Dear Ikarios and all bloggers,
39 years ago, I woke up in Nicosia, a toddler without a care in the world. Hours later, my father was off to fight against the Turkish invasion and my pregnant mother and I had fled to my uncle's house for shelter.
Of all the dates that I mark throughout the year, this is the only one that fills me with complete sadness. At the same time, it fills me with the greatest resolve.
Today, I feel greater resolve than ever before, for there are many reasons to believe that we may be coming to an end to this injustice: the discovery of natural gas in Cyprus' Exclusive Economic Zone, a new government in Cyprus that has made bold confidence building measures, and a Turkish Cypriot polity that clearly wants to end its subjugation to the occupation regime from Ankara and the settlers that Turkey has sent over. But the reason I am most encouraged is you. Over the last year, you've sent tens of thousands of communications to the White House and Congress, have met with members of Congress in district and in Washington, and have educated opinion leaders throughout the world.
Today, on this darkest of anniversaries, I urge you to act again. The bold proposal advanced by the government of Cyprus includes the return of Famagusta - once one of the most vibrant cities in the Mediterranean but a ghost town for the last 39 years. Bringing life to Famagusta can bring confidence to the peoples of Cyprus that peace and reunification is within grasp.
Join us in asking the United Nations and the Obama Administration to pressure Turkey to return Famagusta and build confidence in the peace process.
Martin Luther King, Jr. often used the quote "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." If we all lean our weight against that arc, it'll bend that much faster. 39 years is too long -- jump on that arc.
Endy Zemenides
Executive Director
HALC
