This year they have turned their attention to the owners of the venue, Excel in London's docklands; a copy of the High Commission's letter has come into my possession.
Fortunately, the venue owners have seen through the High Commission's agenda. I myself have now written to the High Commission and I quote from that reply:
"Once again the Cyprus High Commission is seek¬ing to interfere in the lawful activities of companies doing business with Northern Cyprus. You should be aware that I am proposing to direct a complaint to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of Her Majesty's Government on the grounds that your interference in the commercial affairs of organizations lawfully working within the United Kingdom is an abuse of your privileged position and a breach of protocol.
"I note you refer to a decision of the European Court of Human Rights seven years ago, a decision which was made against the Republic of Turkey and at a time when the situation in Northern Cyprus was completely different.
An unsupportable proposition
"You also make reference to the Orams case and make the astounding assertion that the decision of the District Court in Cyprus is enforceable in the United Kingdom. That is a wholly unsupportable proposition calculated to misinform and worry those to whom it addressed.
"It is the case of your Government, and therefore presumably your case, that you represent the whole of Cyprus and I would respectfully suggest that if that is your position you must seek to uphold the rights of all the peoples you claim to represent. There is clear evi¬dence, of which you must be aware, that land in the southern pan of the island previously owned by dis¬possessed Turkish Cypriots has been appropriated by Greek Cypriots and is being developed and sold. Indeed, visitors in Cyprus are encouraged by your gov¬ernment to travel to Larnaca airport, where it is now clear that the airport has, in part, been built on land expropriated from its rightful Turkish Cypriot owners.
"If it is truly your position that we must all do our utmost to prevent illegality and human rights viola¬tions from taking place then we trust that you can show that you are writing in similar terms to those involved in the illegal sales of Turkish Cypriot-owned properties, in violation of the human rights of the Turkish Cypriot population.
"The Turkish Cypriot community and those who do
business with them can no longer sit idly by and allow the vested interests of the South to retain the upper hand. The time for action has come."
AH Ozmen Safa
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