Rauf Denktash
Rauf Raif Denktash (in Turkish spelled Denktaş; born January 27 1924) is a Turkish Cypriot political leader. He is now in his fourth five-year term as President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Early Career
He was born in Baf (in Greek Paphos). He graduated from the English School in Cyprus. Following his graduation he worked as a translator in Gazi Mağusa, after that as a court clerk and then as a teacher for one year in the English School.
He later went to London and trained first as a teacher and then as a barrister at Lincoln's Inn. He graduated in 1947. He returned home to practise as a lawyer. In 1948 he served as a member of the Consultative Assembly in search of self-government for Cyprus and became a member of the Turkish Affairs Committee. In 1949 he started working as a crown prosecutor which continued until 1958.
Political Career
In 1958, he attended the U.N. General Assembly on behalf of the Turkish Cypriots, and in December of that year he advised the Turkish Government on the rights of Turkish Cypriot people during the preparation of the Zürich Agreement (signed February 19 1959). In 1960, Cyprus won independence from Britain, and the Republic of Cyprus was established. Denktash was elected as the President of the Turkish Communal Chamber.
In November 1963 President Makarios advanced a series of constitutional amendments designed to eliminate the provisions for the protection of the Turkish Cypriot community. This led to intercommunal fighting in December 1963, after which Turkish Cypriot participation in the central government ceased, and the the partnership state collapsed. Upon these events, Denktash went to Ankara for consultation with Turkish government. His entry to the island was prohibited by the Greek Cypriot leadership in years 1964-1968. Upon his return in 1968 he took up duties as the vice President of the Republic of Cyprus and President of the Turkish Cypriot Administration. This administration was formed after another outbreak of intercommunal violence in 1967-1968.
After the failed attempt of unification of Greek Cypriots with Greece in June 15 1974, Turkey negotiated a joint military operation with United Kingdom to intervene. Failing this, Turkey exercised her right under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee and landed 40 000 troops on the north coast of Cyprus. Eventually these troops controlled 37% of the island and a de facto Turkish state was born. Denktash formed the National Unity Party, and in the following year and in 1976 he was elected President of the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus as the island was split into two sections.
He was elected as the President for a second term in 1981. He played a key role in the 1983 proclamation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) which is internationally recognized only by Turkey. He was elected as the President of TRNC in 1985, 1990, 1995, and 2000.
Denktash has been the chief negotiator in the United Nations sponsored peace talks since 1968. Over the years, various attempts by the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Britain to resolve the conflict was rejected by both Denktash and the Greek Cypriot negotiators.
Recent Times
By 2000, the desire of both Cyprus and Turkey to join the EU led to renewed efforts to reach a settlement. In 2002 there were large demonstrations in northern Cyprus by Turkish Cypriots demanding reunification of the island, which would give them EU citizenship when Cyprus joins the EU in 2004. In December 2003 Denktash's party suffered heavy losses in legislative elections, suggesting that his days as the unchallenged leader of the Turkish Cypriots are coming to an end.
In February 2004 Denktash embarked on a new round of UN sponsored talks with the Greek Cypriots, aimed at re-uniting Cyprus. However, he has opposed the settlement proposal (the "Annan Plan"), which was voted on by the two Cypriot communities in a reunification referendum on April 24, 2004. The plan was accepted by 65% of the Turkish community, but was rejected by the Greeks.
On May 14 2004, Denktash announced he would not be standing for a fifth term as President of the TRNC. His current term comes to an end in mid-2005.
Other information
His favourite pastimes include photography and writing. His photographs have been in exhibitions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, former republics of the Soviet Union, Poland, France, Austria and Turkey. He has written about fifty books in English and Turkish. Between the years 1949 and 1957 he wrote many articles for the newspaper Halkın Sesi (Voice of the Nation), published by Dr. Fazil Küçük, the first Vice President of the Republic of Cyprus.
Denktash has been the recipient of many awards and honorary doctorates given by various universities in Turkey, the TRNC and the United States. He is married with one son and two daughters. He lost one son in a traffic accident and another son in tonsillectomy. His surviving son
