KKTC receives surprise support from Italian deputies
Italian Transnational Radical Party deputy Maurizio Turco, a former member of the European Parliament, and Marco Pedruca, a member of the party council, applied for citizenship in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) while visiting for the 33rd anniversary of the 1974 military intervention, celebrated as Peace and Freedom Day.
They did it as a reaction to the EU’s failure to keep its promises to the Turkish Cypriots, they said at a press conference held after submitting their citizenship petitions to KKTC Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Turgay Avcı.
“We are here to make a call for immediate termination of the isolation of the island’s north and a re-launching of the search for a federal solution through high-level political dialogue,” they said.
Criticizing the EU as waiting for the economic collapse of the Turkish Cypriots rather than making efforts to implement a political solution, the Italian politicians added:
“This is not a provocation or intended to prove anything, but it is being done to ensure that after the Greek Cypriots voted against the UN referendum in 2004.”
Ankara does not recognize the Greek Cypriot government, which entered the EU in May 2004 as the official representative of the entire island. In 1983 the KKTC unilaterally declared its independence, though it remains recognized only by Ankara.
Turkish Cypriots are not able to exercise the EU rights granted to Greek Cypriots, and international peace efforts have been virtually frozen since the Greek Cypriots voted down a UN reunification plan shortly before joining the EU.
In April 2004 the European Commission proposed the regulation of direct trade and financial assistance to reward the Turkish Cypriots for their willingness for reunification.
Yet the EU’s direct trade proposal was apparently suspended in 2006 when EU member states agreed to decouple it from a financial aid scheme, without a hint as to when the direct trade regulation would again be taken up.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Poll shows outlook glum for a solution
Three in four Greek Cypriots believe there will never be a reunifying solution to the Cyprus problem, a study for Simerini newspaper has shown.
According to the study, carried out on 507 random members of the public by Cyprus College on behalf of the paper to mark the 33rd anniversary since the Turkish invasion, 67 per cent of people aged over 50 believe the Cyprus problem will never be solved.
Refugees are also pessimistic, with 64 per cent also saying there won’t be a solution. Also 76 per cent of refugees believe the Turkish invasion benefited non-refugees financially and that the three past decades have seen injustices at the expense of refugees.
And 75 per cent of the population asked said it was impossible to find a solution that would reunify Cyprus and allow refugees to return to their homes.
Just under half of Greek Cypriots asked (49 per cent) wished for a bicommunal and bizonal federation, while three in ten said they would be happy with the establishment of two independent states, with the return of Morphou and Famagusta.
However, a significant section of the public (24 per cent, mostly women and youths) would prefer the situation to remain as it is, while 12 per cent opted for partition.
Regarding the impending presidential elections, 34 per cent of Cypriots believe that none of the candidates are capable of reaching a solution.
Especially shocking was Cypriots’ ignorance over what took place on July 15, 1974 – the Junta-backed coup which led to the invasion. A whopping 85 per cent of those asked did not know about the coup, while one in seven Cypriots were not aware when the invasion took place.
US breaks ice with Greek Cypriots, wants Cyprus solution
The United States Thursday urged United Nations secretary General Ban Ki Moon to launch a fresh initiative for Cyprus' reunification soon, pledging support for such an effort.
The U.S. remarks came from Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nick Burns, the State Department's number three official, at a signing ceremony here with the Greek Cypriot government.
Burns and Greek Cypriot ambassador Andreas Kakouris exchanged diplomatic notes on the extension of a memorandum of understanding for the protection of Cyprus' archeological heritage.
The event also held symbolic importance, effectively meaning an end to cold diplomatic relations between Washington and the Greek Cypriots since April 2004, when the United States accused Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos of sabotaging a reunification effort sponsored by Kofi Annan, then secretary general of the United Nations.
"We hope the (U.N.) secretary general (Ban Ki Moon) will launch a renewed effort," Burns told reporters. "We will support it."
In simultaneous referendums three years ago, Turkish Cypriots overwhelmingly backed Annan's reunification plan, but a vast majority of Greek Cypriots rejected it, causing the initiative to fail. The U.S. administration then declined for a long time to hold high level talks with Greek Cypriots in reaction to Papadopoulos' move to spearhead efforts for the Annan plan's rejection.
Burns to visit Cyprus:
But in a further indication that Washington was breaking the ice with Greek Cypriots, Burns announced plans to visit Cyprus in September.
Asked if he would also visit the Turkish side on the island's north, he said that details of his trip had not been finalized yet.
The United Nations' expects a new Cyprus effort to come in the wake of Turkey's critical general elections tomorrow (Sunday).
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government staunchly supported the failed Annan plan.
Burns praised the extension of the U.S.-Greek Cypriot memorandum of understanding, originally signed in 2002, saying it was a major effort "to fight those who seek to plunder Cyprus' archeological heritage."
The diplomatic event took place three days after Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis took over as Greek Cypriot foreign minister from George Lillikas. She is a former Greek Cypriot ambassador to Washington.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
33 years since the Turkish invasion - Cyprus marks tragic anniversary
On 20 July 1974, at dawn, the Turkish military hits Cyprus with all three corps, namely the army, navy and air force, five days after the coup against Cyprus President, Archbishop Makarios III, engineered by the military junta then ruling Greece.
Turkish aircraft begin bombing significant targets and dropping parachutists north of Nicosia, while warships and landing craft appear off Pente Mili, eight km west of the island's northern coastal town of Kyrenia, where the Turks manage to create an assault bridge.
On 22 July 1974 at 16:00 local time, a ceasefire agreement is enforced. Meanwhile, the Turks have extended their assault bridge, capturing the town of Kyrenia and surrounding villages, joining the assault bridge with Turkish Cypriot enclaves, thus placing a larger section under their control.
Violating the UN-brokered ceasefire agreement, the Turkish forces advance in all directions, extending their assault bridge.The Greek Cypriot forces manage to break the main Turkish Cypriot strongholds but are unable to cut off the invasion itself.And as the first refugees appear in other areas of Cyprus, US-incited moves ignite a series of events, which lead to averting a broader military clash between Greece and Turkey, and the handing over of the Republic of Cyprus' leadership by Nicos Sampson.
The Greek government has in the meantime dissolved and Greek politician Constantinos Karamanlis returns to Athens from Paris, where he had been self-exiled.
On 25 July 1974, peace talks begin in Geneva at a British initiative, between Britain, Turkey and Greece, Cyprus' three guarantor powers under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantees. After five days of talks, they reach an agreement providing, among other things, for the termination of any aggressive activities.
However, the Turkish troops continue to improve their positions and expand their initial assault bridge.
On 8 August 1974, talks resume in Geneva, this time with the participation of the representatives of the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, Glafcos Clerides and Rauf Denktash. In the afternoon of 13 August 1974, it is announced that the talks have collapsed.
On 14 August 1974, at daybreak, Turkey launches a new military assault.
The Turkish forces, which have in the meantime been strengthened, advance almost undisturbed and capture the Karpass Peninsula, reaching Famagusta in the east and the area of Tilliria in the west.
On 16 August 1974 at 18:00 local time a new ceasefire is imposed. Meanwhile, the Turks have captured the area just outside the old town of Famagusta and villages in the Nicosia District.
Cyprus is licking its wounds.
According to official data, 36.2% of the sovereign territory of Cyprus is still under illegal military occupation by Turkey.
More than 162,000 Greek Cypriots, about a quarter of the total population, who were forcibly expelled from the occupied northern part of the island, where they constituted about 70% of the population, are still deprived of the right to return to their homes and properties.
Some 1,900 persons, among them several hundred civilians, are listed as missing persons.
The Turkish side refuses to cooperate in ascertaining their fate.
Some 1,500 Greek and Maronite Cypriots, out of 20,000 at the end of August 1974, remain enclaved in their villages which are still occupied. These people are living under conditions of oppression, harassment and deprivation.
The rest were forced to abandon their homes and become refugees.
More than 43,000 troops from Turkey, heavily armed with the latest weapons, supported by air, land and sea power, are illegally stationed in the occupied area, making it one of the most militarized regions in the world.
Over 160,000 settlers from Turkey have been illegally brought to colonise the occupied area and alter the demographic structure of Cyprus. The colonisation of Cyprus has been deplored by the international community and the Turkish Cypriots themselves.
Furthermore, 58,000 out of the 116,000 Turkish Cypriots have emigrated from the island since Turkey’s invasion, according to Turkish Cypriot sources, because of the economic, social and moral deprivation which prevails in the occupied areas.
Turkish Cypriots are now vastly outnumbered by troops and settlers from Turkey.Illegal construction on Greek Cypriot land and illegal sale of property owned by Greek Cypriots who were forcibly expelled from their homes by Turkey’s invasion have intensified.
This unprecedented usurpation of property is yet another flagrant violation of human rights by the Turkish side.Turkey and the illegal Turkish Cypriot regime continue to destroy, deliberately and methodically, the Hellenic and Christian cultural and historical heritage in occupied Cyprus.
Press reports and testimonies show that more than 500 Greek Orthodox churches and chapels and 17 monasteries that are located in towns and villages of the occupied part of the island have been pillaged, deliberately vandalised or torn down.
The current location of their ecclesiastical furnishings and items, which include more than 15,000 icons, remains unknown to this day. Many of the icons and frescoes in churches were smuggled abroad and sold to private collections.
The consequences of the invasion on the Cypriot economy were devastating. About 70% of the gross output has been lost, along with 65% of the tourist accommodation capacity, 87% of hotel beds under construction, 83% of the general cargo handling capacity, 56% of mining and quarrying output, 41% of livestock production, 48% of agricultural exports, 46% of industrial production, 20% of state forests, 36.2% of housing stock, and 38.3% of school buildings.
According to a study conducted by the Economic Department of the University of Cyprus indicates that the direct loss of wealth and productive capacity caused by the invasion and occupation was huge.
At the same time, a climate of instability and insecurity was created, which impinged economic activity.The consequences of the invasion are not exhausted in 1974. The initial reduction of the per capita income had a negative impact on the subsequent course of the Cypriot economy, while the continuing occupation and deprivation of access rights creates significant financial losses to the legitimate owners of properties in the occupied areas.
By the year 2000, according to the study, the accumulated cost of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus reached 6.8 billion Cyprus pounds, which translates into about 11.6 billion euros. The accumulated gross cost for the refugees and sufferers was 4 billion pounds, while the losses of the Turkish Cypriots forced to abandon their homes in the government-controlled areas of the Republic was 1 billion pounds for the period 1974-1999, in terms of 1995 prices.
Despite the serious losses, despite the refusal of Turkey to comply with numerous resolutions, blatantly violating the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Greek Cypriots, despite unilateral actions on behalf of the Greek Cypriot side to create conditions of trust, such as the destruction of landmines, despite the difficulties the country has faced to secure financial robustness after the devastating consequences of the invasion, the Republic of Cyprus has proven that it can play a role in the European and international scene, and defend its entity and dignity.
The Republic of Cyprus manages an ''economic miracle,'' the quality of life in the semi-occupied island improves drastically, and the country joins the European Union on 1 May 2004, with the implementation of the acquis communautaire suspended in the occupied areas.
Meanwhile, Ankara continues to to support militarily, politically and financially the illegal entity, which unilaterally declared independence on 15 November 1983, (branded ''legally invalid'' by UN Resolution 541 of 1984).
The allegation that the Turkish Cypriots are kept isolated is projected internationally. On 23 April 2003, the puppet regime partially lifted restrictions on the free movement of citizens, after demonstrations in the occupied areas.A series of UN General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, as well as resolutions adopted by numerous other international organisations, reflect the universal condemnation of Turkey’s invasion and all subsequent acts of aggression against Cyprus, including mass violations of human rights.
Successive rounds of UN-sponsored talks between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities to resolve the Cyprus problem have been undermined by the Turkish side which has sought a settlement that in effect would leave Cyprus permanently divided and hostage to foreign interests.
The Greek Cypriots, on the other hand, have been insisting on the genuine reunification of the island, its institutions and its people.Today, Cyprus is still counting its losses.Today, the Turkish threat is still hovering over Cyprus. The violations of Cyprus' airspace and the Nicosia FIR are continuing.
The occupation army is being strengthened.
Turkey is obstructing Cyprus' participation in international organisations. The Turkish side is maintaining its intransigent stance and delaying tactics in efforts to solve the Cyprus problem.
Today, 33 years after the invasion, the refugees are still waiting for the day they will be able to return to their homes.
The relatives of missing persons are still waiting to hear what happened to their loved ones.
The people of Cyprus are still waiting for a just settlement and the reunification of their homeland.
And the distressing anniversaries of the 1974 Turkish invasion continue to come and go.
Some reason to hope for better days
ON a Mediterranean island where even the stones sing of its history, it is not surprising that Cypriots carry cruel memories and stories in their hearts like a leaden weight.
More than anything else, it is these stories, well rehearsed and repeated ad nauseam, that prevent people on both sides of the dividing line from imagining and implementing a cohesive social and political union among all the island’s lawful inhabitants, be they Greek, Turkish, Armenian, Maronite, Latin or of other ethnic origin or religion.
This is not to look at the Cyprus problem through rose tinted glasses. There are more than a few objective obstacles that would make reaching a fair settlement difficult even if the Cypriots were able to reconcile and put their inter-communal difference behind them.
In a world ruled by powerful interests and forces, whether on a global or regional scale, the interests of small states, especially strategically important ones like Cyprus, rarely matter much. Such states are only nominally sovereign as a kind of fiction of international law.
It may not be just or fair, but politics on an international scale has to be played with rules of engagement that favour the powerful. In the Cypriot context, this has always meant that our local differences cannot be played out in a vacuum. We are in a region where our problem impacts and is impacted by larger Greek-Turkish relations, the problems of the Middle East, the war against terror, oil and gas politics and relations among the great powers, particularly the Americans, the larger EU states and the Russians, to mention only a few.
Nevertheless, if we are ever going to make peace and re-unite some day, the people and leaders of our two largest communities have to find it within themselves to break free of the shackles of our modern history and envision a political, economic and social union in Cyprus that transcends our separate identities as Greeks or Turks, Christians or Muslims.
It would be far more difficult for powerful interests outside Cyprus to play the game of divide and rule, if the island’s communities were not willing to play along.
This is why recent events on the Greek side give us some reason to hope for better days. In the coming presidential elections, the basic choice for Greek Cypriots will be whether to continue with the leadership of Tassos Papadopoulos, or to pass on the baton of leadership to Ioannis Kasoulides or Demetris Christofias.
With Papadopoulos at the helm, the prospects for resumption of meaningful talks between the two sides on the island are dim. Unless some unforeseen external event happens that motivates the international community to pressure the sides back to the table, we can safely predict that nothing will happen quickly to break the impasse resulting from the rejection in 2004 of the UN Secretary-general’s plan by the Greek Cypriot community.
Until it became clear that the collective leadership of AKEL had decided to contest next year’s presidential election, Papadopoulos had avoided studiously making any opening directly to the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat, and has made no secret of the fact that he sees Mr Talat as a pawn of the Turkish state.
On the Turkish side, Papadopoulos is seen as the heir of Greek Cypriot nationalist forces that in their view attempted to usurp the constitutional rights of the Turkish Cypriot community by force and expelled their representatives from positions in the government, compelling most of them to withdraw into enclaves for their self-defence and survival.
This is baggage that neither Christofias nor Kasoulides has to bear. Christofias has the advantage of being cut from the same ideological cloth as Mr Talat, whereas Kasoulides comes from the party that more than any other in recent times has attempted to make openings and friendly gestures to bridge the chasm separating the two communities.
Christofias and Kasoulides seem to understand that one of the prerequisites for a lasting reconciliation between our two main communities is the need to foster a climate of mutual trust and respect as an antidote to the merciless grip on our collective psyches of those deep seated fears and suspicions that have poisoned our relations for generations, especially among those under the age of 50 who have never known a time of relative inter-communal friendship.
In addition, Papadopoulos is understandably perceived by many in the international community as someone not to be trusted. There are many notable figures in the international community who believe sincerely that Papadopoulos played a duplicitous game in the failed negotiations of 2002-2004.
In their view, he used the more honest intransigence of Rauf Denktash to disguise his own, and pretended to be open to negotiation on the UN plan until Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots exposed his true intentions by accepting the arbitration of the UN Secretary-general.
Both Christofias and Kasoulides enjoy a significantly better reputation than Papadopoulos for playing the diplomatic game with integrity. We must never forget that our greatest asset in the diplomatic arena is our legitimacy as a recognised state, notwithstanding more than 40 years of constitutional anomaly and breakdown of the agreements that brought Cyprus into existence.
The most damaging aspect of the way in which Papadopoulos has handled the Cyprus file since he took over as president has been the widespread perception internationally that it is the Greek Cypriot community and not the Turkish Cypriots or Turkey who are primarily responsible for the lack of a settlement. If this perception does not change, the most likely outcome will be the slow but inexorable de facto recognition of the administration in the north.
This will further cement the division on Cyprus, and over time will make a settlement less and less palatable on both sides of our divided island.
More fundamentally, Kasoulides and Christofias represent mainstream Cypriot political life more so than Papadopoulos. It is these broad social forces that must be united on the “national question” to deliver the votes to ratify any settlement by referendum.
What many may have lost sight of is that one effect of our rejection of the UN plan in 2004 is that the Turkish Cypriot community may not be quite so anxious to vote for a reunited Cyprus the next time.
Many on the other side see polls and hear political statements from this side that lead them to think that a majority of Greek Cypriots do not want to be reunited with them in a partnership state. For all their isolation, the economic situation in the north has improved since the referenda and going forward it will take a strong and united leadership, whether under Christofias or Kasoulides, to convince ordinary Turkish Cypriots that we sincerely share their desire for a federal, bi-zonal and bi-communal solution.
Precious time has been lost since the referenda in establishing a climate favourable to the resumption of negotiations when all the stakeholders are ready. Meetings between the communities’ leaders may not be sufficient to bridge the differences that need to be overcome before comprehensive negotiations can resume, but they can serve the useful purpose of signalling mutual good will and sincere desire to move closer to the desired outcome.
We need to encourage contact between the communities at all levels. Meetings between the leaders serve the useful symbolic purpose of signalling to the people on both sides, especially those trapped in the past, that progress is not made by those who shun each other.
By meeting and talking to each other respectfully and with a willingness to see each others point of view we can at least improve the climate for comprehensive negotiations when the time is ripe.
While it is undoubtedly true that Cyprus cannot afford another failed attempt to settle the problem, we have to be prepared to take measured risks if we are to start building a better tomorrow for all our people.
KKTC media stays cool in wake of Kıvrıkoğlu comments
Remarks by the commander of the Turkish Cypriot Peace Forces Command (KTBK), implying the Turkish Cypriot government is in a sovereignty struggle with Turkey, were met with silence by Turkish Cypriot media over the weekend.
The lukewarm response has been widely interpreted as an effort not to escalate existing tension between the Turkish military and the local administration.
In a speech delivered Friday during a ceremony held in Lefkoşa (Nicosia) to mark the change command of commando and artillery regiments, KTBK chief Lt. Gen. Hayri Kıvrıkoğlu said actions and discussion that may put the security of the Turkish Cypriot people in danger have recently been observed.
"Those who don't perceive the existing extraordinary conditions in Cyprus, and don't perceive the Cyprus issue as a whole, and those who can look at history or current circumstances only from the window of ideology, are creating artificial debates on authority. They consider Turkey not as the motherland but as an ordinary, neighboring, foreign country. [They consider] the Turkish military as the military of that foreign country and they claim sovereignty against Turkey," Kıvrıkoğlu said at the ceremony attended by Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) President Mehmet Ali Talat and Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer.
Başaran Düzgün of the newspaper Kıbrıs, classified by Hürriyet as one of those pro-government dailies, told Today's Zaman on Sunday that there was no particular reason for not covering the incident on their front page.
"There is a tendency not to attribute high importance to such statements. If the purpose is creating a crisis, there is no sense in spreading this around," Düzgün added.
Cyprus commemorates victims in 1974 military coup
The wailing of sirens resounded over Cyprus at 08:20 local time on Sunday, the very time when a coup was engineered by a group of Greek officers in an attempt to unite the island with Greece decades ago.
President Tassos Papadopoulos and other high ranking official attended a ceremony held at a church for those killed during the 1974 military coup.
Papadopoulos also laid wreaths at the tombs of coup victims at a cemetery in Nicosia.Cyprus was divided in 1974 when Turkey militarily intervened and occupied the north of the island following the coup.
The United Nations, joined by the European Union in recent years, have kept pushing the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot sides to negotiate a solution to the three-decade-long problem.
But the island still remains split due to lack of trust between the two communities and refusal of their leaderships to make significant compromises.
Cypriots in Britain demonstrate to mark Turkish invasion anniversary
Cypriots demonstrators demanded during a gathering in London on Sunday that the British government takes initiatives to create the conditions that would lead to a settlement of the Cyprus problem.
The gathering in Trafalgar Square, organised by the National Federation of Cypriots in the United Kingdom, was held to mark the 33rd anniversary of the 1974 coup and Turkish invasion of Cyprus, and was supported by British MPs and MEPs, the Cyprus News Agency reported.
A letter handed in at 10, Downing Street by a delegation headed by President of the Federation Peter Droushiotis calls on the British government ''to act in the interest of justice and to increase all efforts towards delivering a united, independent, bizonal, bicommunal Cyprus, where the human rights of all Cypriots will be safeguarded.''
At the gathering, the MPs deplored Turkey's stance, which is against international legality and EU principles, and expressed their determination to maintain their support towards Cyprus until a just solution is achieved.
Labour MPs expressed hope that the appointment of Joan Ryan as Special Representative for Cyprus meant that the British government intended to contribute towards reaching a settlement. One Labour MP, Allan Meale, said Ryan ''should be here today.''
Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes noted that ''we must convince Turkish Cypriots and Turks in this country that it is in their interest too that their country should honour its international obligations,'' adding that ''there will never be a just solution if foreign troops continue to be in Cyprus.''
''There will be a solution only if there is an agreement providing for the withdrawal of the occupying army,'' he pointed out, noting that ''we are optimistic because right and justice are on the side of the reunification of Cyprus.''
Conservative MP Theresa Villiers said ''we are here because we want to make sure that Turkish troops leave the island, we want to see justice, and we want an end to the division of Cyprus which has gone on for far too long.''
''The UN, the EU and especially the British government continue to show complacency and it is time to shake them out of that complacency and get them to take action to secure justice for Cyprus. They never have taken the tragedy of Cyprus seriously enough,'' she noted.
Labour MP Andy Love said ''it was the right of the Greek Cypriots to say ‘no’ in the referendum,'' adding that ''we must find a way for a proposal that both sides will say ‘yes’.''
''Turkey has to recognise Cyprus in the same way that it recognises every other country of the Union,'' he added.
Labour MPs Edward O’Hara and Andrew Dismore, Conservative MP Roger Gale and Conservative MEP Charles Tannock also addressed the gathering.
Many speakers deplored the destruction of the religious heritage in the Turkish occupied areas of the island, presented in a photograph exhibition by Doros Partasides and Panayiotis Yiakoumis.
Federation President Peter Droushiotis called on the British government to meet its obligations as a guarantor power.
Furthermore, President of the World Federation of Overseas Cypriots Charis Sophoclides criticised the Turkish Cypriot leadership for cancelling a meeting with Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos.Famagusta Mayor Alexis Galanos, speaking on behalf of the mayors of other occupied towns, pointed out the need to safeguard the integrity of Cyprus as a precondition for justice.
Democratic Party MP Phytos Constantinou, who was also present, praised the Cypriot community in Britain and the overseas Cypriots in general for their role in enlightenment concerning the Cyprus problem.
During the march that preceded the gathering, a group of Cypriot World War II volunteers laid an arrangement of flowers reading ''CYPRUS''.
Property Commission hits back at Greek Cypriot claims
THE head of the north’s property commission yesterday strongly rejected accusations by a Greek Cypriot lawyer that those applying for compensation or reinstatement to their properties in the north were being led “into a trap”.
The accusation was made over the weekend by Achilleas Demetriades, the lawyer representing Greek Cypriot Varosha refugee Myra Xenides-Arestis, who said Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot authorities had set up the commission in order to “trick the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)” into believing an effective domestic remedy to Greek Cypriot property claims could be found in north Nicosia.
So far, 220 Greek Cypriots have applied to the commission asking for reinstatement to their properties, financial compensation, or exchange with those abandoned by Turkish Cypriots in the south.
Of that figure, 15 have received compensation, three have returned to their homes in the north, and two have opted for exchange. The head of the commission, Sumer Erkman, responded to Demetriades’ accusations yesterday by telling the Cyprus Mail that the validity of the commission would “not be decided by Greek Cypriot lawyers but the ECHR itself”.
Demetriades’ accusation was based on the case of a Greek Cypriot who is still waiting to receive £250,000 the commission said it would pay in compensation for his property in the north.
He also referred to a similar commission set up by Turkey to compensate around 1,500 Turks who had been displaced by fighting between the Turkish military and Kurdish separatists in the south east of the country.
That commission, he said, had “tricked” the ECHR into believing it would provide an effective domestic remedy while, in fact, only offering victims “absurdly low compensation amounts”.
Erkman yesterday rejected these accusations, saying that any delays in processing Greek Cypriot applications were due, not to unwillingness on its part, but to the length of time it needed to process each application.
“We are going as fast as we can. In one year, we have processed 20 applications and completed them to the satisfaction of the applicants,” she said, adding that a further 100 cases were currently being dealt with.
This weekend, the commission also came under fire from an applicant who told a Greek Cypriot daily that since making his application, a Turkish Cypriot-registered company had begun building on his property.
Erkman responded to this accusation by saying that even if building had begun, the rights of the applicant would take precedence, and that the company carrying out the construction was doing so “at the risk of losing the property and its investment”.
“Unfortunately, the commission does not have the authority to stop the building, but when processing the application, we base all our judgements on the situation on the date of the application. That means that if the application was made on April 20, before building had begun, the construction company will not be able to claim the land by saying it has been built on, whatever they have built on it,” Erkman said.
Cyprus president praises work on identity of missing persons
Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos said Monday that the issue of missing persons is not merely a question of exhumations and identification of remains, but a matter of respect of the dignity of those missing and their next of kin.
In all, 15 Greek Cypriots listed as missing since the Turkish invasion in 1974, whose remains have been exhumed and recently identified were buried at various cemeteries in different areas of the island over the past week.
The Committee for Missing Persons (CMP) has so far notified the families of 28 people, 15 Greek Cypriots and 13 Turkish Cypriots, listed as missing, whose remains have been exhumed recently in Cyprus.
Of the 1619 Greek Cypriots initially reported as missing, almost 300 persons have been exhumed so far, while 60 of the estimated 500 Turkish Cypriots missing since 1974 and 1963, have been identified and returned to their families.
The President was full of praise for those who are working to exhume and identify remains and paid special tribute to Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots who work in harmony on such an emotional issue.
This, he pointed out, sends the message that the island’s two communities can build a common future in a reunited Cyprus.
The President pledged that the government will spare no effort or expense to help conclude the process of exhumation and identification of remains, unearthed in the Turkish occupied areas in the north as well as the government-controlled areas.
Papadopoulos visited the Anthropological Laboratory of the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP), in the UN controlled area of the deserted Nicosia airport, where he was briefed about the work carried out by forensic experts.
He expressed regret that the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community Mehmet Ali Talat did not accept his invitation to visit the laboratory together and meet with the three members of the CMP.
A press release issued after the visit said that Papadopoulos was given a tour of the laboratory and scientists explained the procedure they follow leading to the identification of remains through the DNA process, stressing that identification is decided at joint meetings between geneticists and anthropologists, who examine in a painstaking process thoroughly and scrupulously all available data.
Papadopoulos also visited the place where families are invited to see the remains of their missing relatives and are provided with information about the scientific procedure forensic experts apply.
The Laboratory operates under the guidance of scientists from the Argentine Team of Forensic Anthropologists and Archaeologists.
Papadopoulos, who was accompanied by the Director of his Diplomatic Office Ambassador Tasos Tzionis, was met at the Laboratory by the third member of the CMP Christophe Girod, in the presence of the Greek Cypriot representative Elias Georgiades.
Present at the meeting were Georgiades’ assistants Xenofon Kallis and Popi Chrysostomou and Girod’s adviser Jennifer Wright.
UN SG encourages Cyprus dialogue
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon revealed today he had a telephone conversation on Friday with Turkish-Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat.
Replying to a question during a press conference, SG said ''I am continuing to encourage the two leaders of the two communities to engage in dialogue and this is what I will continue to do''.
''We are faced with so many challenges around the world, including of course the situation in Cyprus'', he noted. Ban said that UN and he as Secretary General have been in contact with many leaders around the world.
“I have been speaking over the phone and meeting them in person at least three - four times, sometimes five or six times” aiming to address the various challenges, he said adding that he has not always announced all these contacts with world leaders.
“That’s because some journalists have told me that I am a faceless person but even behind the scenes you should know that I have been very active'', he added.
Regarding the Cyprus question, Ban said ''I have had a good talk again with one of the two parties of the Cyprus question, Mr. Talat, last Friday I think and I am continuing to encourage the two leaders of the two communities to engage in a dialogue and this is what I will continue to do''.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Greek Cypriot pressure halts football match in Turkish Cyprus
The cancellation disappointed Turkish Cypriot fans, who have been starved of international football action.
Intense lobbying by Greek Cypriot authorities caused the last minute cancellation of a friendly match between Turkish Cypriot soccer club Cetinkaya and British first league team Luton Town, scheduled for Wednesday evening.
Though both Luton and Cetinkaya, the reigning Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) football champions, were at Lefkosa Ataturk Stadium in the British League side ended up having a private training session.
The Cyprus Football Association, which only represents the Greek Cypriot clubs on the island, had complained to FIFA, UEFA and the English Football Association, that the game was not officially sanctioned.Had the match gone ahead, it would have been the first time that an English club would have played in the TRNC, which has had an international embargo placed on it, limiting trade, travel and sporting links.
4 ministers quit after Cyprus' ruling coalition splits
Four ministers belonging to left-wing AKEL party resigned from the government Wednesday, a day after the party withdrew from Cyprus' governing coalition to field its own candidate in presidential elections next February.
The ministers of foreign affairs, interior, health and transport will remain at their posts until President Tassos Papadopoulos appoints replacements.
It was not immediately known when the new ministers will be named.
AKEL leader Demetris Christofias will stand in the presidential election and on Tuesday the party withdrew from a three-party coalition that had backed Papadopoulos.
The decision does not affect the date of the presidential elections or the everyday operation of the government which is run under a directly elected president.
Papadopoulos, 73, has not declared his candidacy but is expected to seek a second five-year term. He would face Christofias and conservative candidate Ioannis Kasoulides, a 59-year-old former foreign minister.
AKEL has recently criticized the Papadopoulos government, including his handling of efforts to reunite divided Cyprus under a proposed United Nations plan.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded the island in response to a short-lived coup backed by supporters of union with Greece.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Cyprus president proposes meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader
Cyprus' President Tassos Papadopoulos has proposed a meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat in a bid to break a deadlock in reunification talks on this ethnically divided island, the government said Monday.
Greek and Turkish Cypriots agreed a year ago to start two-tier negotiations — with technical committees tackling everyday concerns and working groups dealing with substantive issues — but there has been no movement since.
Government spokesman Vasilis Palmas said Papadopoulos had sent Talat a letter calling for a meeting "to try to advance the July 8 agreement."
"Completing a year without substantial results ... it was considered advisable to try to give this agreement a push through this meeting," Palmas said.
The agreement aimed to renew contacts between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, leading eventually to broader negotiations on reuniting the island — divided since a Turkish invasion in 1974.
Palmas said the letter was sent several days ago.
Hacan Ercakica, Talat's spokesman, said Turkish Cypriot authorities will evaluate the proposal and reply within the week, the Cyprus News Agency said.
In 2004, Greek Cypriot voters rejected a U.N. reunification plan that Turkish Cypriots accepted in a separate referendum.
The United Nations has repeatedly pushed the two sides to open negotiations.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders on Friday to show "imagination and political courage," adding that it was "regrettable" there has been no movement a year later.
Cyprus coalition crumbles
Government spokesman Vassilis Palmas told reporters the split would probably be finalised on Tuesday.
Communist AKEL, the largest party in the three-way coalition, plans to field its own candidate in presidential elections next February.
With an electoral strength of 31.1 percent at the last election, their candidate Demetris Christofias could prevent Papadopoulos from winning a second term.
Papadopoulos has not said whether he will seek a second five-year term, but is widely expected to do so. He was elected in 2003 with 51.5 percent of the vote to lead a centre-left coalition, and campaigned for the rejection of a U.N. reunification plan for Cyprus the following year.
AKEL said on Monday Greek Cypriots needed to be flexible in attempts to resolve the island's division, without abandoning its principles.
AKEL has always maintained a more conciliatory line towards Turkish Cypriots, estranged in Cyprus's north since a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup.
Reunification talks collapsed when Greek Cypriots rejected the U.N. blueprint, accepted by Turkish Cypriots, in 2004.
Greek Cypriot officials have wavered on their level of acceptance of the plan, from saying the plan is a basis for negotiation, to it requiring considerable amendments, and recently, to a Papadopoulos aide describing the blueprint as dead and buried. AKEL maintains it is still a basis for negotiation.
The government said on Monday that several days ago Papadopoulos had proposed a meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat in an attempt to break the deadlock.
A representative of the Turkish Cypriot leader told Reuters: "We will probably disclose tomorrow when and where we will meet. We never say no. It is something we have been seeking for some time."
The two sides have not met for a year.
Cyprus and Malta win final word to start using euro next year
The European Union on Tuesday gave Cyprus and Malta final approval to start using the euro next year, taking to 15 the number of nations sharing the currency.
Diplomats said finance ministers had voted to allow the two tiny Mediterranean nations to join the currency zone on Jan. 1. They were also to set the exchange rate for the Cypriot pound and Maltese lira as the two currencies are swapped for the euro, but details were not immediately available.
Cyprus and Malta will bring just over 1 million people to the 318 million who now use the euro. Their economies account for only 0.2 percent of euro-zone gross domestic product.
Both entered the European Union in May 2004. Only one other country that joined the EU at the same time — Slovenia — has so far adopted the euro.
The largest of the EU newcomers — Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria — have yet to set a date. Estonia had originally planned to join next year but will delay membership as its growing economy sees inflation surge, a problem that has also slowed Latvian and Lithuanian plans. Slovakia is scheduled to join in 2009.
Cyprus and Malta worked hard to meet the strict EU economic standards for euro nations, with Cypriot workers agreeing to calm wage demands that could hike inflation while Malta paid off debt to cut its budget deficit below the EU maximum of 3 percent of gross domestic product.
To keep their shared currency stable, euro nations are also supposed to keep overall public debt below 60 percent.
However, even the largest euro economies have had trouble with these rules and euro candidates can be accepted if they can show that they are on track to meet these limits.
Cyprus became part of the EU a month after Greek Cypriots voted against a United Nations plan that would have led to reunification with the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state in the north of the island. EU officials have warned Turkish Cypriots against starting to use euro as their currency on their own initiative
Cyprus house prices rise for sixth straight month
Residential property prices in Cyprus have continued to rise, according to the BuySell Home Price Index.
In June 2007, home selling prices in Cyprus rose for a sixth consecutive month, recording a monthly increase of 1.7%.
The BuySell Home Price Index reached 126.72 (+8.0% year-on-year) bringing the Average Home Price in Cyprus to CYP 98,728 (EUR 168,686).
The BuySell Home Price Index was created and is updated monthly on behalf of BuySell Cyprus Real Estate by MFC S. Platis. The Index is announced during the second week of each month and depicts the movement of prices at which residential properties are sold in Cyprus, based on the extensive BuySell Cyprus Real Estate database.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Cyprus Families Grieve Missing Loved Ones at Last
NICOSIA—Three decades after Hussein and Christos went missing in the bloodshed that ripped Cyprus apart, their sons can finally grieve.
Both were non combatants who died on opposing sides in the war of 1974, yet it has taken 33 years for their families to know that beyond a shadow of doubt.
Grief has transcended ethnic divisions on this partitioned Mediterranean island for 28 families whose relatives have finally been pronounced dead after their bodies were found in reopened mass graves, in the first positive identifications of a war which left deep scars here.
"Before last Monday he was missing, presumed dead. Now it is `dead', and that cycle of uncertainty we had before has closed. There is a sense of finality to it," said Spyros Hadjinicolaou.
His father, Christos, a judge, was taken from his home by Turkish forces in 1974. His family never saw him again, though eyewitness accounts placed him at a prisoner of war camp.
"We had more or less expected it," said Hadjinicolaou, who was 5 when his father disappeared.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Kutred Ozersay, barely out of infancy when his own father Hussein Dildar was snatched by Greek Cypriots.
"On the one hand it's very disturbing. Since my childhood, we have regarded him as dead. Now it is like he is dying all over again," Ozersay said.
Some 2,000 people are missing from the Turkish invasion which followed a brief Greek-inspired coup in 1974 and fighting between Greek and Turkish Cypriots years before that.
It was the most emotive of issues separating the two sides, yet in an otherwise bleak outlook for a political settlement, the only one on which mediators have made any progress.
Exhumations
After much cajoling, both sides last year agreed to speed up exhumations from suspected mass graves. And with more people now willing to talk about the atrocities of decades ago, it led to discoveries in areas ranging from building sites to allotments in posh suburbs on the outskirts of Nicosia.
Some 303 individuals have been discovered so far.
On July 3, fifteen Greek Cypriot and thirteen Turkish Cypriot families got final word that remains had been found. Most relatives have contributed to a DNA bank, which is matching samples to the remains recovered.
"We are trying to help relatives achieve some closure on the uncertainty on what happened to their loved ones," said Swiss diplomat Christophe Girod, head of the U.N. backed Committee for Missing Persons, which is investigating the fate of missing persons in Cyprus.
For some of the families, it stamped out even the smallest vestige of hope that their relative would some day come back.
"I have an acquaintance whose father was positively identified. His mother is absolutely devastated. It's like it hits you right then," said Nicos Theodossiou, head of the Greek Cypriot committee representing relatives of missing persons.
Ozersay's father was rounded up with another 12 Turkish Cypriot men and boys in July 1974 by Greek Cypriots bent on exacting revenge for the Turkish invasion. They were found in a mass grave.
Turkish Cypriots plan to re-bury the group together, but this time with some dignity. "They were shot, and then shoved into the ground by a mechanical digger. That is not a burial. Now we can do it according to our religion and tradition."
Hadjinicolaou says he has hazy recollections of his father, who was found in a mass grave with other Greek Cypriots. He appears surprisingly calm.
"Right now we are thinking about how to do the funeral, now we will have a grave to place a flower on," he said.
Girod says grieving is part of the healing process. "We know that at these times for families, it is hard to digest that their loved ones are actually dead. There will be tears and emotions, that is normal, but in the long term it will achieve closure."
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Merkel admits Greek Cyprus’ EU entry was mistake
‘A problematic country should not become a member of the European Union,’ says German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
"These meetings clearly showed us that no country that hasn't resolved its internal problems should be taken to the EU," Merkel stressed in her remarks -- affirmation of what Ankara has been saying ever since Cyprus was welcomed as a full EU member in May 2004.
The EU has so far failed to get Greek Cyprus to lift its opposition to live up to a three-year-old promise to provide aid and open direct trade links with the Turkish Cypriots in a sign of appreciating their will for reunification. The EU only recognizes the southern Greek Cypriot side of the island, which serves as the official representative of the entire island within the bloc.
The EU partially suspended accession negotiations with Ankara last December in protest of Turkey's refusal to open its ports and airports to trade with Greek Cyprus. Turkey says it will not change its stance until the EU takes steps to end the international isolation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC).
Last month Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, during a visit to Ankara where he participated in a Turkey-EU Troika meeting, expressed regret that Turkey had failed to take steps to recognize Greek Cyprus. Yet, in remarks pleasing Ankara, he also expressed regret over the fact that the EU has not been able to fulfill its promises for conducting direct trade with Turkish Cypriots.
The EU hopes for "a comprehensive resolution to the Cyprus issue," but not for "a partial solution," EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn stressed during the same meeting, diplomatic sources said at the time.
Ban Ki-moon urges ‘real engagement’ on Cyprus
Just ahead of the anniversary of an agreement signed by the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders on the framework for resuming full negotiations, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged “real engagement” on the issue.
In a statement released by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban urged the leaders of the two communities to demonstrate “the necessary imagination and political courage to move from talks about procedures to real engagement on substance.”
On 8 July last year, the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leader reached an accord on establishing the necessary framework for a political process that was designed to lead to the resumption of full-fledged negotiations on solving the Cyprus problem.
But, “although the two sides continue to be engaged through regular discussions under the auspices of the United Nations – and both leaders express their commitment to a solution leading to a bi-zonal, bicommunal federation – it is regrettable that one year has passed without any start to the agreed process,” the statement said.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Cyprus, Michael Møller, underlined that it was time to fulfil the expectations raised by the signing of the agreement last year, and called for a renewal of confidence and mutual trust between the two communities.
Mr. Møller also stressed the importance of ensuring that Cypriots feel that their voices are being heard in helping to shape a solution to the Cyprus problem. Mr. Ban’s statement noted that although Cypriots have the main responsibility for resolving the issue, the UN remains willing to continue its efforts to assist.
The UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) is deployed on the island to supervise ceasefire lines, maintain a buffer zone and undertake humanitarian activities.
Investors take advantage of pre-euro prices in Cyprus
Property investors investing in the Cypriot property market are taking advantage or pre-euro prices, before they increase once the country joins the Eurozone.
Experts state that savvy buyers are moving to act on Cypriot properties ahead of Eurozone accession, amid concerns that prices will rise significantly after January 1st 2008. It is speculated that prices could rise by some 35 per cent on average after Cyprus joins the Eurozone, signalling more expensive properties within the year.
As such, investors who buy now will be in a good position to profit from higher values in 2008.
"Savvy overseas property buyers are moving quickly to take advantage of low property prices that will rise following Cyprus' Eurozone membership on January 1st 2008," explained Dani Maxton of Morpheus Investments to Homes Worldwide.
"[Buyers] will benefit from greater capital appreciation on property prices."
The Cypriot Finance Ministry has explained that while companies in Cyprus need to be ready for the currency conversion by January 1st, there will be a period of dual currency before this date.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Cyprus unemployment drops y/y in Q1
The unemployment rate in Cyprus dropped sharply in the first quarter of 2007 compared with the same period of 2006, according to the quarterly Labour Force Survey.
The number of unemployed reached 18,808 (males 8,933 and females 9,875) in the first quarter of 2007, compared with 21,993 in the first quarter of 2006.
The unemployment rate reached 4.8% of the labour force (males 4.2% and females 5.7%) while in the corresponding quarter of 2006 the rate was 5.9% (males 5.3% and females 6.6%).
The unemployment rate for young persons aged 15-24 fell to 10.9% compared with 12.0% in the corresponding quarter of 2006.
Compared with the fourth quarter of 2006, the unemployment rate was 4.2% (males 3.7% and females 4.9%).
The number of employed persons rose to 369,308 (males 204,638 and females 164,670) in the first quarter of 2007 compared with 350,656 (males and females) in the first quarter of 2006.
The employment rate for persons aged 15-64 was 69.8% (males 78.8% and females 61.3%) and remained at the same level with the previous quarter while it recorded a small increase from the corresponding quarter of 2006.
Top UN official welcomes identification of missing persons in Cyprus
The top United Nations official in Cyprus has welcomed the announcement by the Committee on Missing Persons concerning the positive identification of the bodies of 28 missing persons and its plans to start returning the remains to the families concerned.
Michael Møller, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative for Cyprus, urged everyone to exercise due restraint during this “sensitive and emotional time” and respect the privacy of the affected families.
Mr. Møller extended the sympathy of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), which has been deployed on the island for the past 43 years, to the families concerned, and voiced hope that they would find “relief and solace after so many years of uncertainty about the fate of their relatives.”
According to UN data, over 1,400 Greek Cypriots and 500 Turkish Cypriots are listed as missing. Some 270 remains have been unearthed on both sides of the ceasefire line following an agreement last year.
Missing US diplomat found dead in Cyprus
The US defence attache in Cyprus was found dead in a remote rural area of the Mediterranean island on Monday, four days after he disappeared with his diplomatic car, sparking an island-wide search.
A postmortem showed Lt. Col. Thomas Mooney, 45, bled to death from a cut to the throat, according to a police statement released late Monday. It did not clarify whether foul play was suspected, adding that the diplomat was identified by his dental records.
However, a Cypriot official involved in the autopsy said the diplomat fatally wounded himself.
"There is no evidence of foul play," the official told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. "He had a wound in the neck which is compatible with self-infliction."
Mooney disappeared with his car, a black Chevrolet Impala, on Thursday, and a ground and air search operation turned up nothing until Monday.
Police said Mooney's decomposed body was found near his car, which was parked on a dirt road in the Lefka area, a remote region of rugged, hilly terrain around 28 miles west of the capital, Nicosia.
Hours later the US Embassy confirmed that the dead man was Mooney - who is married with children.
"After the notification of next of kin, with deep sadness, I announce that Lt. Col. Thomas Mooney, who served his nation with distinction as our defence attache, was found dead by Cypriot authorities on Monday," US Ambassador Ronald Schlicher said in a written statement.
The US State Department said there was no indication of terrorist involvement.
"I wouldn't point you in the direction of an act of terror," US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
Mooney was last seen at around midday Thursday.
Cypriot officials were notified at least a day later, after the embassy conducted its own search. Police checked ports, airports and checkpoints linking the divided island's Greek and Turkish communities.
The embassy posted a message on its Web site on Saturday - with photos of Mooney and his car - urging anyone with information that might help locate him to contact police.
Mooney served as military attache in Cyprus since June 2006.
Schlicher said the embassy was canceling an Independence Day reception scheduled for late yesterday, "in light of these sad circumstances."