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[brother]

Northern Cyprus F.M. Warns U.N. About Summonses Issued By Greek Cypriot Side
Published: 5/3/2005



 
LEFKOSA - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Foreign Ministry warned the United Nations (U.N.) that some Turkish Cypriots and some other people of foreign origin were harassed with summons the courts in the southern part of Cyprus for Greek Cypriots' compensation cases.

''This initiative affected negatively the two societies' efforts for rapprochement,'' the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. ''Nobody has the right to harass TRNC people and this will not be permitted.''

Releasing a statement, the ministry said that the people should not receive such summonses.

It asked people's assistance in informing people who want to hand over such summons in order to arrest them.

Noting that Greek Cypriots who left properties in the northern part of the island before 1974 were calling Turkish Cypriots and some other people of foreign origin living in TRNC to the courts in Greek Cypriot for their compensation cases under cover of defending individual rights, the statement said that these initiatives aimed at disturbing everyone living in TRNC.

The statement said such initiatives dealt a significant blow to the efforts to bring to communities closer after Turkish side facilitated passages from the border on April 23, 2003.

''Greek Cypriot side has prevented the will of Turkish Cypriots aiming to solve the Cyprus issue with their ''no'' votes in the 24 April referenda, pursues a strategy that will destroy bizonality. And it is obvious that this will not help development of a constructive atmosphere between the two sides.''

It added that TRNC Foreign Ministry warned the U.N. about the issue.

[metecyp]

Seriously, can someone explain me how this is helping for a solution? What do GCs expect by taking TCs to courts? They expect that TCs will be scared and give all the land/house back? They expect that this will increase the mutual trust between communities?

I understand GC concerns. I understand that it's hard to see your property being taken away from you and it's hard to see someone else using it right now but I believe that the best chance to get back your property is to agree on a solution not force it by scaring people.

[Main_Source]

Does this article have any conrete evidence to show this is true?...or is it another propaganda effort. RoC has already publicly stated that it would not look to take TC to court over GC property. So I want to see firm evidence to show that the RoC is lying, because the article is written in a slant towards the 'TRNC'..like saying Greek Cypriots in the north 'left' their houses...as opposed to the truth, that they were forced.

Lately, we've seen several TC misinterpretations of the laws of the RoC and I dont know if it's through articles like this. All I would like to see is some concrete evidence that this is true that they are harrassing TC.

[Anglo]

At least the ROC is being consistent in its harrassment of occupiers of former Greek property. If they uphold the principle that it is wrong to occupy ex-Greek land/houses then TCs must be as 'guilty' as foreigners. Otherwise the ROC weakens its already weak legal argument of an 'EU' solution.

[Kifeas]

Seriously, can someone explain me how this is helping for a solution? What do GCs expect by taking TCs to courts? They expect that TCs will be scared and give all the land/house back? They expect that this will increase the mutual trust between communities?

I understand GC concerns. I understand that it's hard to see your property being taken away from you and it's hard to see someone else using it right now but I believe that the best chance to get back your property is to agree on a solution not force it by scaring people.

Metecyp, GCs are not taking TCs as such to courts. This is an intentional lie of the TC side in order to create impressions. No one TC was truly harassed so far. What happens is law sues against foreign buyers of GC land or of houses built or bought by them in such properties. That's all. The allegations of the TC ("TRNC") "authorities" that GCs go against TCs are a lie in order to victimise the GC side and the RoC for "spoiling" the climate for a solution. However, If the TC side was sincere in their pledges for a solution, they should have themselves make sure that this property robbery that takes places in the north is stopped. They do nothing to that direction though.

[turkcyp]

Main_source if RoC claims to be treat everybody equal, they can not pick and choose who they take into courts. Also these court cases are not opened by RoC, it is opened by individual GCs like in Orams case. So there is nothing that RoC can do to stop GCs suing TCs to get their land back.

Many GCs may not sue TCs but there is definitely some who might be tempted to do so. So in that case do you really think this would help the matter at hand. It does not.

Plus suing foreigners but not TCs do not even make sense either. Because realizing this trend soon foreigners will start making deals with TCs where they make lease agreements with options in it. What they will start doing, and actually being started to do already, is that it will not be a sale agreement but rather a long term lease agreement (say 100 years) with option to extend the lease and also with the option to buy the property for a stupidly low price.

In that case legally you can not sue foreigner because legally they do not own the property but TC does and foreigner merely leases it, so you will be forced to sue the TC as the owner if you wish to achieve anything.

The fact is the sooner GCs realize that the way to solve property problem is not pursing legal way but rather finding a solution the fastest this thing will be solved. Anyway before this year is over the legal avenues for getting your property will be closed anyway. If the applications to ECHR continues at this speed, ECHR will simply accept the property commission in TRNC as legal remedy once it satisfies the necessary conditions.

And also the EU avenue will close as well, as they will soon realize that UK courts will not uphold the GC courts decision as it has no de-facto jurisdiction over the property. The only legal loophole that GCs had found was the Louzidou case and as I have explained before it most probably will close soon if the applications to ECHR continues at this speed. (GCs are simply turning ECHR into property court rather than human rights court. Do you know that it takes more than 2 years for a case to be finalized in ECHR, and do you also know that there are more than 1000 applications in ECHR right now and they will be increasing. This will halt all the other operations of the ECHR.) ECHR may not be a political body but it takes its power to from political organization of European Council.

So GOOD LUCK to all GCs,

As for me. I am simply waiting the time that I will be sued by the pre-74 owner of my house. May be this will save my headache of trying to find out who he is in land registry office and may be we can make a deal to buy the plot.

Again GOOD LUCK.

[turkcyp]

Metecyp, GCs are not taking TCs as such to courts. This is an intentional lie of the TC side in order to create impressions. No one TC was truly harassed so far. What happens is law sues against foreign buyers of GC land or of houses built or bought by them in such properties. That's all. The allegations of the TC ("TRNC") "authorities" that GCs go against TCs are a lie in order to victimise the GC side and the RoC for "spoiling" the climate for a solution. However, If the TC side was sincere in their pledges for a solution, they should have themselves make sure that this property robbery that takes places in the north is stopped. They do nothing to that direction though.

If RoC claims to be treat everybody equal, they can not pick and choose which cases they take into courts. So there is nothing that RoC can do to stop GCs suing TCs to get their land back. What RoC is going to do if one GC tries to sue a TC, tell him you can not. Many GCs may not sue TCs but there is definitely some who might be tempted to do so. So in that case do you really think this would help the matter at hand. It does not.

Plus suing foreigners but not TCs do not even make sense either. Because realizing this trend soon foreigners will start making deals with TCs where they make lease agreements with options in it. What they will start doing, and actually being started to do already, is that it will not be a sale agreement but rather a long term lease agreement (say 100 years) with option to extend the lease and also with the option to buy the property for a stupidly low price.

In that case legally you can not sue foreigner because legally they do not own the property but TC does and foreigner merely leases it, so you will be forced to sue the TC as the owner if you wish to achieve anything.

[Kifeas]

At least the ROC is being consistent in its harrassment of occupiers of former Greek property. If they uphold the principle that it is wrong to occupy ex-Greek land/houses then TCs must be as 'guilty' as foreigners. Otherwise the ROC weakens its already weak legal argument of an 'EU' solution.

That is not correct. The GC side makes a clear distinction between the TCs who were made refugees from the south into the north and consequently they have a necessity right to live somewhere and cultivate or utilise a GC house or property, until a solution is reached that will sort out all the issues including properties, and those who trade such properties to foreigners with the aim to make illegitimate profits and also create negative de facto and on the ground situations, regarding GC properties.

[metecyp]

Metecyp, GCs are not taking TCs as such to courts. This is an intentional lie of the TC side in order to create impressions. No one TC was truly harassed so far.

I just read yesterday in Kibris newspaper that the owner of Hurma restaurant (in Famagusta near Palm Beach Hotel, I believe) received a notice from a GC lawyer about him being taken to court. So you're telling me that this is a lie?

[Kifeas]

Metecyp, GCs are not taking TCs as such to courts. This is an intentional lie of the TC side in order to create impressions. No one TC was truly harassed so far.

I just read yesterday in Kibris newspaper that the owner of Hurma restaurant (in Famagusta near Palm Beach Hotel, I believe) received a notice from a GC lawyer about him being taken to court. So you're telling me that this is a lie?

I just hear about this case. Generally speaking, and this is a fact from personal experience, the RoC advise to all the lawyers that wish to deal with these cases is to avoid taking actions indiscriminately and more importantly against ordinary TCs who use properties for family housing or for "making a living" purposes. I often speak with a well-known lawyer in Nicosia who brought up one such case against some British people from my village in the north.