Greek Cypriot support given to the PKK terrorist organisation, known as one of the most dangerous international terror groups in the world, has once been proven, when a Cypriot passport issued by the Greek Cypriot Administration in South Cyprus was found in the possession of PKK leader Abdullah OCALAN who was recently captured and arrested by the Turkish security officers.

The Turkish Government has stated that the passport found in OCALAN's possession bore the name of LAZAROS MAVROS, the current President of the Committee for Solidarity with Kurdistan, operating in south Cyprus with the purpose of securing all sorts of support to PKK in this part of the island.

Despite the Greek Cypriot sides desperate denials of its role in this passport issue, its link with PKK in particular and international terrorism in general has been proven with various reports, press articles and other official documents.

Indeed, not only the Greek Cypriot officials but also other non- or semi-official figures or organisations have, at times, been reported to have been supporting and harbouring morally and materially, PKK and other terror groups, such as ASALA. The prevailing mentality has always been The enemy of my enemy is my friend, that has finally backfired, as seen in the recent Kurdish violence against the Greeks in connection with the arrest of CALAN and his subsequent bringing to Turkey.

SAMPSON

An ex-EOKA militant and the man installed for a few days as the Greek Cypriot President in July 1974 by the Greek coupists who toppled over Makarios Nicos SAMPSON is one of the Greek Cypriot figures who has been linked to many acts of terrorism after 1974.

During those days when he was in the jail in South Cyprus, he planned a series of terrorist acts against Turkey. The most striking aspects of these acts were that their origin was Europe and that third parties were employed.

Year 1976 was one when the Armenian and Arab terrorists chose France as a base for their acts. French intelligence agency permitted PLOs terrorist groups to be settled in France with the condition of not giving any harm to the French interests both in and outside the country.

In the years after 1975, during which international terrorism and terror acts against Turkey were escalating, a report from Cyprus did not draw much attention. Greek Cypriot President gave partial amnesty to Nicos Sampson, a cancer patient, to go to France for treatment. Sampson flew to Paris for treatment.

About four years after Sampsons arrival in Paris, ie. in 1980 when terror turned Europe into a blood-lake, certain information reached INTERPOL. The information was about a bomb blast on 3 October 1980 at a synagogue in Copernicus Street in Paris that caused the death of many people. Explosives were implanted in a Suzuki 125 model car and was exploded with an electronic device. The car had been bought from a used-car gallery for 1000 dollars at Grand Arme Avenue on 23 September.

In his deposition to the police, the gallery owner said that the car was bought by a short, thin man with a moustache wearing blue jeans and a leather jacket. For the preparation of the cars documents a Greek Cypriot passport issued in South Cyprus was used. The passport was issued under the name of Alexanders Panariou. Embassy of the Greek Cypriot Administration in South Cyprus in Paris claimed that the passport was fake.

According to the police Spanish terrorist Ernesto Mila Rodriguez was behind this incident. Rodriguez had been caught, shortly before this incident, while trying to smuggle Ingram sub-machine guns.

Names of four other Spanish terrorists were also mentioned in connection with the synagogue explosion. While the investigation into the issue was under way, the perpetrators had relations with Nicos Sampson and some other Greek Cypriots living in Paris and frequently visited South Cyprus. The passports of these Spanish terrorists caught by the police contained many entry-exit visa stamps to and from South Cyprus and Beirut. Also an address reading, Rue de la Pane, 100 was found in the terrorists possession. This was Nicos Sampsons home address in Paris.

French police found out that Sampson had occasional meetings with suspected Greek Cypriots, Greek diplomats, Armenian businessmen and Arabs. The most striking activity of Sampson was to rent houses and provide cars for certain Arabs known as terrorists, using Greek Cypriot names. He especially had very close relations with Syrians and Libyans. He was supplying them with Greek Cypriot passports to use for their acts and helping them to leave the country with planes of South Cyprus.

LYSSARIDES

Besides Sampson Dr Vassos Lyssarides, the leader of the Socialist EDEK Party in South Cyprus, has been actively and seriously involved in anti-Turkish terrorism both before and after 1974.

Lyssarides is the founder of the the Committee for Solidarity with Kurdistan, established with the aim of supporting and harbouring PKK in South Cyprus. His name is also linked with ASALA and other Arab terror groups. He has constantly worked to bring such terrorist groups to the island, give them all sorts of support and assistance and unleash them on to the Turkish targets from their Southern Cyprus base.

In his speeches delivered during anti-Turkish rallies in Athens and Paris in 1976, Lyssarides openly declared that they were preparing for a second Vietnam War in order to expel the Turks from the island.

For 40 years, Vassos Lyssarides has been playing the same game over the island of Cyprus. His relations with certain persons have drawn the attention of foreign intelligence agencies. He has also served as an adviser to the Palestinian, Libyan and Syrian terrorists.

Being well aware of the hostile feelings of Greek Cypriots against the Turks and wishing to exploit this for its own ends, the Syrian intelligence agency Mukhaberat has managed to turn the island into a base for international terrorism, by using Lyssarides as a tool. By the end of 1970s, in more than 30 camps in South Cyprus, Greek, Greek Cypriot, Armenian, Kurdish, Turkish (Communist militant) terrorists, as well as terrorists from various other countries were under the training of Cuban, Libyan, Palestinian and Greek army officers.

That Greece transported arms and ammunition to PKK and ASALA terrorists through South Cyprus was revealed by the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad. Moreover, Israeli patrol ships, at times, searched South Cyprus and Greece registered ships off the Lebanon to find large quantities of Kalashnikov guns. In the meantime, it was found out that Lyssarides and his men often went to Lebanon and Syria and met Majeed Sharar, known as the coordinator of terrorist acts against Turkey, terrorist leaders Abou Nidal, and George Habbash.

By 1983, acts by the Greek-Greek Cypriot trio against Turkeys security have been noticeably intensified. In the meantime, Turkish intelligence units obtained information to the effect that Greek and Greek Cypriot agents established contacts with Kurdish and Turkish terrorists who fled to West Germany, Switzerland and Sweden after committing crimes in Turkey.

News arriving from South Cyprus also confirmed these reports. It was also reported that about 50 terrorists who fled Turkey on 20 September 1980 agreed to collaborate with Greece and South Cyprus.

All the contacts and links were forged by Lyssarides and his men. Lyssarides has a dark past. In his book entitled, AKEL: The Communist Party of Cyprus (A Stanford University publication), researcher T.W. Adams gives the following information about Lyssarides:

Lyssarides. He established the Cyprus Representation of Asian-African Peoples Solidarity Organisation (AAPSO). It was Makarios who wanted most the establishment of ties with this organisation. He thought differently from Lyssarides who wished to make Cyprus Communist. His aim was to infiltrate into the third-world countries in order to gain strength. Lyssarides who was elected MP and Parliament Speaker in 1981 is so merciless that he had his men kill AAPSOs Secretary General, during a General Assembly meeting of the organisation in Nicosia, just because the latter prevented his appointment to a high-level post within the organisation as he knew his (Lyssaridess) true personality.

Lyssarides has a private armed group that has links with terror groups. Greek Cypriot press gave, in mid-1980s, introduced Lyssarides as Libyan leader Qaddafis man and gave interesting information about him. For instance, it was written that the Cypro-Libya company operating in South Nicosia was a cover-up firm that laundered the money he was given to feed terrorist groups. The firm was also used as a base of Libya and Syria for their acts in Western Europe and the U.S. One of the most important activities of Cypro-Libya was drugs and arms-smuggling.

Lyssarides still nurtures international and anti-Turkish terrorism and pursues an adamant and militant policy against Turkey. He has recently pulled out from a coalition Government under Clerides, because the latter has agreed not to deploy the S-300 missiles in South Cyprus.

Lyssarides is reported to have lent support to pro-PKK demonstrators in South Cyprus who carried out a number of frenzied demos in protest of Abdullah calans capture.

ROLANDIS

Nicos Rolandis, a former Foreign Minister of the Greek Cypriot Administration in South Cyprus, is among the Greek Cypriot high-ranking officials who are linked with support to international terrorism.

INTERPOL has found out that business partners of Rolandis, namely Moassil from Kuwait and Joseph Sambi from Lebanon were involved in arms and heroin smuggling and supplied arms to separatist terrorist organisations in South Cyprus. Rolandis, Moassil and Joseph were known, between 1981-84, as linkages of drug-trafficking to the Middle and Western Europe via South Cyprus. While drugs were sent to the West through Cyprus and smuggled arms arriving from the West, to the East.

Rolandis and his partners were loading arms aboard Cyprus-registered ships at Varna Port in Bulgaria, storing them at Larnaca port in south Cyprus and there, in return for the drugs they took over, they were smuggling to the East, through Cyprus, the arms arriving from the West. The drugs, on the other hand, were being sent to Europe in diplomatic courier sacks aboard the planes of the national flag carrier Cyprus Airways.

Concerned about the whole affair, the Greek Cypriot press in the South occasionally raised the issue and informed the public opinion about the situation in a way that confirmed the INTERPOL findings. The papers frequently reported that the then Foreign Minister Nicos Rolandis, using his diplomatic immunity, sent heroin in diplomatic courier sacks, in collaboration with his Arab partners. No-one attempted to deny all this.

BENJAMIN

Christodulos Benjamin is known as an organiser, coordinator and patron of terror in South Cyprus too. For many years he has served as the Minister of Interior or Defence and he is known for his close relations with all the terror groups in the world. Benjamin has never taken the pains of covering up or denying these dark relations. He was known for his fanaticism against the Turks before 1974 as well. During the era of Makarios, he is known to have been securing contacts between KGB and the Syrian Mukhaberat and South Cyprus.

An incident between Deputy Police Chief Paulos Stokkos and then Interior Minister Christodulos Benjamin is an example of the latters role in terrorism.

During those days when ASALA terrorist organisation was assassinating the Turkish diplomats one after the other, it was Benjamin who harboured the ASALA terrorists in South Cyprus and kept them away from sights. There were rational persons who did not welcome Benjamins turning the island of Cyprus into a base for terrorism and who were concerned about this. One of these people was Paulos Stokkos, Deputy Police Chief of the Greek Cypriot Administration in South Cyprus. Stokkos thought that state protection granted to ASALA that committed murders in Europe could create serious problems for South Cyprus and did not want to allow the Armenians to stay in South Cyprus.

Thats why the two men were at loggerheads. He opposed to Benjamins orders on the issue and resisted the stationing of the Armenian terrorists in the South.

In order to weaken Stokkos and dismiss him from his post, Benjamin slandered that he was a spy working for Israel and using his men as false witnesses accused Stokkos and had him arrested. He was charged of high treason.

When foreign diplomats in South Cyprus showed considerable interest in the trial and Stokkos revealed Benjamins entire relations with international relations, Interior Ministry, headed by Benjamin, demanded the trial to be held in closed session, on the grounds of national security. But things revealed with all the legal evidence and documentation during the open session of the trial revealed that South Cyprus was a base for international terrorism.

Moreover, in July 1990, it was discovered that a firm named Orbit, belonging to an Armenian from Limassol, supplied arms to PKK, that the then Interior Minister Benjamin organised these activities and that arms and ammunition coming from third countries were packed in Greece and brought to Limassol in containers belonging to Orbit company.

COMMITTEE ON SOLIDARITY FOR KURDISTAN

It is known by all that ever since 1990, Greek Cypriot administration in South Cyprus, has been openly harbouring, abetting and accommodating the PKK terrorist organisation, besides its previous support to other terror groups. It is especially noteworthy that through certain associations and organisations that it has established under the cover of respect and advancement of human rights, the Greek Cypriot administration has been granting logistic support to PKK.

In order to organise and manipulate these activities the Greek Cypriot Press and Information Office and EDEK Socialist Party under Vassos Lyssarides formed the Committee on Solidarity with Kurdistan in 1989.

In a press conference held on 4 February 1990, the then Chairman of the Committee Theophilos Georghiades, an agent from the Greek national intelligence agency wearing the mask of a Press and Information Officer, revealed that the committee also had members from among the members of parliament from various political parties in South Cyprus.

In yet another meeting organised by the Committee on 19 March 1990, Georghiades delivered a speech on the Kurdish movement, stating that they would support the struggle of the Kurdish people on every occasion and by all means.

Following the Committees formation and the launch of its activities, financial support to the Kurds has been extended in various ways.

On 12 November 1990, according to a report broadcast by the Greek Cypriot state TV RIK-1, a group consisting of four MPs from DIKO, AKEL, EDEK and ADISOK, as well as members of the Committee on Solidarity for Kurdistan, as well as journalists went to the Beqaa Valley and met Abdullah calan. RIK-1 also showed scenes filmed from the Beqaa Valley, headquarters of PKK. Those scenes showing the Greek Cypriot MPs embracing and kissing the PKK murderers were especially striking.

On 30 November 1990, RIK-1 held an open panel discussion on PKK. The participants of the programme were the MPs who visited PKKs camp at Beqaa Valley and the members of the Committee on Solidarity for Kurdistan. The programme was concluded in the following remarks: PKK has become a well-organised army and that it was imperative for the Greek Cypriot administration in South Cyprus to give support to this struggle if the Turks were to be expelled from Cyprus.

In the meantime, PKK supporters, Greek Cypriots and Armenians, bearing flags of Kurdistan, Armenia and Greece, began to demonstrate in the streets.

Yet in another demo, organised in south Nicosia by the Committee on Solidarity with Kurdistan on 21 February 1991, placards were carried and slogans were shouted to the effect that Turkey violates the rights of the Kurdish people.

On 2 March 1991, a club was opened for the PKK militants based in South Cyprus. Funds necessary for the building the premises of the club were provided by the National Liberation Front of Kurdistan.

Activities aimed at nurturing PKK in South Cyprus were continued with the establishment of an Association on the Support for the Kurdish People by the Committee on Solidarity with Kurdistan and EDEK party. The fact that EDEK leader Vassos Lyssarides chairs the frequently held meetings of the Association clearly reveals the identity of the circles who nurture the subversive activities aimed at Turkey.

One regularly observes that the Greek Cypriot community, bombarded by the Committees pro-PKK propaganda, is sent to the streets for protests against Turkey, bearing flags of PKK and Greece and burning the Turkish national flag.

PKK members based in South Cyprus do not hesitate either in exploiting the sentiments of the Greek Cypriot people in order to win their sympathy. Between 21-26 April 1992, ten PKK militants staged a hunger strike at Eleftheria Square in south Nicosia. This show was organised by the Committee on Solidarity with Kurdistan. Greek Cypriot politicians and associations also attended this event that amounted to a festival. During this show, financial assistance was raised for PKK and the magazine named the Voice of Kurdistan, published in Greece in the Greek language as a propaganda material against Turkey and released free of charge, was sold for money to the passers-by through compulsion.

A folk-dance troupe from South Cyprus participated in the Kurdistan Festival held by PKK in Bochum in Germany in August 1992. The troupe was taken to Germany by Theophilos Georghiades.

Using the events in rnak as a pretext, the Committee had the Kurds in the island organise a demo against Turkey in South Nicosia in August 1992. This demo was again a stage for collecting funds for PKK, under the cover of humanitarian assistance. Leaflets were distributed, in which the Greek Cypriot people were invited to deposit funds at bank accounts at the Banks of Cyprus and Laiki, to be transferred to PKK.

Meanwhile, a representative of ARGK, the military wing of PKK, took part in a meeting that was also participated in by Vassos Lyssarides and Theophilos Georghiades. During the meeting, formation of sabotage and assassination teams that would operate against the targets in Turkey and their training and manipulation in South Cyprus were discussed and decided upon. Georghiades was appointed as the coordinator of this operation.

GEORGHIADES

Theophilos Georghiades was the founder and first chairman of the Committee on Solidarity with Kurdistan. He formed a special terrorist group, consisting of the Kurds chosen from among pro-PKK fugitives based in Greece and Syria, that would carry out terrorist acts in Turkey, for South Cyprus.

Eight PKK militants were caught in Turkey a few years ago, who explained in detail how they had been trained in South Cyprus by the officers of the Greek Cypriot National Guard to carry out terrorist acts in Turkey.

Theophilos Georghiades were shot dead in 1994. In contrary to the claims put forward by the Greek Cypriot administration that he had been killed by the Turks, the truth into Georghiadess murder finally came to surface. The truth was much more different than the Greek Cypriot allegations.

In order for the PKK, an essentially Marxist-Leninist group, to survive, and thus buy arms, it deals with drug-smuggling and trafficking. This is a fact known by all.

South Cyprus is a centre from where PKK distributes its narcotics since 1988. It is in the reports of INTERPOL that Greek Mafia, the majority of whom are ship-owners, carry PKKs drugs to Europe and America and market them there. The ex-Chairman of the Committee on Solidarity with Kurdistan Georghiades had established a link between the Greek Cypriot Mafia and Abdullah calans men for the formers transporting and selling of PKKs drugs.

In this manner, drugs transported from Syria to South Cyprus were distributed to the rest of the world from this point. But the amount of drugs deposited by PKK in South Cyprus rose considerably, requiring the drop of prices proportionately. Naturally, this angered other Greek Cypriot drug-smugglers who were dealing with the same business through different channels. When they began to oppose PKK, Georghiades caused the Greek and Greek Cypriot intelligence agencies, of whom he was a member, and the police to confront these traffickers who aimed at blocking PKKs drug-trafficking. This was a declaration war by Georghiades on others. But this challenge cost him his life.

Indeed, one year after Georghiadess death, Greek Cypriot leader Glafkos Clerides himself declared that the Former had been killed by three Greek Cypriot drug-smugglers who were executed. But for one year, Turkey was blamed falsely by the Greek Cypriot administration and the issue was even taken to international platforms and Turkey was tried to be unjustly cornered.

It was Lyssarides who reacted most strongly to Georghiadess murder. He asked the Ministry of Interior to pay compensation to his family on the grounds that he was killed while he was on duty and called on the parliament to use the issue as a propaganda material against Turkey on the international arena.

After a few months after Georghiadess death, that was followed by statements and slogans of revenge on the Turks, a Turkish diplomat named mer Sipahiolu was killed in Athens. Greek Cypriot press used headlines reading, the Turkish diplomat was assassinated in retaliation to Theophiloss murder.

GEORGHIDESS PRESS INTERVIEWS SHEDS AMPLE LIGHT TO GREEK CYPRIOT SUPPORT TO PKK TERROR

Before his assassination, Theophilos Georghiades was quite active in promoting the cause of PKK terror group. He has been interviewed by a number of newspapers and given a considerable idea about the Greek Cypriot support to PKK.

The Greek Cypriot daily Agon, for instance, published an interview on 2 February 1994 on the issue.

Among other things, Georghiades said: "We have a joint enemy with the Kurds: the Turks".

The Kurds will not only be able to form their own state but also will contribute to the solution of the Cyprus problem. Following the defeat of the Turkish state, the Hellenes can also capitalize on the new opportunities that would emerge from the readjustment of the territories in the Asia Minor.

The Kurds are helping enough (South) Cyprus. Turkish armys fight with the Kurds with 350 thousand troops is an enough help to us (Greek Cypriots). The Turkish army fully fights the Kurds. This shows that it cannot dare to start a second war on Greece.

As we (Greek Cypriots) cannot fight (Turkey), we should, at least, help those who fight for us. If Turkeys problems multiply and the number of wars she fights increases and thus she extends her battleground, the Turkish army will either be isolated in Cyprus or will be forced to withdraw.

The Kurds will continue to strike the Turkish tourism so as to dry up the economic sources of the country. As far as I see and know, the Turkish tourism will be razed to the ground in 1994.

OTHER GREEK CYPRIOT ADMIRERS OF PKK AND OCALAN

Retired Greek Army General Matafias has been known so far as PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in Greece. Matafias has repeatedly gone to Beqaa Valley where he has met Ocalan and made joint plans for acts of terrorism and murders to be committed in Turkey. He has constantly taken part in meeting and demos held by and for the Kurds in Athens and South Cyprus. General Matafias is known as an ardent admirer of calan, as the latter has done to the Turks that Greece has never dared to do: ie killing the Turks in cold-blood. Meanwhile, a recent report published in the Greek Cypriot press has written that Retired Greek General Matafias has become an adviser to Vassos Lyssarides. As their common denominator is PKK, no-one has been taken surprise by the news. Matafias was among the participants of Georghiadess funeral.

Greek Navy Retired Admiral Andonis Naksakis is known as Abdullah Ocalans representative in Greece and his linkage to the Greek Government. Taking part in Georghiadess funeral, as Abdullah calan, Naksakis made a speech, saying, Until the Turkish state gives its final breath and until Cyprus and Kurdistan gains their independence, our struggle will continue and we will take our revenge on Georghiades.

After the death of Theophilos Georghiades, the Committee on Solidarity with Kurdistan has been taken over by Lazaros Mavros, a journalist. Mavros, whose name was found in the passport found in Abdullah calans possession, is very well-known by its articles praising PKK and Abdullah calan. While Mavros keeps silent over the passport issue, another leading member of the Committee Lakis Pigguras are indignant towards Greece relating to the arrest of calan. In a recent TV programme, Pigguras accused the Greek Government of treachery for handing over calan to the Turkish officials for trial.

Vassos Lyssaridess wife Barbara Lyssarides, Communist AKEL party MP Andreas Philippou, EDEK MP Dimitris Eliades, EDEK official Takis Christodoulou, former MPs Andreas Panaiotou, Christos Betas and Georghios Savvides are the main leading figures who have devoted themselves to the support of the PKK cause and all sorts of assistance to the PKK terrorists and militants in South Cyprus.