Cyprus-Forum.com

[Nickp]

South Cyprus has been critized by people as being a concrete city that has lost it's character through over building. I dont think this is true as 600,000 people do live on this side of the island and the only place where it's built up is in the main towns. Apart from that the villages are beautiful.

In contrast the North has been characterised as an unspoilt paradise. However, in my fisrt trip there in January and what i see going on in Kyrenia on the TV in terms of holiday homes says something otherwise.

I think North Cyprus has already been spoilt as a concrete city with all these holiday homes. There's holiday homes in the south, but for some reason i dont seem to be able to percieve them as many as in the North. Driving out of Famagusta the place was just flooded with them. I think the fact that the north has been lying in limbo makes them stand out.

I think it's also very bad business ethics if these are being built on GC land. I could be more compassionate if it were TC's who had lost home's and were buidling new homes for thier growing family. However, developers and tourists are doing nothing more than taking advantage of other people's misfortune and misery, without a care for the scenic beauty of the island.

Looking at the GC side, on TC land. From what i have seen GC's have either built homes or lively hood's on TC land due to being unable to claim thier property in the North. However, i haven't seen or am aware of the type of exploitation in the south going on among TC's land with the same scale as in the North on GC's.

How would you, a TC, like it if you had land off the coast of Larnaca only to have a pompous GC build a holiday home on it and sell it to an English tourist who will just tell you to 'piss off' you tell him that this land is yours.

The property issue is the most sensitive issue to the cyprus problem. Why is the Turkish side throwing fuel on the fire?

[Viewpoint]

Nickp we all understand the sensitivity of this issue but what do you expect the TCs to do just wait for a solution?, for how many more years 5 10 20??? TCs are faced with a dileama. Many have exchanged what they had in the south for land in the north via TRNC. (legal or not) they are approached by developers who offer them large sums of money for the land, some refuse but many to due to personal and economical problems accept. In your opinion what should they do, run to the south and reside there for 6 months and go to court for a decision that could take many years its just not feasible, they opt for the simplier route and sell to meet their immediate needs knoing that they have to forget thier land in the south forever. Many TCs who have exchanged land in their possession have become developers themselves, and are selling homes they have built on exchanged land to foreigners. People will continue to do this as long as there is no overall solution, so taking individuals to court will in the long run not serve Gcs purpose of returning to their land.

As far as there being more development in the north than the south, we are going through what the south went through maybe 20 years ago, I just hope we have the sense not over develop to a degree of spoiling the north like many other holiday destinations.

[Nickp]

I appreciate the dilema a TC is face with, with what your saying. And i would support your viewpoint to some extent.

However, i feel the scale of it is much bigger than the reasons that you suggested. Were talking mass quantities of land, not the odd plot that was given to a displaced TC who decided to sell it off, hence exploitation.

The Turkish Cypriot authorities should be doing something as it seems to be not only the exploitation of GC's land, but the island itself. I can only compare it as the GC admin giving the all clear to build on the Akamas pensinular which is deemed a national park.

If GC's have legal rights through the EU and they want to fight for it, who are we to say otherwise, it's their legal right.

[Viewpoint]

Nickp

If GC's have legal rights through the EU and they want to fight for it, who are we to say otherwise, it's their legal right.

I agree but this will not contribute to the overall solution, it will provoke hostility between the 2 communties as every GCs visitor to the north will be considered a spy collecting information for a legal aciton, is this what we want or is a solution to the overall issue. Can you imagine what will happen when the first english or TC is arrested??? goodwill???good relations??? hostility??? closure of borders???

[Anglo]

I appreciate the dilema a TC is face with, with what your saying. And i would support your viewpoint to some extent.

However, i feel the scale of it is much bigger than the reasons that you suggested. Were talking mass quantities of land, not the odd plot that was given to a displaced TC who decided to sell it off, hence exploitation.

The Turkish Cypriot authorities should be doing something as it seems to be not only the exploitation of GC's land, but the island itself. I can only compare it as the GC admin giving the all clear to build on the Akamas pensinular which is deemed a national park.

If GC's have legal rights through the EU and they want to fight for it, who are we to say otherwise, it's their legal right.

The Turkish Cypriots have been under an inhuman embargo for 31 years and in the last two or three few years the property sales boom has offered the first chance to make some cash to buy a car or renovate their houses.

The whole economy benefits from property sales - indeed it is the only decent source of income. If the embargoes were lifted then people could make their money from other areas but this is not an avenue open to them.

Greek Cypriots who target TCs/Talat/foreigners should look closer to home. The Annan Plan addressed many of these issues for many people. It was rejected and now people are complaining about the consequences.

[Piratis]

They can't sell anything to anybody because it doesn't belong to them.

Beyond that, the only difference is that some idiots will loose their money (not our problem) and some others (TCs/Turks) will become rich.

However, if we don't like what you built in our land, when we will get it back, apart from rent you will have to pay the expenses for demolishing it also.

[Bananiot]

The truth of the matter is that most of the GC's that are filing law suits against the occupants of their properties in the north, are put up to do so by rejectionist politicians and similarly thinking bigots who aim at burning all bridges of understanding between the communities. They simply want to cement partition and, creating animocity between the communities, is one way of achieving their evil target.

There is only one answer to the properties problem. SOLUTION of the Cyprob on the basis of the Anan Plan which will be changed without altering its philosophy, to satisfy both communities. The bigots on our side will not give the changes they want to the Plan despite the SG's call, because they do not want a solution. As Papadopoulos's son boasted just after the referendum "we did not give 5 million in order to stay in government for only 7 weeks".

One day the people will wake up to this reality and many will need to give answers.

[brother]

As Papadopoulos's son boasted just after the referendum "we did not give 5 million in order to stay in government for only 7 weeks".

Did not hear that one, have you got a link to something i can read.

[Bananiot]

The juicy parts are always told behind closed doors brother, but as you know, Cyprus is a small place and things cannot remain hidden for ever.

[Anglo]

However, if we don't like what you built in our land, when we will get it back, apart from rent you will have to pay the expenses for demolishing it also.

But how will you get it back? Through a war? Through the so-called EU solution? This is not legally possible.

The only way is through a negotiated setlement - whyd on't you try thinking outside the box and imagine yourself making some compromises for peace?