Turkish Cypriots critical of Brown over Orams case
LONDON based human rights group Embargoed! and other British Turkish Cypriot groups criticised Prime Minister Gordon Brown for meeeting Greek Cypriot President Christofias yesterday (11 November) with the Orams property case hearing due at the Court of Appeal this week.
The case, which involves British couple David and Linda Orams being sued by a Greek Cypriot over their TRNC property, has huge significance for both Cyprus and tens of thousands of British citizens.
The groups wrote to the Prime Minister asking for the meeting with Mr Christofias to be cancelled, urging the British Government to act with more sensitivity on the issue.
Embargoed! chair Fevzi Hussein said, “To say we are disappointed with Gordon Brown is an understatement. Just what does the British PM think he is playing at by meeting Mr Christofias on the first day of the Orams hearing? It smacks of political interference by the Greek Cypriot side and sends out all the wrong messages.
“Time and again we see the hypocrisy of the Greek Cypriot side. They are happy to develop on Turkish Cypriot property in the South, such as the land on which Larnaca and Paphos airports are built on, yet they bully anyone seeking to invest in North Cyprus. The case against the Orams is yet another example”.
Greek Cypriot plaintiff Meletis Apostolides is suing the British couple for acquiring and developing land in North Cyprus he formerly owned.Mr Apostolides wants the Orams’ house demolished and compensation paid and as he cannot enforce the decision in the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC), Mr. Apostolides wants it enforced in the UK where the Orams have another property.
In April this year, a panel of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) headed by a Greek judge ruled in favour of the plaintiff. The ECJ judgment must now be applied throughout the European Union, including the UK. However, EU States can opt out of the ruling on reasons of ‘public policy’.
Cetin Ramadan, the UK head of the Association of Turkish Cypriots Abroad (ATCA) said, “If Mr Brown and the other EU leaders want to help Cyprus, then they need to avoid actions that suggest they support one camp over the other. Both sides have suffered, both have rights and needs, and it’s about time Europe recognised that.”
http://www.londragazete.com/haber_detay ... berID=5378
...I guess some minds are really Embargoed!