Cyprus Desires End to Its Ethnic Divisions

Regarding the article "Turks Worry West's Position on Bosnia Sends Bad Signal," July 21: Turkey, while defending the maintenance of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia, is at the same time opposed to the application of the same principles in the case of Cyprus.

According to the article, a senior adviser to Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller claimed that the West has "set a very dangerous precedent" and has "divided the world along Christian and Muslim lines."

One would wonder about the sincerity of the Turkish government, which carried out first the policy of "ethnic cleansing" in Cyprus in 1974.

As a result of the 1974 invasion and continuing occupation of one third of Cyprus by Turkey, almost one third of Greek Cypriots were forcibly expelled from their homes and properties and became refugees in their own country.

Similarly, the entire Turkish Cypriot population was moved to the north of Cyprus. The country was divided into two ethnically clean areas, and the people of Cyprus were separated along ethnic and religious lines.

It is to hoped that Turkey, which has taken a leading role in protecting those who suffer in Bosnia, will at long last play a constructive role in the search for a just and lasting solution to the tragic problem of Cyprus - a solution within the letter and spirit of the numerous applicable United Nations resolutions that so far have remained unimplemented. There should be no double standards. Maria Zoupaniotis, New York Press Attache Permanent Mission of the Republic of Cyprus to the UN