|
Greek American leaders address letter to Bush
NICOSIA,
Greek American leaders, in a letter to US President George W. Bush and key US officials urged for US action following Thursday's ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, finding Turkey guilty of "massive violations" of human rights in Cyprus.
Leaders of the National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes, Andrew A. Athens, Philip Christopher and Andrew E. Manatos, stress that "this profound ruling can be an opportunity to help NATO ally Turkey see more clearly the path it must take for EU membership".
At the same time they note that Turkey "can no longer deny its problems as a result of rulings like the one rendered" Thursday, and observe "it is time for the US to reach out to those in Turkey who want to make the changes necessary for EU accession".
The ruling also supported the claims of over 200,000 Greek-Cypriot refugees who have been deprived of their right to property, compensation and a family life. The Greek American leaders stress that "this highlights the fact that Turkey is facing a potential financial liability of 16.8 US billion" and the amount increases by one billion each year.
The Greek American leaders cited additional key parts of the decision in their letter to Bush and US officials, including references to the Cyprus enclaved and the missing in Cyprus.
The case against Turkey was brought by the Cyprus government, which argued
that the 27-year-old Turkish occupation of Cyprus' northern third violated
almost every article in the European Human Rights Convention
Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News Archives