Letter: CSU's Cyprus program achieved its goal

Union-Tribune 1/6/07

As a student who attended the California State University Cyprus program, I would like to issue a response to the letter sent by Georgia Stavropoulos (“CSU should reconsider Cyprus program,” Jan. 2). [Letter follows]. Instead of spouting an extensive list of facts and statistics on the Cyprus issue, I highly suggest you look at the real issue at hand – the lives of people on both sides of the buffer zone are being negatively affected, and the only hope we have to alleviate the situation is education.

By limiting this ability and implying that we are supporting the government of Turkey is both an inflammatory and incorrect statement. That border is open for anyone to cross – American, European, Greek and Turkish Cypriot.

It should be apparent that the current status quo is ineffective, and fresh approaches are needed if there is ever any hope of reuniting Cyprus as was the consensus of those of us who attended. It was not, as you speculated, that “might is right.” All in all, the program achieved its goal – it provided us with real-world education of which I am enormously thankful.

JACQUELINE KEITH
Carlsbad

CSU should reconsider Cyprus program

As California representative for the Hellenic Electronic Center, I find “SDSU Cyprus program draws fire” (Local, Dec. 18) disregards that the Cyprus Republic is the island's only internationally recognized legitimate government. The exchange takes place in the area under occupation by 40,000 Turkish troops, where title to 90 percent of the property is still held by the 200,000 expelled Greek Cypriots. Program participants violate the legitimate owners' rights and the laws of Cyprus, risking criminal charges punishable by up to two years' imprisonment and a fine of up to 5,000 Cypriot pounds (nearly $11,400), enforceable here.

Program opponents, including California Sen. Barbara Boxer and others, call for its suspension because it lends legitimacy to an illegal occupation “government,” one unequivocally condemned by the entire world except Turkey. The exchange program violates U.N. resolutions 541 and 550, which call on members “not to facilitate or in any way assist the aforesaid secessionist entity.”

With ethnic cleansing of occupied Cyprus nearly complete, including destruction of more than 500 Christian churches and monasteries, and illegal colonization by 150,000 mainland Turks who outnumber Turkish Cypriots 2 to 1, the occupiers stand in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, of which the United States is signatory. State Department endorsement cannot extend to conducting the exchange program on disputed soil, or to attempts to legitimize the occupying regime. Assistant Secretary of State Dan Fried unambiguously states: “We do not and will not recognize any government other than the Republic of Cyprus on the island of Cyprus.”

Far from promoting a solution, SDSU's program encourages Turkish Cypriot intransigence at the negotiating table, while conveying to impressionable students that “might makes right.” It is time for the California State University system to restore its integrity and suspend the program with Eastern Mediterranean University.

Of course, CSU could relocate the program to a university accredited by the Cyprus Ministry of Education. Thus, students and their families would not be put in the unfortunate position of having to violate the laws of a sovereign nation.

GEORGIA STAVROPOULOS
Los Angeles