Cyprus-Forum.com

[Kifeas]

Again I would have to ask you, do you see no inconsistency between the RoC courts ruling on the Orams case and the reported statements from your own interior minister "ruling out any compensation before a settlement of the political issue on the island."

Okay, I see were you are heading. You want to go back to the argument of whether the property issue is a political instead of a legal one. The interior minister didn’t say that the property aspect is a political one but instead he said any (legitimate –legal) compensation towards the affected person, will be paid after a political settlement is reached. The reason he said so, obviously relates to the fact that this person has moved to the north and got in his possession some other GC property, which apparently (based on some information) he already “sold.” Now, because this cannot be verified since there is no access to relevant records in the north, the RoC chooses -not only in this case but also to any other similar ones, not to be pay the owed money at this stage but at a later one, when there will be a definite verification of what other (GC) property this person or his family have gotten into their control and what happened with it. This later stage presumably coincides with the solution of the Cyprus problem.

That however does not constitute by itself an acceptance by the RoC that the Property issue is a political one.

[Kifeas]

So what is the deal here? Any TC claims against land in the South can not / will not / should not be settled without a political solution, but GC claims against property in the North do not, should not and will not depend on a poltical solution? Is that what is being said?

Is there not a single GC poster here who can see the inconsistency of this statement with the Orams case? Or the inconsistency of the RoC government position as expressed in this quote by the interior minister and with the 'wailing' of some GC here when it was suggested by TC that there should be not settlement of property issues except as part of a wider political settlement?

Okay Erol! You are right! There is a profound inconsistency. Everything has to wait until there is a political settlement. In fact Ecevit and Denktash have been saying that the Cyprus problem was (politically) solved in 1974. For 31 years the TC /Turkish side were dragging their feet. It may as well take another 5, 10, 30 years to be solved. Who cares? In the meantime and until a political solution to the purely political issue of properties is reached, keep selling the GC properties in the north. So far you have sold almost as much property (in value terms) as you have left in the south. Keep selling! Every passing day, sell one GC’s property to the foreigners. Every passing day from now on, build one more house into a GC’s property. Who cares? After all it is a political matter. Keep selling! In 2, 3, maximum 5 years, you will probably sell all GC properties in the north. Who cares? Keep selling, it is a political issue.

Just keep selling!
Do not worry, only keep selling!

[erolz]

Okay, I see were you are heading.

At last

The reason he said so, obviously relates to the fact that this person has moved to the north and got in his possession some other GC property, which apparently (based on some information) he already “sold.” Now, because this cannot be verified since there is no access to relevant records in the north, the RoC chooses -not only in this case but also to any other similar ones, not to be pay the owed money at this stage but at a later one, when there will be a definite verification of what other (GC) property this person or his family have gotten into their control and what happened with it. This later stage presumably coincides with the solution of the Cyprus problem.

That may be obvious to you, but firstly I do not know that the TC making this claim recieved land in the north for this land he is claiming rights over in the south or not. You have said you believe this to be the case but I do not know if it is one way or another. All I know at this stage is what it has been reported that the interior minister said. That says nothing about what land the claimant may have recieved in the north or not. It just says
"and ruled out any compensation before a settlement of the political issue on the island." I understand and accept this is not an expclit claim that the property issue is a political one and not a purley legal one but it does sound to me at the moment that he is saying compensation (and presumably return) will not occur before a poltical solution.

Anyway this position will become clearer I guess after the appeal against Turkish Cypriot Arif Mustafa is completed. If the appeal court upholds the decison that he should be allowed to return to his home, then I guess we will see what the RoC position is more clearly. Or if the appeal court wil use the lack of a poltical settlement as a reason to overturn or suspend the previous ruling in this case. By the way did the original trial recieve any evidence of what property if any Arif Mustafa was awarded in the north and what he did with it?