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February 15th, Anti-War Rallies

Cyprus Action Network attended anti-war rallies worldwide on February 15th, 2002. The "Media Advisory" is available below. CAN members distributed flyers during the demonstrations;

CYPRIOTS AGAINST WAR!
SPEAK-UP FOR CYPRUS!
FULL DEMILITARIZATION NOW!

As the Bush administration and its allies intensify their drive to war, they are preparing to utilize military bases in the region as staging posts for the assault on Iraq. Two of these bases are situated on the strategically placed Mediterranean island of Cyprus.

Despite gaining its independence in 1960, political turmoil and the interference of outside powers has resulted in the seperation of the 2 communities of Cyprus. Today the island is split between a Turkish Cypriot north and a Greek Cypriot south and has become one of the worlds most heavily armed regions.

Turkey maintains a force of 30,000 troops , alongside Turkish Cypriot armed forces, in the north. In the south Greece has an Army contingent and provides the officer corps for the 10,000 strong Greek Cypriot National Guard. The United Nations maintains 1,200 troops, mostly from Britain, patrolling a buffer zone between north and south, and since 1960 the British government has maintained two large Sovereign Base Areas (Akrotiri and Dhekelia) in the south of the island, along with 5,000 troops.

In the south most Greek Cypriots oppose a war in Iraq, despite this the government there has pledged its support for the U.S.-led war effort. The largest British naval flotilla assembled in 20 years has anchored off the coast of Cyprus before it set sail for the Gulf. Turkish Cypriots share similar anti-war sentiments,

The plan presented by the UN in November 2002 to reunify Cyprus offers an opportunity for the reduction of military presence on the island. While still insufficient, we believe that it can act as a starting point towards a full demilitarization of Cyprus. We ask everyone concerned about the consequences of militarism and war to add their voices to the tens of thousands that are holding massive demonstrations in Cyprus for reunification.

Anti-War Demonstrations

Who: The Cyprus Action Network (CAN) (www.cyprusaction.org)

What: participated in the anti-war demonstrations that took place world wide When: on Saturday, February 15^th/16^th , 2003.

Where: CAN members could be found in:

- U.S.A: Philadelphia, San Francisco, New York City

- Canada: Toronto

- U.K: London

- France: Paris

All members participated in the demonstrations supporting the international protests against a war in Iraq. CAN distributed over 1,600 flyers that informed people of the extreme militarization of the island and its usage in the up coming war against Iraq against the wishes of the Cypriot population. (www.cyprusaction.org/protests/random/Antiwardoc.pdf ). People responded to the flyers in all locations, asking for more information. Several also added their names to the CAN’s petition that can be found at: http://www.cyprusaction.org/signin/ .

For more information contact:

Martyn Ahmet +1 2129223214 Martyn@cyprusaction.org

Stelios Christodoulou +44 7788952984. stelios@cyprusaction.org