Patriotic Unity Movement Youth met last weekend for its first conference and called for a federal, demilitarized Cyprus, an early solution where all basic human rights should be fully implemented. Greek Cypriot political youth groups could not cross the border dividing Cyprus into two parts, due to restrictions imposed by Turkish officials on crossings and YBH Youth will be taking up this issue with the UN and other foreign missions in Cyprus.

The Patriotic Unity Movement Youth, held its first Youth Conference in Nicosia, Cyprus last Saturday, 24th of February 2001.

The Patriotic Unity Movement (YBH) Youth called for a federal and demilitarized Cyprus. Organized among Turkish Cypriot youth since 1998, YBH Youth also invited Greek Cypriot political youth organizations to attend the 1st YBH Youth Conference. But Greek Cypriot delegations could not attend the conference because the Turkish Cypriot Foreign Ministry introduced arbitrary procedures for crossing the border between the northern and southern parts of the island on the 22nd of February. Therefore the scheduled addresses of Greek Cypriot delegations to the conference had to be cancelled. Greek Cypriot youth was to speak at a panel on `The Solution and the Cypriot Youth's Future`. Instead EDON, NEOS and Ergadigi Demokratia (Worker's Democracy) sent written statements to the conference and these were read to the youth conference. The youth conference decided unanimously to take up the arbitrary measures by the Foreign Ministry preventing Greek Cypriot delegations from crossing the border and they gave the task to the new YBH Youth Executive Committee to take it up with the UN and other foreign missions in Cyprus.

Political youth groups from Greece and Turkey were also invited to speak on "Solution And Greek and Turkish Youth's Positive Effect". While groups from Greece declined from coming to the conference, SIP-Communist Party Youth Branch and EMEP Youth Branch from Turkey sent representatives and they were speakers at the panel of the youth conference. KNE from Greece sent a solidarity message to the conference.

YBH officials, as well as other political party youth sections like the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) Youth Branch, Communal Liberation Party (TKP) Youth Branch and EKIM-Center Youth Branch also attended the conference and took part in a panel concerning the Cyprus problem and the youth's future.

In his address to the conference, Murat Kanatli, General Secretary of YBH Youth said that YBH Youth has been creating dynamics that other political structures could not and has been active in many fields, among them bi-communal and international contacts. In 1998 there was a ban on all bi-communal contacts and no permission was given for crossings between north and south of the island. YBH Youth started initiatives and took up the issue with foreign missions on the island as well as with Euro Parliamentarians and as a result YBH Youth was the most active youth group taking initiatives for bi-communal contacts. YBH Youth was the group that contributed most to bi-communal activities taking place in Pyla. After there was some relaxation on permissions, YBH Youth tried to contact all structures in the southern part of the island and used all its resources and opportunities to include other sectors in society in northern part of the island since the policy of YBH Youth is that as many sectors of society as possible must come together to produce projects and these must be spread to the community.

YBH Youth also had wide ranging contacts in the international arena and they continued to defend what they were saying in internal politics, abroad with clear and consistent policies. YBH Youth had contacts with SPD Jusos from Germany, Social Democratic Party Youth Generation from Austria, PASOK, KNE and SYNASPISMOS from Greece, ODP and SIP from Turkey. YBH Youth also had relations with international youth organizations WFDY and IUSY. They also had a chance to get together with political youth groups of Austria, Belgium, Hungary and Germany, as well as with European Parliamentarians and diplomats, giving their perspectives on the Cyprus problem.

YBH Youth has been publishing a youth magazine called Patriotic Youth (Yurtsever Genclik) ever since November 2000, the only political youth magazine in north Cyprus.

The General Secretary of YBH Youth, Murat Kanatli continued his address by saying that YBH Youth does not only have stands on internal politics but also about all political events throughout the world, including the Middle East. It always expresses its solidarity with those who struggle against nationalism, chauvinism, fundamentalism and repressive regimes and is always trying to form public opinion using all its facilities for these purposes.

As a long term goal, YBH Youth accepts socialist system as its principle. It believes that the only alternative today, just as yesterday, is socialism after 153 years of the declaration of the Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels which was an important historical event for scientific socialism.

Capitalism, with its greed for profit is destroying the world very fast. Nature is being destroyed with this greed for profit, religious, lingual and geographical differences are being used in order to expand spaces for exploitation.

With the system it has created capitalism is preparing the destruction of ethical, cultural and personality of human beings.

So long as capitalism exists, imperialistic wars will continue with a view for material benefit as a basis, the nature will be destroyed and human beings will be alienated from being a social entity, turning into `machines` without identity and culture.

This is preparing the end of humanity. The destruction of the ecological stability, the world being prepared for new, high technology wars is also showing that this is not a far fetched theory.

Kanatli went on to say that the war technology is using chemical materials damaging the health of human beings and went on to cite using of depleted uranium missiles in the Balkans, chemical warfare used by the US during the Gulf War as well as using of chemical weapons during the conflict in the Middle East recently. Even though it has been proven that such chemical weapons are damaging the health of the people, the greed for profit of capitalism necessitates the usage of such weapons.

Therefore the only way to liberation from these is to make socialism a reality in the world.

While evaluating socialism, we must not get stuck with isolated experiences. Socialism is not a system thinking based on set patterns, with ready answers for everything. It is a systematic of thinking first shaped by Marx and Engels, and later developed by many economists and philosophers. Those who judge socialism with only one book, one experience are the ones who do not want to understand it and its enemies.

The experience of the Paris Commune and the October Revolution of Soviet Union brought a lot of positive and negative experiences for socialism. Cuba, China and Albania created socialism according to their own lines. Vietnam showed us what sort of aspects the struggle could take under socialism. Cuba was a hope for the peoples of Latin America. Each one of them must be judged according to their own conditions, Kanatli said.

The Communist Manifesto has lost nothing of its value even after 153 years of its being written and `Das Capital` of Marx is still being discussed in prominent universities after all these years. This also shows that socialism is theoretically based on very strong bases.

Kanatli continued his address of the YBH Youth Conference by saying that the `victory` of capitalism put forward after the 90s is thawing...He cited international action at Seattle, Nice and Prague, showing the struggle of those depending on their labor in action to demand the rule.

Either capitalism will destroy the whole world with its greed for profit or socialism will save the world with its democratic rule based on equality.

With these ideas YBH Youth stresses discrimination based on religion, language, race and sex are products of reactionary and outdated thoughts and refuses the fighting facilitated by ideas of religion and capital.

YBH Youth stresses that peoples, despite differences of culture, religion or language have proven that they can live together and states that all peoples are brothers.

Murat Kanatli, General Secretary of YBH Youth continued his address to YBH Youth Conference by taking up the Cyprus problem.

For YBH Youth, he said, Cyprus is the common homeland of all Cypriots. A multicultural life developed over thousands of years with tens of different cultures living together and for hundreds of years, this gave the chance to Cypriots to live together despite differences. Multiculturalism must be supported for a common life on this island, despite differences he said.

He stated that the regime in north Cyprus and the political thought of this regime called `national problem`, has brought nothing to Turkish Cypriots but unemployment, economic destruction, political pressure, an uncivilized life and emigration of Turkish Cypriots.

For YBH Youth, Kanatli continued, the regime in the north means the prevention of our freedom of movement, for going to the other part of the island with `restrictions`. It means not being of those thousands of people for seeing the places they are born in, it means the destruction of a common homeland culture, of disregarding the `other`. It is the other name of war, a new war to be waged with guns and missiles produced by high technology bought for thousands of dollars.

The regime in the north and their cooperators have no intent to create a safe future for Turkish Cypriots. The regime is destroying Turkish Cypriots by unemployment, political discrimination and similar policies. The main aim of YBH Youth is struggling against the regime.

Kanatli also criticized Turkish Cypriot political parties in the parliament who call themselves `left` since they had all claimed that they would stop discrimination and emigration. During the `government` of those political parties that use the word `left` workers and students came under attack of the police and soldiers. Tens of students were expelled from the country, politicians and journalists were sued because of what they have written, opposition journalists were arrested with conspiracies, the printing house of an opposition paper was burned down by `unknown` persons and Kutlu Adali was murdered by `unknown` persons`. Even though it is clear that even when they are in `government` they are not actually `ruling`, these parties continue to demand to come to government. Kanatli said that so long as there is a `showroom democracy`, struggle for coming to `government` does not bring anything to Turkish Cypriots.

And YBH Youth stresses that Turkish Cypriots have the facilities and experience to rule themselves and refuses to be ruled by directives from outside.

Socio-economic situation is worsening due to internal and external factors and all of these are fastening the pace of emigration of Turkish Cypriot youth. This means that the Turkish Cypriots are very quickly becoming extinct.

Kanatli stressed that due to the cease-fire conditions, many basic rights and freedoms of Turkish Cypriot youth is taken away from them. There is no security for the future. We cannot talk of democratic and human rights being applied because their application is at random and there is always a pretext for not applying them.

Kanatli went on to say that YBH Youth immediately demands the reunification of the island as a measure against destruction of the Turkish Cypriot community.

The Cyprus must be resolved as quickly as possible within a federal context. The federal context must be compatible with on the 1977-79 High Level Agreements; it must be bi-communal, bi-zonal, with a single sovereignty and single international personality. The solution must ensure the full application of all human rights and freedoms. The EU opportunities must be used for a secure future. One of the conditions for the stabilization of a solution is the demilitarization of the island after a solution.

During the solution process, we must take our part at the EU adaptation process. Our status is clear. Our status during intercommoned talks must be taken as a basis for the EU adaptation process and good-will talks will bring solutions, we believe, Kanatli said.

During this process, Confidence Building Measures must be applied. This will reconcile the atmosphere created due to long years of cease fire and will be a tool for the reconciliation for the communities. But it will also bring new job opportunities to the Turkish Cypriot community.

The cleaning of the `Green Line` from landmines and deconfrontation of the military at the line dividing Cyprus will bring a positive impact to the solution process.

Bi-communal activities have a lot of positive aspects. Reconciliation of the communities will bring positive contributions to the solution. For the solution, lives of communities must be `cleared` of chauvinistic and nationalistic elements. Murat Kanatli went on to say that, that is why the Cypriot youth must develop their common struggle and expand it to masses. Cypriot youth must produce common projects and create common structures.

After the address of Kanatli, the YBH Youth Committee was formed. Ahmet Gurkan, Bahire Sonel, Burak Yucedal, Celal Devrim Onen, Enver Gulseven, Erinc Karakas, Evrim Karakas, Fehim Tanova, Gizem Gazioglu, Gokhan Asafoglulari, Hasan Taskiranlar, Huseyin Oztorel, Erkut Yilmabasar, Irfan Derleyen, Koray Bali, Levent Kizilduman, Murat Kanali, Nilay Ertugalp, Oncel Polili, Ozem Birinci were elected to be in the committee.

Conference Decision #1: Solution is a Federal Cyprus

YBH Youth has evaluated the Cyprus problem and reached the following conclusions:

1) The continuation of the Cyprus problem is annihilating the Turkish Cypriot youth in special and the Turkish Cypriot community in general.

 The non-solution status quo leads to unemployment, social-economic destruction, political discrimination, partisanship, isolation from the world and therefore to emigration from the island. This is rapibly leading to the destruction of our community.

2) The current status quo created conditions where there is a strong arms-race which increases the danger of war in Cyprus. The cease-fire conditions since 1974 increases this possibility.

 To confront this possibility, Confidence Building Measures should be implemented immediately, military positions stationed on the border should be bi-laterally moved further from each other, all involved parties should prepare for the conditions for post-solution demilitarization of the island.

3) Bi-communal talks based on high-level agreements and UN decisions towards a federal solution should not be left to the monopoly of two leaders. They should continue without any pre-conditions and directly. Formation of a Federal Cyprus based on Cyprus' independence, sovereignty and preservation of the integration of the land including demilitarization is to the advantage of all Cypriots and for Turkish-Greek relationships.

4) Bi-communal rapprochement activities help positively towards building trust, getting to know each other, exchange views and therefore for the solution of the problems. Preparation of joint projects towards a solution and about post-solution Cyprus by NGOs also contribute for a peaceful solution. Therefore, all restrictions should be lifted and conditions for the widening of their spectrum should be created.

5) YBH Youth stresses that Cyprus is large enough for all Cypriots but small enough for not being divided and calls all Cypriot Youth that:

"There is hope to start a new joint life on our common homeland and the power to realize this hope is in all Cypriots!"

Conference Decision #2: About the Problems of the Turkish Cypriot Youth

YBH Youth has evaluated the problems of youth in north Cyprus and reached the following conclusions:

1) It is a requirement of modern, democratic, pluralist society that the chauvinist education syllabi should immediately be changed to adapt modern, pluralist, scientific educational conditions.

2) In middle and high school education changes should also be made in school administration to create independent democratic organizations to include the democratic participation of the student youth towards a more democratic schooling.

3) Universities should be turned to tuition-free, independent, democratic and scientific organizations through planned education and work force.

4) As alternative to wasting two years of the most productive stage in a young person's life through an institution called 'military service', the status quo should be ended and the island should be demilitarized.

5) Expression, power and decision-making should be given to the Cypriots in order to reverse the conditions leading to emigration and to create a homeland which is livable, returnable and peaceful. The insoluble conditions created by the status quo and the dishonesty of the current leaders should be ended.

6) There is no other solution but to create a system based on productive labor against exploitation of the labor taking advantage of the present conditions. This takes place against all generations and ages.

Conference Decision #3: Violence Should be ended in the Middle-East

After evaluating the conditions in the Middle East, YBH Youth Branch reached the following conclusions:

Policies of the imperialist powers about sharing the rich underground resources in Middle East left the people of Middle East in violent conditions.

Imperialist powers created conflicts between the peoples of Middle East to continue their control of the region. With this aim, they prolong the administration of backward Arab regimes and do not allow democratic regimes to take power. They hinder a sustained solution and creation of peaceful conditions when needed through armed confrontation and also through unending peace-talks. During this prolonged process the natural richness of the region do not help the peoples of the region but the imperialist powers.

YBH Youth stresses that the solution of the problems in the Middle East is not through use of violence. It sees that a sustainable solution and peace could only achieved through collapsing of backwards, fascist regimes in the region and formation of democratic regimes by the people. This would be a blow against imperialist interventions.

In the meantime, YBH Youth also stresses that the use of violence by Israel against the Palestinian population is unacceptable.

YBH Youth demands that violence in Israel should end immediately and Israeli-Palestinian leaders should implement the Oslo Agreements entirely. YBH Youth calls the international community to increase their sensitivity on this issue.