in response to the coup, us secretary of state henry kissinger sent joseph sisco to try to mediate the conflict. turkey issued a list of demands to greece via a us negotiator. these demands included the immediate removal of nikos sampson, the withdrawal of 650 greek officers from the cypriot national guard, the admission of turkish troops to protect their population, equal rights for both populations, and access to the sea from the northern coast for turkish cypriots. turkey, led by prime minister bülent ecevit, then appealed to the uk as a signatory of the treaty of guarantee to take action to return cyprus to its neutral status. the uk declined this offer, and refused to let turkey use its bases on cyprus as part of the operation.