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ON WOMEN GENERAL A/CONF.177/19 15 September 1995 Beijing, China ORIGINAL: ENGLISH 4-15 September 1995 Agenda item 8 GENERAL EXCHANGE OF VIEWS: SECOND REVIEW AND APPRAISAL OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NAIROBI FORWARD-LOOKING STRATEGIES FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN TO THE YEAR 2000 MAIN CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF REGIONAL PREPARATORY CONFERENCES NATIONAL PRIORITIES AND COMMITMENTS Letter dated 14 September 1995 from the Ambassador of Turkey to the People's Republic of China addressed to the Secretary-General I have the honour to enclose herewith a letter dated 13 September 1995 from Mr. Atay Ražit, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, to the Secretary-General of the Fourth World Conference on Women (see annex). I would appreciate the publication of that letter as an official document of the Conference. (Signed) Berhan EKINCI Ambassador Annex LETTER DATED 13 SEPTEMBER 1995 FROM MR. ATAY A. RAžIT It has come to my attention that the representative of the Greek Cypriot administration of southern Cyprus, purporting to represent the whole of Cyprus at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, has tried to distort the facts on Cyprus in the speech he delivered while you were chairing the forum. In this connection, I would like to bring to your kind attention the following points in addition to those which have already been raised in my previous letter addressed to you on 29 August 1995. In his speech, the Greek Cypriot representative complained about "invasion" and "occupation" of the island and the so-called "refugee" problem, which has been their propaganda tool for the last 20 years, deceiving world public opinion without mentioning that the problem started 32 years ago and it was the Turkish Cypriot people who were the victims of the above-mentioned complaints for 11 years between 1963 and 1974. "Invasion" is the very same word Archbishop Makarios, the then Head of the Greek Cypriot administration, used in his speech to the Security Council on 19 July 1974, four days after the coup d'e'tat of the Greek Junta which deposed him, accusing Greece of invading Cyprus with her 20,000 troops stationed on the island since 1964 with the aim of annihilating the Turkish Cypriots. The savagery against the Turkish Cypriots lasted for 11 years (1963-1974), forcing them out of 103 villages in their own country. A quarter of the Turkish Cypriot population became refugees. Hundreds were killed and buried in mass graves. More than 800 people were taken forcibly from their homes and workplaces by the Greek and Greek Cypriot gunmen, never to be seen again. As a consequence of the tragic events between 1963 and 1974 and the coup d'e'tat of 15 July 1974, the Turkish intervention was legally carried out in accordance with the rights and obligations of Turkey under the Treaty of Guarantee signed in 1960 by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Turkey and Greece. The Turkish Peace Force was sent to the island not as an "invasion" or "occupation" force, but solely with the objective of re-establishing peace on the island and saving both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots from genocide, thus ending the Greek invasion of the island and preserving its independence. Since 1974 peace has prevailed on the island, with no one killed or uprooted by intercommunal clashes. The Turkish Cypriot people, exercising their right to self-determination and of their own free will, established in 1983 the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which symbolizes their independence and sovereignty. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is a full-fledged State, with all the State organs and democratic institutions functioning freely. The 1985 Constitution of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has granted social, economic, politic and legal rights to Turkish Cypriot women equal to those of men. About 30-35 per cent of the Turkish Cypriot working population is composed of women. There are 17 women's associations dealing mainly with women's human rights problems, including social, economic and domestic issues, while others perform work towards the advancement of cultural, social and educational activities. Turkish Cypriot women enjoy legal security, modern rights and freedom in their social life. The broader problem they face is one of human rights violations perpetrated jointly by the Greek Cypriots and Greece against the Turkish Cypriot people. While awaiting support from the world's women with respect to their problems, Turkish Cypriot women are also appealing to you to stop the human rights violations, lift the embargoes and support them in their efforts to foster relations with international organizations and the world community at large. (Signed) Atay A. RASIT Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence -----