyprus; e All refugees must be permitted to return to their homes and property under conditions of safety; e Missing persons must be accounted for; e All countries must respect the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-alignment, and demilitarization of Cyprus; e The independence of a unified Cyprus should be guaranteed by the Security Council of the United Na- tions. Unfortunately, recent developments in the region ae Mie been favorable for the struggle to reunify the island. . Greece had withdrawn from the military wing of NATO following Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Greece vowed not to return until the troops, which were actually NATO forces, withdrew. Greece last month agreed to return to NATO and its government is negotiating the renewal of the bilateral Greek- American agreement for the extension of U.S. bases on Greek soil. Just six minutes away from Cyprus’ northern shore stands Turkey, with the second largest army in NATO. The rationalization for this nation’s dispropor- tionate military weight is its proximity to the Soviet Union. It is the last major military partner with a border on the Soviet Union. China has yet to enter a military pact with the West. AKEL leaders emphasized the assistance their nation received from the Soviet Union after the Tur- kish invasion. They expressed thanks also for the Soviet Union’s support for Cyprus’ peaceful reunifica- tion in international bodies. Most U.S. Americans will never have the oppor- tunity to visitCyprus, thousands of miles from our shore. To most Americans it is an island whose des- tiny matters little to the course of the U.S. But if U.S. military bases are added to Cyprus to join those that have recently opened or been aug- mented in the Gulf, the Indian Ocean, East Africa and the Red Sea, the world will have been pushed one step closer to its demise. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—DEC. 5, 1980—Page 7 « pets ces ——— sien rin Oe