By Jean Christou
ARCHBISHOP Chrysostomos said yesterday he did not believe Greek Cypriots could have been responsible for Saturday’s arson attack at the Hala Sultan Tekke mosque in Larnaca.
Speaking after a meeting with new Defence Minister Socrates Hasikos, the Archbishop said he believed the attack had been carried out by the Turkish side to justify their neglect of Greek Orthodox churches in the occupied areas.
“Personally I at least don’t believe that Greeks would have so little intelligence to do this, therefore I believe it is probably people who were put up to it the Turks to justify their own ransacking of churches in the north,” Chrysostomos told journalists.
The Cyprus government has long complained about the theft of thousands of icons and other treasures from some 500 churches in the north.
Many churches have been turned into stables or left to crumble, while graveyards have been desecrated.
Attacks on mosques in the free areas are rare, and Saturday’s arson attack at the Hala Sultan Tekke brought swift condemnation from the government and politicians.
President Glafcos Clerides ordered a full investigation into the attack at the Tekke, which is sacred to the island’s Turkish Cypriots.
A group calling itself the “Pancyprian Organisation of Cypriot Fighters” has claimed responsibility for the attack. Police said the fire which was set in four different places in the mosque caused some damage to a tapestry but burned out before it could spread.
Yesterday police issued two search warrants in connection with the attack following an anonymous telephone tip-off, government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou said.
He said police had traced the location of the anonymous call. Asked if it was possible that the Turkish side could have been responsible for the attack, Papapetrou said nothing could be ruled out.
Papapetrou said three or four people had been seen leaving the area following the attack.
“There is some security on these buildings and indeed something was noticed by the guard who was there, but I’m sure you realise there are many such monuments and it’s not a simple matter to guard them,” Papapetrou said.
New Communications and Works Minister Averof Neophytou visited the Tekke yesterday morning to assess the damage, along with the Director General of the Antiquities Department. No structural damage was caused, Neophytou said.
“Fortunately, the damage is not significant and instructions have been given to repair it. We believe that in a few days it will be fully restored, ” Neophytou said.
“Our visit has another side. We want to send a clear message that we respect the cultural heritage of Muslims and of anyone else just as much as we respect our own.”
Justice Minister Nicos Koshis visited the mosque on Sunday and said the government would show “no mercy” to those responsible for the attack.
He also said that although police officers already guarded the site, the government would now consider the installation of an alarm system for extra security.
House President Spyros Kyprianou said that if it was proved that the arson had been carried out by Greek Cypriots, then it would be the “most treasonous act” against Cyprus since the 1974 coup.
“Wherever it comes from, it is a deplorable provocation,” he said.
Hala Sultan Tekke was built in memory of Umm Haram, an aunt of the Prophet Mohammed who is said to be buried in the shrine.
The site is sacred to Turkish Cypriots who cross from the Turkish- controlled areas twice a year under a UN-backed agreement.
Turkish Cypriot papers yesterday criticised the attack and called on Greek Cypriot politicians to apologise. The chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Religious Foundation Evkaf, Taner Dervis, said the attack would be reported to the UN. Dervis said the attack had been carried out for the purposes of ethnic cleansing.
