First this:
Refugees rights must be respected
Refugees rights must be respected
stresses UN Refugee Commissioner
By Angelos Marcopoulos
STRASBOURG
The restitution of refugees rights ``is absolutely essential’’ for a comprehensive settlement of political problems, it was stressed here yesterday by the most authoritative international personality on refugee problems, the UN High Commissioner on Refugees, Antonio Gutierrez.
If this does not happen there is ``a stark danger’’ of the conflict situation continuing, he added during a visit to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which adopted a resolution urging governments support the refugees right to return and to regain their properties.
"We entirely support guarantees for restitution or fair compensation of refugees’ properties, which is absolutely essential for a comprehensive solution,’’ Gutierrez said.
Sustainable return
He added that ``a stark reminder of the imperative of addressing refugee issues in a comprehensive way is the fact that some 50% of countries that emerged from conflict in recent years fell back into strife ...It is true that the refugees role is very important also for the construction of political solutions.’’
Expanding on the theme, Guttierez said that "on this very important issue of refugees’ properties there are well-known UN principles.’’
This is a clear reference reference to the special UN Resolution which strongly supports the righ of refugees and internally displaced persons to return and the restitution of their properties.
``The problem is to materialise that in practice", Gutierrez added. "That’s why peace agreements generally have clauses for refugees with guarantee that those who return will also participate anew in the political life. Thus, we want a closer cooperation with the European Court of Human Rights,’’ he said.
Following Gutierrez’ statements the CoE Assembly reiterated ``the importance of ensuring the conditions for the refugees sustainable return by implementing rights of reposession and fair compensation."
Illegal exploitation
The adopted resolution also urged governments "to implement the relevant human rights instruments,’’ and "to pursue reconciliation far more rigorously, especially in the areas of return by fostering a climate of respect, tolerance and non-discrimination and by prosecuting perpetrators of war crimes and inter-ethnic violence, to support returns including implementation of the right of repossesion and fair compensation.’’
For this purpose CoE’s member states ``must fully engage in cooperation to resolve the outstanding issues related to refugees and IDPs," the resolution said.
The resolution also urged the European Union to support the voluntrary return of refugees and the protection of human rights and the rule of law.
In a separate declaration the CoE Assembly also denounced the ``illegal exploitation of Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied part of Cyprus." The declaration said that MEPs:
"Strongly condemn such illegal acts resulting from the fact that due to the 1974 Turkish invasion and occupation of the northern part of Cyprus, 170,000 Greek Cypriots were expelled and are still prevented from returning to their properties which constitute approximately 78% of the occupied area, while the occupation regime allows the transfer of Greek Cypriot properties to third parties, without the consent of the Greek Cypriot lawful owners.
``This policy attempts not only to alienate lawful owners from their properties but also to create new faits accomplis, detrimental to the solution of the Cyprus’ problem."
The President of the European Court of Human Rights Jean-Paul Costa warned at the same time that the Court will not remain idle in ensuring that Turkey implements its judgements.
"We do not wash our hands on the duty of the CoE ministers to supervise the execution of judgements,’’ Costa said.
He was replying to my question on what should be done if Turkey persisted to disregard CoE’s Ministers April 2007 Resolution, which asked Ankara to take measures to safeguard Greek Cypriot refugees homes and properties from illegal sales or exploitation.
Serbia will make the return of refugees and forcibly displaced persons a priority during it’s presidency of the Council of Europe, the new holder of the rotating CoE presidency, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said. Among other steps the CoE will organise a series of conferences including one on the return of the refugees ``to which the Serbian presidency attaches great importance,’’ Jeremic said. (Serbia is the European country with the largest number of refugees).
Then this:
AG briefed by MP on North property sales
AG briefed by MP on property sales in north?By Athena Karsera
DISY MP George Georgiou yesterday briefed the Attorney General about five separate alleged cases of Greek Cypriots selling their land in the occupied areas and of others buying land there.?Georgiou said that the instances involved property in Kyrenia and occupied Famagusta.?Speaking to reporters at a press conference after his meeting with Attorney General Petros Clerides, Georgiou said that he would not be releasing the names of the people involved in the dealings until the government had investigated the matter and decided the actions were illegal.?Speaking before the House Plenum, Georgiou earlier this month said that he was aware of well-known personalities being involved in the legally murky sales of Greek Cypriot property in the occupied areas. ?‘Heart attacks’?Called on to name names, Georgiou said that doing so would cause "a spate of heart-attacks." ?The Government Spokesman said soon afterwards that the state was aware of instances of properties being sold and purchased in this way.?Georgiou yesterday said he did not consider it ethical to make names public before the state had the opportunity to investigate the information it already held. ?Georgiou also revealed that he had been told of an additional four cases, information on which he did not pass on to the Attorney General yesterday. Georgiou said this was because he had not had the opportunity to substantiate the information properly yet.?Georgiou said: "It is not up to me to decide if these dealings are legal or not. The Attorney General must decide."?Essence?He also said that it was up to the government to investigate the information it already held: "I am a politician not a police officer or a detective, I will not become Hercules Poirot investigating a case."?Georgiou said that what was of essence was that some refugees had become financially desperate enough to sell their property in the occupied areas. He called on the state to take the necessary actions to prevent this from happening.?"People are having difficulty buying their children a piece of land or a flat to live in...they see land similar to theirs being sold for a lot of money in the free areas," he said. ?Georgiou said that Greek Cypriots were also being duped into selling their property for less than it was worth.?In a joint statement with fellow MP Kyriacos Hadjiyiannis, Georgiou also called on the government to answer a number of questions he said affected all refugees.?According to the statement, these are: "Does the Greek Cypriot owner of land in the occupied areas have the right to enter into an agreement to sell his land to an individual or company from an EU country and for it then to be transferred at the district Land Registry offices? Do private companies set up before August 15, 1974, with property in the occupied areas amongst their assets, have the right to transfer their shares to individuals and companies from within the EU? ?Legal standing?What will happen if the European Court of Human Rights gives legal standing to the so-called ‘Compensation Commission’ of the occupation regime? How does the state suggest refugees respond? What measures has the government taken making use of European legal framework to prevent the occupation regime’ ‘Compensation Commission’ from operating effectively??What measures has the government taken to ensure the well-being of refugees so that they do not become desperate enough to make individual decisions on their property that create a precedent in favour of one of the occupation regime’s strategic goals i.e. creating conditions of complete separation, two ethnically ‘clean’ areas in Cyprus? ?Why has the government shown chronic negligence in preventing the usurping of Greek Cypriot land in the occupied areas and adequately informing the international community? ?How does the state respond to refugees who had 365,000 sq. m of their land in the occupied areas built in by 2002 and, by the end of 2006, had more than 440,000 sq. m covered? At what European bodies, Council and Commission, has it informed about this building splurge?"
