TC Famagusta mayor ‘still undecided’ over demonstration attendance (Updated)

All welcome at anti-occupation events says Disy leader

By Iole Damaskinos and Tom Cleaver

Suleyman Ulucay, the Turkish Cypriot Famagusta mayor, has not yet decided on whether he will attend an anti-occupation demonstration at the weekend, his office told the Cyprus Mail.

Reports suggest he is set to decline an invitation to the event, which was extended by his Greek Cypriot counterpart Simos Ioannou, after a fierce backlash from some Greek Cypriot political parties.

Ioannou seemed to confirm these reports in a statement issued on Friday, saying “we missed a great opportunity to give a genuine Cypriot and a champion of reunification the opportunity to join his voice with ours and support the fight to return our town to its rightful owners”.

“Finally, the goal of the people who spearheaded the absence of our dear friend Suleyman Ulucay from our municipality’s anti-occupation event has been achieved”, he added.

He also said that despite the reported cancellation of Ulucay’s attendance at the event, “there is no way this will disrupt the good relations we have built in the last few months”.

“We will continue with even greater will and stubbornness the common effort for the reunification of our homeland … and we will not allow a small minority within the town council to continue to undermine the decisions of the overwhelming majority”, he said.

Pointing the finger at some Greek Cypriot Famagusta councillors, he said “it is questionable and at the same time illogical how councillors from some parties have attended a constructive meeting with Dr Ulucay, even asking him to mediate on their personal affairs and later, in order to be liked by their parties, to drastically change their stance and spread lies”.

Condemnations of the invite were issued by Elam, Edek and one independent councillor.

Elam said the invited extended to Ulucay “degrades” the event and “are grist to the mill of Turkish propaganda”. Edek said it “downgraded the event from an anti-communal affair to a bi-communal one”.

Edek also claimed Ulucay “rose to his position through illegal procedures and is not covered by the 1960 constitution”, but Ioannou countered later that the election of a separate Turkish Cypriot mayor was in fact prescribed by the 1960 constitution.

Earlier in the day, House president and Disy leader Annita Demetriou said anyone who wants to participate in the anti-occupation event condemning the invasion, a crime that has continued for 49 years, is welcome.

On Friday morning, Ioannou had said that Ulucay had spoken to an official from the Greek Cypriot Famagusta Municipality and said he did not want his presence at the event to become a distraction or cause problems in the efforts to restart a dialogue, though the Turkish Cypriot Famagusta Municipality’s later statements to the Cyprus Mail seem to contradict this.

President Nikos Christodoulides, who will participate in and address the event and had been made aware of the Turkish Cypriot’s inclusion soon after the decision was taken, had not voiced any concern, Ioannou had said earlier.

His feeling was echoed by Demetriou who said “every opportunity” to come together to state what is still happening in Cyprus should be taken.

“I don’t understand why the matter has taken on such proportions, there are always Turkish Cypriots in attendance, every year,” she added, describing the reactions as counter-productive and likely to dissuade Turkish Cypriot participation in future.

Through initiatives and anti-occupation events “we must send a resounding message that we condemn the ongoing crime and work methodically to restart the dialogue,” Demetriou had said earlier in a statement.

“If we really mean that we want to work in concert to restart negotiations and reunify our country on the basis of law, all these statements that I am watching with dismay, must stop,” she said.

“We should neither divide people, nor sow ‘fear syndromes’ and undo positive developments [towards] restarting negotiations,” Demetriou added.

Ioannou also said the participation of a Turkish Cypriot delegation was a first and demonstrated the will towards a solution. He explained that a 12-person Turkish Cypriot youth choir will attend, performing songs about reunification and peace

The demonstration will be held at the Dheryneia Cultural Centre in the Famagusta region at 7.30pm on Saturday. The Pancyprian refugee union called on everyone to attend.