A/55/280/Add.1 its case in litigation proceedings. It should be added that the boards of directors of the Patriarchate’s institutions (schools, hospitals, places of worship) face serious difficulties. From 1968 to 1991, and again since 1992, the authorities have failed to authorize elections, thereby making it impossible to replace board members who have died or who have left Turkey. This has posed problems for the management of these institutions, and could be interpreted by the General Directorate of Foundations as non-utilization of property. The General Directorate of Foundations, indeed, appears to be held in fear by the Greek Orthodox community. While expressing his readiness to turn over properties no longer needed by his community, the Patriarch declared his opposition to any move to confiscate them. (e) Educational establishments 76. The Patriarchate is facing difficulties in administering its schools and in enrolling students. Its institutions must be administered by a “Greek headmaster” of Turkish nationality, seconded by an assistant headmaster of Turkish nationality who is not an Orthodox Greek. The authorities often fail to appoint a headmaster, thereby leaving the school’s management in the hands of the Turkish assistant headmaster. Moreover, according to Turkish regulations, for a child to be enrolled, he or she must have a Greek second family name and at least one Greek parent. In other words, children of parents belonging to other Christian confessions are not allowed to attend the schools of the Patriarchate. (f) Attacks on Patriarchate property, desecration of cemeteries and personal assaults Greeks of Turkey insist they have no responsibility. As a result, however, the Greek Orthodox community is virtually on the point of disappearance. The Patriarch has stressed that the departure of Orthodox Greeks has nothing to do with economic factors, but rather with their condition as second-class citizens. As he sees it, Orthodox Greeks comply with their national obligations but they are not allowed to enjoy all their rights. The Patriarch expressed the wish that his flock, and the entire Greek Orthodox community, should enjoy the legitimate rights of Turkish citizenship and that they should be protected from the tensions that often arise between Turkey and Greece. 79. As positive developments, the Patriarch pointed to the fact that the prohibition (in place from 1973 to 1978) against issuing him a passport had been lifted and that for the first time there was no interference by the authorities in the most recent election of the Patriarch. He also noted that minorities have recently enjoyed access to the media, for example to the ATV network, which sponsored a forum on policy towards minorities. As well, the most important representatives of “religions of the book” met at Tarsus on 10 and 11 May 2000, where they issued a declaration stating that they “live in peace and repose” and that while “there are some problems regarding freedom of religion and conscience, freedom of faith, education, culture and religious practices in all parts of the world…. these problems are not insurmountable” (see Annex 1). 2. The Armenian minority 80. Most of the Armenian community belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Church. There is however a minority of Armenians who are Catholic or Protestant. 77. Greek Orthodox religious dignitaries and sites (places of worship and cemeteries) have reportedly been the target of acts of violence, including bomb attacks (particularly against the Patriarchate’s headquarters), desecration and an assassination (see the report of the Special Rapporteur (E/CN4/1999/58)). Despite these serious incidents, the security services responsible for investigation have never succeeded, according to Greek Orthodox spokesmen, in identifying and arresting the people responsible for such acts. 81. The Armenian Patriarch began by stressing that his followers enjoy freedom of religion and worship without interference from the authorities. He then went on to explain the difficulties facing his Patriarchate and his community, and the direct impact that these have in the religious sphere. 78. These obstacles and attacks and the prevailing climate of insecurity stem in large part from official policy towards the Greek Orthodox minority (see sect. III.) and the Cyprus conflict, for which of course the 82. The Patriarch recalled that, as with other minorities, the Armenian Patriarchate has no legal status as an institution. In practice, the Patriarchate is recognized by the authorities, and indeed when the Patriarch was elected the Turkish Government sent a The Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate (a) Legal status of the Patriarchate 17