Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to this most important motion, Motion No. 239, which promotes the demilitarization of the Republic of Cyprus. Let me say at the outset that I fully support this motion. I want to congratulate the member for Saint-Denis for bringing it forward.
In the last several years we have witnessed the creation of new areas of tension and conflict through the unleashing of destructive forces of chauvinism and ethnic strife. At the same time, in many parts of the world we have witnessed the triumph of reason, the entrenchment of democracy and the emergence of free market economies.
In July 1994 a brutal armed force was unleashed by the Turkish government. The result was the illegal invasion of a sovereign state and member of the United Nations, the island of Cyprus. To this day 37 per cent of the island's territory is illegally occupied.
Turkish and Greek Cypriots were forcibly evicted from their homes and became refugees in their own country. Almost 50,000 Turkish Cypriots have been forced by Turkish troops to flee their homes and lose their property. Thousands of Greek Cypriots have been displaced, their properties stolen and their family members murdered. Close to 2,000 Greek Cypriots simply vanished, and to this very day are unaccounted for.
This constitutes a gross violation of basic human rights for both the missing persons and their beleaguered families.
I met the father of one of the missing. His name is John Kasapis. Mr. Kasapis is a United States citizen whose then 16-year-old son was vacationing in Cyprus in 1974. To this very day this heart-broken father has not heard of the whereabouts of his now 38-year-old son. Is he alive or is he dead? Can this father or the families of the 1,619 other missing persons, of which I would like to point out are also relatives of many Canadians, ever rest, find peace and can their wounds ever heal?
On July 20 the people of Cyprus and the rest of the civilized world will be commemorating the 22nd anniversary of this brutal and illegal invasion. I am sad to say that there seems to be no end in sight. It seems that no solution is the solution for the illegal Turkish regime.
I recently attended a meeting of NATO and the North Atlantic alliance group where one of the topics discussed was illegal immigration. I was shocked to learn that just over 20,000 illegal Turkish immigrants are seeking asylum in Germany.
Mr. Katlu Adali in the Turkish newspaper Yeniduzen describes how the Turkish Cypriot population has decreased by 60,000 to 70,000. Turkish Cypriots living in the Turkish occupied north of Cyprus flee to the southern part of the free island not just for jobs, not just for a better life, but more significantly for political asylum.
It is also reported in the Ortam , another Turkish newspaper, that the Republic of Cyprus recognizes Turkish Cypriots as equal citizens of the republic as it also recognizes many other groups on the island, namely the Maronites, the Latins, the Armenians, just to
name a few. Reading this I wonder what type of regime the Turkish authorities are running.
Thousands of new Turkish settlers have been brought from mainland Turkey to the island and into the occupied areas. This is altering drastically the demographic character of Cyprus at the expense of Turkish and Greek Cypriots.
In January 1992 the Spanish parliamentarian, Mr. Cuco told the Council of Europe's committee on migration, refugees and demography that the colonization of areas of Cyprus under Turkish occupation by Turkish settlers constitutes an additional obstacle to peace and is Cyprus' most serious demographic problem since the invasion of 1974. This was based on Mr. Cuco's on the spot investigation.
Moreover, the Council of Europe has condemned the continuous human rights violations by Turkey, and according to a 1983 report released by the Council of Europe, the European commission of human rights found that Turkey's continuing occupation of Cyprus violates articles 5, 8, 14, 26 and article 1 of protocol 1 of the European convention on human rights. The aforementioned clearly condemns Turkey's violation of human rights relating to missing persons, the family and their properties.
The more people who are aware of human rights violations, the more likely they are to act on them. The more one learns, the more compassionate one becomes and less likely to harm.
Through my presentation I want people to learn to work toward an expedient, just solution for Cyprus and for the betterment of all humanity. The confidence building measures have been a step in the right direction, which is why this motion is most important and why I ask my colleagues in the House to fully support it.
Just as our American counterparts, the European Parliament, the New Zealand House of Representatives and the Australian House of Commons are working vigorously toward helping to bring a speedy and just solution to the Cyprus issue, I point out that we too as Canadian parliamentarians, through the Canada-Cyprus friendship association, are working just as vigorously for a just solution.
It is also important to mention to this hon. House that approximately two years ago the Canada-Cyprus friendship group under the direction of its chairman, the hon. member for Kent, endorsed a demilitarization proposal for Cyprus as was outlined by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Clerides, to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali.
Therefore, I will not go into the details of the six-point demilitarization plan, as it was already outlined by my colleague so eloquently, but I would like to take this opportunity to commend President Clerides for this bold initiative.
The Commonwealth heads of government which met in Zimbabwe unanimously endorsed the resolution which reiterated its support for the independent sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity and non-aligned status of Cyprus and for securing compliance with all the United Nations' resolutions on Cyprus. Moreover, it expressed full support for the proposal of the president for the demilitarization of Cyprus.
What is significant is that we as a Canadian government, members of the Commonwealth in essence have already endorsed this proposal. With the meeting in Zimbabwe there is even more reason why the House should support this motion.
One wonders for how long the people of Cyprus will wait for the invader to leave their home. For how long will the Cypriot people stand by and witness ethic cleansing?
The Turkish occupying forces to this very day continue to plunder systematically and destroy the Cypriot cultural heritage in the occupied area of the island. Religious property is a particular target. Churches continue to be converted into mosques, vandalized and turned into entertainment centres and pubs. What is happening in the occupied areas of Cyprus by the Turkish forces is a total disgrace and against all principles of human rights and freedoms.
Twenty-two years have passed, and the security council's many resolutions remain unimplemented and totally ignored by Turkey. Unless the aggressor is faced with progressively more severe consequences for its disregard of international legal order, there is not going to be, I am sad to say, any solution or justice in Cyprus and the United Nations will lose credibility in the future.
Cyprus is not looking for pity. Cyprus wants what we all want as civilized human beings. Cyprus wants what all progressive institutions are advocating and that is justice.
In conclusion, not only do I extend my support for this motion for the demilitarization of the Republic of Cyprus, but I urge all hon. members of the House to do the same so that we can all be part of a process that will bring forth a just and peaceful solution to this peace loving island. Let us all work together to right the wrong. Let us mend the wound.