Cyprus Denktas: Greek Cypriot Side Should Apologize

brother · professor

Denktas: Greek Cypriot Side Should Apologize
Anadolu Agency: 11/23/2004

LEFKOSA (AA) - President Rauf Denktas of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said on Monday about confessions of Greek Cypriot Andreas Dimitriu, a former member of EOKA, ''it is a quite striking statement. Their conscience has begun talking, and it is a positive development.''
     President Denktas stressed that the Greek Cypriot leadership should apologize from the Turkish Cypriots for the massacres it committed between 1963 and 1974.
     ''I hope that the Greek Cypriot leadership will explain how and why events of 1963-1974 started. We expect them to apologize from Turkish Cypriot people, and to start assessing requests for compensation. In order to secure confidence of Turkish Cypriot people, the Greek Cypriot side should bring to justice those who were responsible for the massacres. I call on everyone, especially Europeans, to judge those confessions carefully,'' he added.
     67-year-old Andreas Dimitriu confessed that they killed Turkish Cypriot people in Taskent 30 years ago, and the officials were aware of it.
     In an interview with the Greek Cypriot Alithia newspaper, Dimitriu said, ''we gathered Turkish Cypriot men in the village. I thought that they would have been used in exchange of captives. I did not know that the men would have been killed. Those men were taken away by soldiers coming from Hirokitia. The same soldiers raped some young women for revenge.''
     A total of 89 Turkish Cypriots were killed on August 14th, 1974, and they were buried in mass graves.
     (UK-ULG)

2004-11-22

-mikkie2- · lecturer

And what about an apology from Turkey for the mass murder of GC's, mass rape of women GC's and ethnic cleansing of Cyprus?

What about bringing to justice those Turkish soldiers and generals that committed war crimes in Cyprus? What about TC's that oversaw the killing of hundreds of GC's during the invasion?

Denktas wants it all. He wants the cake and he wants to eat all of it. Well judging by his size he already has!

antonis · advanced member

So here's your apology. It's now 5 years old... almost exactly. But I still remember it as it had an impact on the Cyprus media.

http://www.turkishdailynews.com/old_editions/11_22_99/for.htm#f4

Cassulides: Let's put aside semantics

The Greek Cypriot minister apologizes for the wrongs done by the 'older generation' to Turkish Cypriots and says he hopes irrespective of whether Denktas and Clerides have direct or indirect talks in New York, the two leaders will talk 'substance of the matter'.

The interview and the rest of the article are at the link I provide. Never have I seen an apology from the official turkish side. Correct me if I'm wrong.

brother · professor

I am sure this is stirring up emotions in all of us, but lets use this as a way forward and not a tit for tat excuse, you are right mikkie there should be an apology also to the gc for the wrong doings of turkey and it will come.

But for now should we not all agree that people coming forward and confessing the crimes to cypriots is what is needed, and we the public rather than splitting hairs about it lets embrace each other in this difficult time ahead as i stated in the begining this is going to stir up emotions in us all that may have been dormant or in denial for 30 years.