Cyprus-Forum.com

[brother]

VOLKAN newspaper alleges that the occupation regime is planning to return occupied land to its legal Greek Cypriot owners

Turkish Cypriot daily VOLKAN newspaper (11.08.05) reports that the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat and the Republican Turkish Party Democratic Party so-called government are continuing their efforts for annulling the 159th article of the constitution which is the basis of the proprietorship regime in the occupied areas of Cyprus. The paper alleges that the regime is planning to return 500 thousand donums of occupied land to their Greek Cypriot legal owners (Translators note: A donum is a land measure of 1000 square metres).

Under the title They will return 500 thousand donums of land, VOLKAN writes the following:

Talat and the RTP DP government, who are afraid of the reaction of the people on the issue of the amendment of the proprietorship regime in the TRNC and the return of properties to the Greek Cypriots, have put forward the Turkish Cypriot Human Rights Foundation and YENI DUZEN and KIBRIS newspapers.

While advocate Emine Erk, chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Human Rights Foundation, which has been established upon the encouragement of President Talat and with the financial aid of the RTP DP government, declares that they are working on legal amendments providing for returning properties to the Greek Cypriots and on the principles of the amendments, Hasan Ercakica, member of the central committee of RTP, wrote in his article published yesterday in YENI DUZEN that the proprietorship regime in the TRNC must change.

Necdet Ergun, writer in KIBRIS newspaper which is known for its proximity to the RTP, disclosed in his article yesterday the principles of the amendments on the proprietorship regime. Among the principles of the amendments is the return of 500 thousand donums of land to the Greek Cypriots.

Among the changes that are considered are the following:

1. There is a need for arrangements on the proprietorship regime of the TRNC. This must be done all at once and at the same time. Returning back title deeds (returning of Greek Cypriot properties) is needed, in order to prevent recourses to the ECHR. Therefore, the Compensations Committee must be given this authority.

2. The return of properties must take place according to the proprietorship regime of the Annan Plan. That is, the equivalents must not be included in this. The properties that will be subject to return must be properties which have no equivalent (Translators note: These are properties given to Turkish Cypriots for the property they abandoned in the free areas of the Republic). And their return must be according to the criteria determining the identity of the proprietorship in the Plan.

3. Properties which have no equivalent must be returned. Properties which are given to TRNC citizens who have no property in the south, properties which are given to those who came from Turkey, properties which are given to children of martyrs, properties by the sea which are given for tourism investments, properties which are given for investments in industrial areas, plots of vacant rural land must be returned.

4. These returns must be equivalent to the one third of the return in the Plan. In this way, about 500 thousand donums out of the 1.100.000 donums Greek Cypriot land nationalized in 1985 with the article 159 of the constitution will be returned to the Greek Cypriots.

5. The authority of nationalizing the properties to be returned. The authority of re-nationalizing on this issue must constitutionally be given to the state.

6. Turkey must meet the financing of the properties which will be returned. The TRNC has no ability to meet this. If the address of this issue is the budget of the TRNC there will be a rebellion. In addition to the return, Turkey must be responsible for the financing of all properties which have no equivalent.

7. The value of the properties which have no equivalent will be decreased with some speculations created about them and with some actions and after that these properties will be nationalized by paying small compensations.


Now this is excellent news and i hope the ROC will do the same

[erolz]

Now this is excellent news and i hope the ROC will do the same

I have to agree that this is a very positive approach by Talat and the TRNC.

I hope that we (TC) make real progress on this and do so regardless of anything the RoC does or does not do in response.

[brother]

Absolutely erolz, after all it is their land and properties and hence should have the right of return etc. and where not possible alternative land in same location or monetary compensation.

But i think the TRNC doing this will be the biggest show of humanity possible and lets not forget goodwill

[cannedmoose]

That would certainly be significant. 500,000 donums equates in real terms to 193 square miles of land, so in other words it would be the effective return of 5.4% of the island to GC owners. If it's true, a positive move certainly.

[Murtaza]

I think this show aim of Talat, He dont work for reunion.

[Yiannis]

It would be a great move if Talat manages to implement this. But i wouldnt be too happy about it just because in Cyprus too many plans are made but only few of them are achieved.

[demetriou_74]

i would go and suck every blokes balls who helped if all land was returned to its rightful owners.

at the moment its just a suggestion but if its implemented

[Viewpoint]

The GC administration will shoot this one down as well, you sit back and wait for their negative and condesending response.

[ChomskyFan]

The GC administration will shoot this one down as well, you sit back and wait for their negative and condesending response.

As you mention a lot of the time VP, it's about 'trust'.

[-mikkie2-]

I like the gullability of some people on here!

All they are proposing is the implementation of the property provisions of the Annan plan, which is obvioulsy unacceptable to the GC's.

2. The return of properties must take place according to the proprietorship regime of the Annan Plan. That is, the equivalents must not be included in this. The properties that will be subject to return must be properties which have no equivalent (Translators note: These are properties given to Turkish Cypriots for the property they abandoned in the free areas of the Republic). And their return must be according to the criteria determining the identity of the proprietorship in the Plan.