PROTEST UDI FOR KOSOVO
For Immediate Release: February 20, 2008

Contact: Nikolaos Taneris, New York, Tel. 1-917-699-9935

NEW YORK—The Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA) joins the STOP coalition (The Stop Terrorizing Orthodox Peoples Coalition) in protests against the UDI unilateral declaration of independence by Albanians in the Serbia region of Kosovo.

The proposal for the forced independence of Kosovo from the Republic of Serbia, and its subsequent legitimization by the international community, would be no different than the legitimization of the illegal Turkish regime which currently occupies northern Cyprus. The situation in Kosovo parallels the situation in Turkish-occupied Cyprus: Both Kosovo and northern Cyprus have been invaded, occupied, and administered by a foreign force and, in both cases, the result for Serbs and Greeks has been absolutely disastrous. Therefore, by imposing independence upon Kosovo, and severing it from Serbia, a pattern is established for legitimizing Turkey's invasion and ongoing occupation of Cyprus. It is no surprise then that Turkey wholeheartedly supports Kosovo's independence from the Republic of Serbia: it sets a major precedent for the recognition of Turkish-occupied Cyprus by the international community.


For these reasons, and many more, Greek-Americans cannot support Kosovo's independence , and we at CANA will join the protests and urge all our friends and supporters attend the protest posted below,




1) MAJOR DEMONSTRATION SUNDAY (February 24) *Remember to bring your Hellenic flags*

DEMONSTRATION , Sunday, February 24, starting from 1:00 PM . At that time, all interested people are asked to come to Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House at 1:00 PM to join hands in a human chain of at least HUNDREDS of people walking in a circle past the White House carrying Serbian and American flags and posters while blowing whistles and beating drums. There will also be speakers and presentations at that demonstration.

This is the first notice about what will be a series of responses to the illegal declaration by the Kosovo Albanians. These first events are jointly organized by:

- The Kosovo Relief Committee, and
- The STOP Coalition (The Stop Terrorizing Orthodox Peoples Coalition).

Sincerely,

John Bosnitch
202-701-0396
 thestopcoalition@gmail.com



========================
Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA)
2578 Broadway #132
New York, NY 10025
New York: Tel. 917-699-9935
Email: cana@cyprusactionnetwork.org
www.cyprusactionnetwork.org

URGENT: CALL ON THE STATE DEPARTMENT TO PROTEST TURKEY'S CULTURAL GENOCIDE OF CYPRUS CHURCH
Ayios Charalambous (Saint Charalambous) Orthodox Christian church in Turkish military-occupied Trimithi village in Cyprus, leased to Turkish ceramics maker.


Current Status

The historic Ayios Charalambous ( Saint Charalambous ) church in Turkish military-occupied Trimithi village in Cyprus, has reportedly been leased to Turkish ceramics makers. Industrial cylinders and ovens are said to be used inside the church by its illegal Turk occupiers in an obvious move of disrespect and degradation to the native , indigenous Orthodox Christian faith of the island. The Church of Cyprus has publicly condemned this violation, drawing attention to evidence that the criminal Talat, Turkish military-occupation regime has leased the church out under the guises of its so-called “Turkish Cypriot religious and cultural foundation EVKAF”, for five Turkish lira a year , the equivalent of about four American dollars.

Turkish military-occupation, implemented by sheer, brute military force, has, since the illegal invasions of 1974 , resulted in the vandalism, desecration and destruction of , literally, hundreds of Orthodox Christian churches in Cyprus, in addition, thousands of historic ecclessiatical items have been illegally sold and located in the international black trade in stolen church art.

The current desecration of Ayios Charalambous (Saint Charalambous) church in Trimithi village is part of Turkey’s methodical attempt to complete the cultural genocide of Orthodox Christianity, the major faith of indigenous people in Cyprus. Apparently, Turkey is emboldened by its long-term policy of cultural genocide, wherever Turkey illegally misules, without any meaningful response from the US government.



What You Can Do

Contact the State Department's human rights division.

By Mail:
The Hon. Jonathan D. Farrar
Assistant Secretary of State for
Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20520

By Tel: (202) 647-2126

By Fax: (202) 647-5283

By Email: walker-johnsonlw@state.gov
(Asst. Secretary Farrar's special assistant)

(Send a note to cana@cyprusactionnetwork.org to tell us what actions you took.)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Phone Script for Assistant Secretary Office - (202) 647-2126


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(The phone will be answered by a receptionist. As always, be firm, but polite. Hostile comments will only undermine the message you are trying to deliver. Ask to speak to a senior advisor to the Assistant Secretary. If a senior advisor is not available to speak with you, ask to leave a message on their voice mail.)



Hello, my name is __________________.

I am calling to ask the State Department to publicly protest the Turkish government's desecration of a church, named Saint Charalambous, in Turkish military-occupied Trimithi village in Cyprus

The church in Cyprus is illegally occupied and desecrated by Turkish forces,this is an act of ongoing cultural genocide in Cyprus by Turkey.

Please look into this matter personally and publicly protest any violations of human rights , directly with the Turkish government and in your annual human rights and religious freedom reports.

Thank you for your time. I would appreciate learning of any action your office takes on this matter, and would appreciate an investigation and proper report. I can be contacted at the following address: __________________


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sample Letter to Assistant Secretary (Mail, Fax, or Email)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Honorable Jonathan D. Farrar
Assistant Secretary of State for
Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20520

Dear Assistant Secretary Farrar:

I am writing to ask the State Department to publicly protest the Turkish government's illegal occupation and desecration of Ayios Charalambous ( Saint Charalambous ) church in Turkish military-occupied Trimithi village in Cyprus.

As you know, the historic Ayios Charalambous ( Saint Charalambous ) church in Turkish military-occupied Trimithi village in Cyprus, has reportedly been leased to Turkish ceramics makers. Industrial cylinders and ovens are said to be used inside the church by its illegal Turk occupiers in an obvious move of disrespect and degradation to the native , indigenous Orthodox Christian faith of the island. The Church of Cyprus has publicly condemned this violation, drawing attention to evidence that the criminal Talat, Turkish military-occupation regime has leased the church out under the guises of its so-called “Turkish Cypriot religious and cultural foundation EVKAF”, for five Turkish lira a year , the equivalent of about four American dollars.


The current desecration of Ayios Charalambous (Saint Charalambous) church in Trimithi village is part of Turkey’s methodical attempt to complete the cultural genocide of Orthodox Christianity, the major faith of indigenous people in Cyprus. Apparently, Turkey is emboldened by its long-term policy of cultural genocide, wherever Turkey illegally misules, without any meaningful response from the US government.

According to the US State Dept “Promoting freedom and democracy and protecting human rights around the world are central to U.S. foreign policy. The values captured in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in other global and regional commitments are consistent with the values upon which the United States was founded centuries ago.”
(Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, URL: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/ )



Turkish military-occupation, implemented by sheer, brute military force, has, since the illegal invasions of 1974 , resulted in the vandalism, desecration and destruction of , literally, hundreds of Orthodox Christian churches in Cyprus, in addition, thousands of historic ecclessiatical items have been illegally sold and located in the international black trade in stolen church art.

Article 7 of the United Nations Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (26 August 1994) [4] uses the phrase "cultural genocide". The complete article reads as follows:

Indigenous peoples have the collective and individual right not to be subjected to ethnocide and cultural genocide, including prevention of and redress for:
(a) Any action which has the aim or effect of depriving them of their integrity as distinct peoples, or of their cultural values or ethnic identities;
(b) Any action which has the aim or effect of dispossessing them of their lands, territories or resources;
(c) Any form of population transfer which has the aim or effect of violating or undermining any of their rights;
(d) Any form of assimilation or integration by other cultures or ways of life imposed on them by legislative, administrative or other measures;
(e) Any form of propaganda directed against them.

Turkey is guilty of all of the above itemized sub-articles in Cyprus.


Please help save the Cyprus church from cultural genocide by 1) immediately investigating the illegal occupation and desecration of Ayios Charalambous ( Saint Charalambous ) church in Turkish military-occupied Trimithi village in Cyprus; 2) publicly protesting any violations of human rights, and; 3) prominently addressing this matter in the annual "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices," and the "International Religious Freedom Report."

Thank you for your attention to my concerns.

I look forward to hearing from you or your office in this regard.


Sincerely,


____________________________________

(Signature)

____________________________________

(Name)

____________________________________

(Address)

____________________________________

(City, State, Zip)



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Background:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


For more information visit:
Church of Cyprus , URL: http://www.churchofcyprus.org.cy/
Cyprus Mail, Church anger over desecration in north By Jean Christou, November 21, 2007, URL: http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=36046&cat_id=1

========================
Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA)
2578 Broadway #132
New York, NY 10025
New York: Tel. 917-699-9935
Email: cana@cyprusactionnetwork.org
www.cyprusactionnetwork.org
========================



The Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA) is a grass-roots, not-for-profit movement created to support genuine self-determination and human rights for the people of Cyprus.





To be added to CANA's Action Alert e-mail distribution list, or to introduce CANA to a friend or colleague, please forward the pertinent name and e-mail address,with the subject heading "Add e-mail to CANA distribution list", to

cana@cyprusactionnetwork.org





You are encouraged to forward this action alert to five or more individuals who may have an interest in our e-distributions or in CANA’s mission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 URGENT: Protest Anti-Cyprus Article Letter Writing Campaign To MSNBC

For Immediate Release: November 17, 2007

Contact: Nikolaos Taneris, New York, Tel. 1-917-699-9935

NEW YORK-- The Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA) encourages activists and supporters to fight back against false historical revisionism and anti-Cyprus propaganda by joining the letter writing campaign to MSNBC, in defense of Cyprus.


Please find below the action alert from Hellenic Organization of University Graduates of America HOUGA, Email: houga@usa.com

Action Alert - Letter writing campaign to MSNBC.com


The article below, titled "Bring northern Cyprus back into the fold" was posted on the MSNBC.com web site. Although the article originates from the UK based Financial Times, it is posted on the American MSNBC.com site, and we ask that a letter of protest be sent to:


To the Editor

letters@msnbc.com



Suggestions of points to be used in the letter:


- in Cyprus there is a breach of international law and the UN Charter by Turkey (who invaded and occupied one-third of the island republic), and that the situation will never be normal unless there is restoration of basic human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Cyprus


- the division is a result of the invasion and continuing occupation and that the case of the T/C as presented in the article is being built upon massive violations of human rights (right of property, right to return, right of settlement, refugee issues). In fact, over 200,000 refugees Greek Cypriot refugees have been denied their livelihood, property, for over 30 years, due to the Turkish invasion.


- therefore, any isolation that exists is due to the Turkish occupation and the insistence of Turkey and the T/C leadership to upgrade the political status of the illegal secessionist entity.


- "investors" buying property in the occupied areas are taking more than "some risk in title". Many Cypriot owners of occupied property have filed successful claims in European Union courts.


- the reason the Annan plan was voted against by 76% of Greek Cypriots was that it was not "carefully balanced" and failed to meet even the most basic concerns and legitimate rights of the Greek Cypriot community


- the current difficulties Turkey faces in its relations with the European Union stem from its refusal to meet its obligations, including the restrictions imposed on Cypriot interest vessels and planes.



Thank you. The original article follows below.









MSNBC.com



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bring northern Cyprus back into the fold

By Nick Kochan

Financial Times

updated 10:41 p.m. ET, Tues., Nov. 13, 2007

T he division of Cyprus between Greek and Turkish residents represents a festering sore for the European Union and for the wider international community. Resolutions have been painfully pursued since 1974, when the island was divided, but none has yet satisfied both sides. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus continues to face embargoes from the EU and most large states.

The time has come for a further push, this time by Gordon Brown, the UK prime minister, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey 's prime minister, to bring northern Cyprus back into the fold. The two men recently proposed an initiative at the United Nations, where there is a will to continue the process, initiated by Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary-general, which culminated in a referendum in 2004. Both sides were asked to vote on unification around a carefully balanced series of compromises. Two-thirds of Turkish Cypriots voted in favour, but two-thirds of Greeks voted against and the issue was shelved. The result has left the Turkish Cypriot community feeling bruised.

While the politicians continue to wrestle with the problem, business and financial considerations risk drawing northern Cyprus out of the western fold and towards other, less palatable regions. Radical Middle Eastern states have been prepared to flout criticism from Greece and elsewhere and trade with northern Cyprus . Syria , for example, recently opened a ferry route to Famagusta in northern Cyprus . Northern Cyprus will use this as a lever to open up other trading and transport links with the Islamic world. Business contacts with Iran are growing and many students attending the six Turkish Cypriot universities originate from Palestine , Iran and Sudan . That said, the bulk of the north's business and political links continue to be with Turkey , the largest investor in the island and guarantor of its independence.

Disparity in economic resources between the north and the Republic of Cyprus in the south risks intensifying the north's isolation. While the south has a thriving economy, partly supported by EU subsidies and partly by an offshore banking and financial services sector, the north struggles to obtain investment to develop its resources. The south is more than twice as wealthy as the north, with gross national product per head of $22,000 compared with the north's $10,500. Three-quarters of the island's 1m-strong population live in the south.

UK investors and bargain hunters have bought and developed cheap properties in the north in the expectation of a sharp revaluation of their assets if the political climate warms. Properties cost between a third and half the price of those in the south, although investors take some risk on title, as former Greek owners will seek the return of land now occupied by Turks. Turkish Cypriots have similar claims on land in the south, now occupied by Greeks.

Israeli investors have also invested in the island's hotel and property sector for the same reason. Russians are taking an interest in the north's banking sector and one Russian bank is expected to open imminently.

The north's tourist trade, the largest contributor to its economy, is dependent on Turkish visitors, who can fly direct. Western tourists have to break their journey at Istanbul before flying on to the airport at Ercan. This inflates the cost of air travel. Lack of recognition hits every part of the economy, including the banking system, which is denied an exclusive code to enter the Swift system for transferring payments from north Cyprus banks to international banks. Outdated systems of transferring money through fax and e-mail result in security risks to the banks. A strong casino and gambling industry has led some to question the north's financial probity.

Economic isolation risks creating an embittered community on the fringe of Europe and in one of the world's more delicate hotspots. There are a number in the EU who recognise the dangers and would like to soften or remove the embargo, but the Republic of Cyprus - an EU member - would in practice be able to block such a move.

The best hope for political change is the economic invigoration of this territory. That would not merely improve local prosperity but also encourage business and political interests in the south to invest in the north. The search for economic prosperity needs to go hand-in-hand with political moves towards unification. Once the island reaches its economic potential, memories of past feuds can be forgotten and a stable and unified state created.

The writer is author, most recently, of Opportunities in Middle East Capital Markets (Thomson)

Copyright The Financial Times Ltd. All rights reserved.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21774034/

###

========================
Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA)
2578 Broadway #132
New York, NY 10025
New York: Tel. 917-699-9935
Email: cana@cyprusactionnetwork.org
www.cyprusactionnetwork.org

=====================

The Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA) is a grass-roots,not-for-profit movement created to support genuine self-determination and human rights for the people of Cyprus.


To be added to CANA's Action Alert e-mail distribution list, or to introduce CANA to a friend or colleague, please forward the pertinent name and e-mail address,with the subject heading "Add e-mail to CANA
distribution list", to cana@cyprusactionnetwork.org

You are encouraged to forward this action alert to five or more individuals who may have an interest in our e-distributions or in CANA’s mission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

URGENT: Protest Erdogan New York: “Stop Terrorizing Orthodox
Peoples!”

For Immediate Release: September 27, 2007

Contact: Nikolaos Taneris, New York,     Tel. 1-917-699-9935

Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA) joins the STOP coalition, in
coordinated protests against Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s visit to New York and the United Nations. The STOP Coalition stands
for “Stop Terrorizing Orthodox Peoples!”

Our group is open to any and all who believe the time has come to draw
public attention to the evil of the continuing genocides against the
many millions of Orthodox Christians around the world.

The Turkish government, led by Erdogan, is an unrepentant perpetrator
of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides of 1915-1923. Successive
Turkish governments continue to degrade the victims by denying any
responsibility for the crime of genocide.

Violating international law and human rights conventions Turkey
continues its brutal, illegal occupation of Cyprus. Over one thousand missing
Greeks in Cyprus remain unaccounted and many were used for barbaric
scientific experiments. The cultural genocide of Orthodox Christianity by
Turkey continues in historic Armenia, Pontus and Constantinople, and
Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus.

Join us, in witnessing readings of survivor testimonies, in lighting of
candles for the dead, and in our demand that Turkey make a public
apology.
DEMONSTRATIONS AND VIGILS:
Erdogan Takes The Floor At The Council of Foreign Relations
WHEN: Thursday, September 27, 2007, 1PM-4PM
WHERE: The Council of Foreign Relations, 58 E. 68th Street, New York,
N.Y.

Memorial For The Orthodox Victims Outside The United Nations
WHEN: Thursday, September 27, 2007, 5PM-8PM
WHERE: Dag Hammerskjold Plaza (47th St. between 1st and 2nd Ave.). New
York, NY

Erdogan Takes The Floor Of The UN General Assembly
WHEN: Friday, September 28, 2007, 1PM-8PM
WHERE: Dag Hammerskjold Plaza (47th St. between 1st and 2nd Ave.).New
York, NY
========================
Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA)
2578 Broadway #132
New York, NY 10025
New York: Tel. 917-699-9935
Email: cana@cyprusactionnetwork.org
www.cyprusactionnetwork.org
=====================

The Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA) is a grass-roots,
not-for-profit movement created to support genuine self-determination and human
rights for the people of Cyprus.


To be added to CANA's Action Alert e-mail distribution list, or to
introduce CANA to a friend or colleague, please forward the pertinent name
and e-mail address,with the subject heading "Add e-mail to CANA
distribution list", to
cana@cyprusactionnetwork.org

You are encouraged to forward this action alert to five or more
individuals who may have an interest in our e-distributions or in CANA’s
mission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

URGENT: Protest Congressman Burton's Anti-Cyprus Remarks!!

 

Congressman Dan Burton Makes Offensive Anti-Cyprus Remarks

 

 

Current Status

 

Congressman Dan Burton of Indiana recently issued a “Stop the Blame Game With Regard To Cyprus” speech to the House of Representatives premised almost entirely on false historical revisionism, inaccuracies and omissions.

 

Burton has a long record of support for Turkish Crimes and their cover up, just recently he was commended by the Turkish lobby ATAA for his offensive speech on Cyprus, over the years Burton has also been an active participant, from the very beginning, of US delegations visiting the pseudo-regime in northern Cyprus, disregarding international law, Burton has also been involved in numerous official delegations and receptions with the pseudo-regime.

 

Turkey’s invasions and ongoing illegal occupation is in complete contempt for norms of war, international law, UN resolutions, and human rights, and its ongoing cultural genocide of Greek Orthodox Christianity from Cyprus is continuing unabated, and Turkey remains unapologetic and unrepentant. The Republic of Turkey was founded on the heels of one of the most tragic episodes in the history of humanity. The Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocide of 1915-1923, perpetrated by the Ottoman Turkish government, was the very first planned genocide of the 20th Century, the Turkish government denies its responsibility for these crimes, and continues to regard the victims with contempt through its ongoing aggression against Cyprus and through its horrific human rights record, that often involves torture and assassinations of intellectuals for thought crimes.

 

The Annan plan was rejected by the Cypriot people, in a popular referendum because the Annan plan was racist, its provisions mandated that the Turkish military and security forces (notorious for racist brutality and human rights abuses) rule over the Cypriot people, furthermore it also mandates that major port city Kyrenia remains Turkish, forever. Essentially, Annan plan was an attempt to dissolve the democratic Republic of Cyprus and replace it with a new structure, that would enslave the people of Cyprus to undemocratic, human rights abusers running the Turkish government and military. Burton’s speech uses blatant omissions of facts, to shamelessly hurl the blame onto the Orthodox Christian people of Cyprus, rather than on the aggressor, Turkey.

 

Finally, Congressman Burton’s   speech uses Turkish false historical revisionism to explain away the conflicts in Cyprus prior to Turkey’s 1974 crimes of ethnic cleansing, military invasion, and cultural genocide. The Turkish state funded and staffed anti-Orthodox Christian terrorism and hate groups, with the aim of creating para-state, parallel administrations in Cyprus, in order to undermine the democratic process. The pseudo-regime founded by Turkish terrorist Denktash and by Turkish security forces was merely a further manifestation of Turkey’s decades long undermining of democracy and abuse of human rights in Cyprus.

Please refer to our information paper “Burton’s Anti-Cyprus Remarks” for Congressman Burton’s actual speech in black text, our analysis is in green, directly below each of Congressman Burton’s remarks.

URL:  http://www.cyprusactionnetwork.org/resource_center

 

--------------------------------------------

 What You Can Do

--------------------------------------------

 

Contact Congressman Dan Burton of Indiana and ask him to apologize for the historically incorrect speech.

 

As always, be firm, but polite. Hostile comments will only undermine the message you are trying to deliver. A sample letter and phone script is already provided

 

 

By Mail: Congressman Dan Burton

2308 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20515-0001

 

 By Telephone :(202) 225-2276

 By Fax:  (202) 225-0016

 

 

-----------------------------------------

Phone Script:

-----------------------------------------

 

[During regular business hours a receptionist will answer your call. Ask to speak to the staff member who is responsible for judiciary or foreign affairs. If he/she is not available, please leave a written or voice-mail message.]

 

 

Hello, my name is __________________.

 

I am calling about Congressman Burton’s  Anti-Cyprus speech, “Stop The Blame Game With Regards To Cyprus”

 

This speech was highly offensive to Greek Orthodox Christians, who are victims of Turkey’s ongoing ethnic cleansing and cultural genocide of Orthodox Christian people. Turkey is a human rights abuser, is guilty of Armenian and Assyrian and Greek Genocide, is a military aggressor, is undemocratic and is unfit to rule over the people of Cyprus.

 

We must stand, as a nation, against human rights abusers, against military aggressors, and against genocide denial and act with absolute moral clarity in the fight to eradicate these terrible crimes.

 

Thank you for your time. I would appreciate learning of any action the Congressman takes on this matter, and would appreciate an apology. I can be contacted at the following address: __________________

 

Thank you.

 

 

---------------------------------------------------

Sample Letter

---------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

(Please take a moment to personalize the letter.)

 

Congressman Dan Burton

2308 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20515-0001

 

Dear Congressman Burton:

 

I’m writing in response to your speech “Stop The Blame Game With Regard To Cyprus” delivered on Tuesday, July 24, 2007 in the House of Representatives.

 

As an American citizen of the Greek Orthodox Christian faith,, I have always had the honor of being represented by elected officials who stood firm and strong in the face of human rights violations and historical denial.

 

There were several inaccuracies and omissions in your speech on Cyprus

 

First, your speech starts off with a statement that downplays Turkey’s war crime of military aggression and crimes against peace in Cyprus, by deliberately putting quotes around Turkey’s very real invasion. Numerous United Nations Resolutions, spanning several decades, have been consistent in declaring the Turkish military occupation of Cyprus illegal, and call upon the speedy and total withdrawal of the Turkish military occupation forces

 

 

Second, the speech erroneously claims that Greeks killed Turks beginning in 1963, this is false historical revisionism. The first inter communal killings in Cyprus date back to 1958, and they involved brutal killings of Cypriot Orthodox Christians by the fanatical Turkish terrorist group TMT. The New York Times reported on the killings on December 27, 1963, detailing the attacks on Cypriots targeted merely because of their ethnicity and religion, the Turkish TMT terrorist killings of Cypriot Orthodox Christians continued and escalated throughout the 1960s.

 

Third, your speech falsely claims that Turks were harmed during the coup in Cyprus, and irresponsibly use this falsehood to somehow justify Turkey’s gross crime in 1974. The most significant omission is the fact that in August 1974 (when Turkey launched the bloody second invasion that resulted in the occupation of an additional 30% of the island) the democratic presidency of Cyprus was restored, parliamentary democracy led by Karamanlis was in power in Athens, and there was neither a call for union with Greece or violence directed at the Turkish minority.

 

Fourth, you falsely claim that the pseudo-regime in northern Cyprus is a case of “rights”, nothing could be further from the truth. The pseudo-regime established by late Turkish TMT terrorist leader Denktash and by the Turkish military and Turkish security forces is recognized by no other country in the world, other than Turkey, its very claim to statehood is in violation of international law.

 

Finally, your speech is offensively anti-Cyprus , you claim that Greeks, the people actually victimized by Turkey’s crimes of ethnic cleansing and cultural genocide are not on the side of peace and offer up the people’s  democratic rejection of the racist Annan plan. The Plan allows the Turkish military to remain in Cyprus, forever, and even extends to the Turkish military the “right” to intervene over the entire island, . The final revised drafts of the Anan plan called for the turning over of the entire island’s defense (for a period of twenty years) to the Turkish government through its military (an unrepentant perpetrator of Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic genocide) and renown for ethnic cleansing and racist brutality throughout the region. Ultimately, the victims of Turkish aggression decided that they would never allow the Turkish military to rule over their lives, Turkey’s horrendous human rights record and history of Genocide, makes Turkey unfit to rule over any human being. In democracies, ideally, the power should never come from the muzzle of a gun, the Turkish army still refuses to leave this troubled island, and leave all its inhabitants Greek, Latin, Arab Maronite, Armenian and Assyrian alone. Now that would be a real peace.

 

 

 

I urge you to amend your remarks and position to reflect the historical truth.

 

I would also appreciate a sincere apology.

 

I look forward to hearing from you or your office in this regard.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

____________________________________

(Signature)

____________________________________

(Name)

____________________________________

(Address)

____________________________________

(City, State, Zip)

 

 

 

 

========================

 Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA)

2578 Broadway #132

New York, NY 10025

New York: Tel. 917-699-9935

www.cyprusactionnetwork.org

=====================

 

 The Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA) is a grass-roots, not-for-profit movement created to support genuine self-determination and human rights for the people of Cyprus.

 

 

To be added to CANA's Action Alert e-mail distribution list, or to introduce CANA to a

friend or colleague, please forward the pertinent name and e-mail address,with the subject heading "Add e-mail to CANA distribution list", to

cana@cyprusactionnetwork.org

 

 

You are encouraged to forward this action alert to five or more individuals who may have an interest in our e-distributions or in CANA’s mission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HR 309, Kosovo Independence Action Alert 

PLEASE FORWARD THIS ALERT TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY

Dear Friends,

It has come to our attention that Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, who represents the 14^th District in New York, covering Astoria, and who marches in our Greek Independence Day parade in New York, and relies on Greek support for her victory this November 2007, has recently become a cosponsor to the pro-Albanian and anti-Orthodox House Resolution 309 which expresses “the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should support independence for Kosovo.”

 

(1) Please take a few minutes to call her office, expressing that you are a Greek American and that you urge her to withdraw from H. Res. 309. Her Astoria office number is 718-932-1804.

(2)   A sample letter is provided for your convenience below.

---

Sample Letter

---

To contact Congresswoman Maloney, please fill in the form in the link to her homepage and make sure to select “Hellenic Issues” on “*Topic of Message” on the contact form:

 

 

http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=com_email_form&Itemid=73

 

Subject: Withdraw as cosponsor of H. Res. 309 that supports independence for Kosovo

 

Hello, my name is [NAME]. I am a Greek-American of the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith and

 

I am writing to urge you to withdraw as a cosponsor of H. Res. 309 ("Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should support independence for Kosovo"), a pro-Albanian and anti-Orthodox resolution that supports independence for Kosovo; an act that would butcher one of Serbia’s most sacred regions in order to create an Islamist-aligned “Greater Albanian” entity that would serve only to destabilize the entire Balkan region -- Greece included -- and create untold bloodshed.

 

This resolution is harmful to both Serbia and her close friend and ally Greece and there are a number of reasons why Greek-Americans and their friends cannot accept it, including:

 

1) This resolution would support and complete the ongoing ethnic cleansing and cultural genocide of Orthodox Christian Serbs from Kosovo, an integral part of the Serbian homeland for centuries, as testified by the presence of over 1,500 monuments of Serbian culture.  Sadly, since 1999 more Serbian cultural and religious shrines have been destroyed in Kosovo than during 400 years of brutal Turkish occupation.  Well over 100 Orthodox Churches and monasteries have been attacked, desecrated, or completely destroyed while 250,000 Serbs have been ethnically cleansed from their ancestral land by Albanians.  The remaining Serbs of Kosovo live in terror every single day and suffer unbelievable horrors at the hands of Albanian Islamists simply because of their ethnic background and religion.

 

2) The Albanian Muslims who are currently ethnically cleansing Kosovo of its indigenous Serbian population have been using Kosovo as a base for not only criminal operations such as drug smuggling and human trafficking but also as a base to train and sustain Islamic fundamentalist terrorist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda, such as the Kosovo Liberation Army, which the US government has classified as a terrorist organization.  Such groups are not only anti-Serb but also anti-Greek, as demonstrated recently by the emergence of a new Albanian terrorist group, the Liberation Army of Chameria, which has territorial designs on Greek land. 

 

3) The proposal for the forced independence of Kosovo from the Republic of Serbia, and its subsequent legitimization by the international community, would be no different than the legitimization of the illegal Turkish regime which currently occupies northern Cyprus.  The situation in Kosovo parallels the situation in Turkish-occupied Cyprus: Both Kosovo and northern Cyprus have been invaded, occupied, and administered by a foreign force and, in both cases, the result for Serbs and Greeks has been absolutely disastrous.  Therefore, by imposing independence upon Kosovo, and severing it from Serbia, a pattern is established for legitimizing Turkey's invasion and ongoing occupation of Cyprus.  It is no surprise then that Turkey wholeheartedly supports Kosovo's independence from the Republic of Serbia: it sets a major precedent for the recognition of Turkish-occupied Cyprus by the international community.

 

For these reasons, and many more, Greek-Americans cannot support Kosovo's independence or politicians who advocate such positions.

 

Finally, I ask that you distance yourself from the Albanian lobby, notorious for being associated with organized crime money. At least one Islamic "charity fund" associated with "Greater Albania" causes in Kosovo has also been classified as terrorist by the US government.

 

Thank you for your consideration of my concerns.

[NAME]

 

 

For sources of information regarding the persecution of Orthodox Serbs by Albanians and the destruction of centuries-old cultural and religious sites, please see: http://www.kosovo.net/ (Note: because some sections of this website contain very graphic images of murdered Serbs and desecrated churches, viewer discretion is advised.)