Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-11-16-Speech-4-158"
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"en.20061116.21.4-158"2
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"Mr President, the taking of hostages by terrorists and their subsequent holding to ransom has not been an uncommon occurrence in recent years. It is a despicable act of satanic criminal perversion, and is widely and universally condemned by all those with even the slightest degree of common sense. Equally, the taking of a city as hostage by a country which has invaded another and then uses that city to extract political gains by blackmail is a case of psychopathic barbarism of immense magnitude and unintelligible reasoning. This is what has happened in the case of Famagusta.
Up until 1974, Famagusta was a thriving city full of life and vigour, with a rich history going back thousands of years, surrounded by blossoming citrus fruit orchards, lying on a golden sandy coast. It was a city of enviable beauty. Famagusta was widely regarded by many as the jewel of the Eastern Mediterranean. Its peace-loving inhabitants went about their daily lives, working hard to achieve progress and prosperity. But in the summer of 1974, all their dreams were shattered.
After repeated severe and catastrophic air bombardments, the city was overrun by droves of Turkish soldiers, tanks and armoured vehicles, spreading death and destruction in their path. In horror, the inhabitants fled, trying desperately to save the lives of their loved ones and carrying with them the bare essentials needed to survive. Most of them found refuge on an area of high ground a few kilometres to the south of the city, where they lived in makeshift refugee camps, and from where they watched their homes being looted by Turkish soldiers.
Apart from furniture and other household effects, the invaders took away doors, windows, pipes, roof tiles and everything else they could lay their hands on. Then they fenced off the whole city, declared it a military zone and put guards around it. This state of affairs continues today, 33 years later. Whenever an inhabitant, driven by homesick desperation, has tried to approach his fenced city, he has been shot dead on the spot or arrested by Turkish soldiers and tried in Turkish military courts on grounds of entering a high security military area.
The ghost city of Famagusta has many times been the focus of attention in various UN resolutions, and in between the ‘ifs’ and ‘whens’ and ‘hows’ of hazy diplomatic language, the people of Famagusta have tried to believe time and time again that they will return to their homes. But this has all been an illusion, because in the real world of political diplomacy it is almost always the strong who have their way. In the case of Cyprus, Turkey was, and still is, by far the strongest.
Just as the refugees from Famagusta were about to become totally disillusioned with the UNs and Security Councils of this world, new hope suddenly emerged in the form of Cyprus’ accession to the EU.
Men, women and children were suddenly uttering words like ‘the European
’ and ‘the principles and values upon which the EU is founded’. Many were even convinced that after accession the EU would force Turkey to return Famagusta to its rightful occupants. How simple-minded they were. Little did they realise that the EU mainly cares about trading in the vast Turkish market and not about the old-fashioned principles of justice and freedom. Little did they know that the EU mainly views Turkey as being of close to almighty importance in counteracting the threat of Islamic fundamentalists.
And so, dear colleagues, we find ourselves today talking, talking and talking about the right of Famagustians to go home. Most probably, if Turkey has its way, we shall continue talking about it for a long time to come, while the great EU goes on being proud of its principles and values, and almost everybody will be happy – especially the Turkish Government – apart from the people of Famagusta.
We will gradually come to terms with their grief at having to watch their city, the jewel of the Eastern Mediterranean, slowly die away under the careful eye of the UN, the Security Council, and now the EU."@en1
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