Government pleads with Greek Cypriots to avoid north’s ‘property commission’

Government pleads with Greek Cypriots to avoid north’s ‘property commission’
By Elias Hazou

AN unhappy government yesterday appealed to people’s sense of patriotism, cautioning Greek Cypriots not to be lured by the glitter of gold as they seek compensation for their lost properties from the ‘compensation commission’ in the north.

The commission was set up last March. If accepted as legitimate by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the body could be handling Greek Cypriot applications for the reinstatement of properties in the north.

The establishment of the commission came after the ECHR last December handed the baton to Turkey to find a way of offering redress to Greek Cypriot Myra Xenides-Arestis, who lost her property in Varosha during the 1974 Turkish invasion. Turkey accepted the challenge and has in turn given the Turkish Cypriot authorities – as its ‘subordinate local authority’ – the task of delivering justice on Greek Cypriot property claims.

So far, around eight Greek Cypriots have contacted the commission’s offices in the occupied part of Nicosia. According to press reports, most of them are opting for the cash and waiving any claim to return to their homes in the north.

Not so for Arestis and her legal team, who expect Turkey to grant her full restitution – meaning access and use of her property.

With the deadline for Turkey’s compliance with the ECHR’s ruling expiring on Thursday, the fate of some 1,400 similar Greek Cypriot applications hangs in the balance.

And with time running out fast, the commission in the north is reportedly pulling out all the stops to acquire a veneer of credibility. According to daily Politis, the body is “promising Greek Cypriots the earth” should they choose to apply to it.

Compensation application forms are now available in Greek and English, and applicants are assured of handsome payouts. Moreover, the commission guarantees it can transfer the money to an applicant’s bank of choice, including banks in the south, although Turkish banks are recommended.

According to the commission’s legal advisors, depositing the amount in Turkish banks and then transferring it to a bank in the free areas would not present a problem – they point out that recently the National Bank of Greece acquired a controlling stake in Finansbank AS, Turkey’s sixth-largest publicly traded bank.

Over the weekend, Politis sent a group of its reporters undercover to investigate. The journalists, posing as interested refugees, were furnished with application forms and details on how to apply, including the relevant documentation.

According to Politis, the commission has drawn up certain models, based on which it calculates the value of the property being claimed. Using a large database, an estimate is made on the actual value of a tract of land or the compensation due a refugee for loss of use.

A lawyer working for the commission assured the Politis journalists of full confidentiality in their dealings.

It takes around a month and a half for an application to be examined. Initially, the commission asks the applicant to determine the amount of compensation he/she wants. Next the commission proposes its own figure. In the event of a major difference between the two amounts, applicants have the right to appeal first to the commission and then to the ECHR.

And the commission is reportedly planning to set up a website, where interested parties can find information and even carry out the initial stages of an application.

But Achilleas Demetriades, lawyer for Arestis, yesterday dismissed these moves as sensationalistic.

Turkish Cypriot press reports said that Arestis has been offered £460,000 for her property.
But Demetriades was unimpressed.

“Mrs Arestis’ primary concern is to return to her home in the fenced-off area of Varosha,” he told state radio yesterday.

“This is not academic. The ECHR has ordered Turkey to provide genuine redress until June 21, in other words restore Mrs Aresti to her property.

“I believe most people would take the same course of action as us. But certainly there are some who would prefer the money, due to financial difficulties and what have you. That’s fine. It’s their business. It’s understandable. We judge no one.”

Demetriades said he doubted that the European court would be influenced by this burst of activity from the commission.

“These are just attempts at attracting people, so that Turkey can then say ‘Look, we have so many applications pending before our commission’.”

Government Spokesman Christodoulos Pashardis yesterday urged Greek Cypriots to place the “national good” above their narrow personal interests.

“The government fully respects the individual rights of its citizens. But, first and foremost, it has respect for the broader national interest. Only a correct solution [to the Cyprus problem] can serve this national interest.

“I must stress also that the commission only provides compensation – it does not return one’s property or grant access to it,” he said.

DISY deputy chief Averoff Neofytou agreed, but took a different angle. He said the fact that people were turning to the commission suggested Greek Cypriots held out little hope for reunification and a political settlement.

“We must not leave this national affair to come down to each citizen’s personal needs and choices,” Neophytou warned.

“How can we be sure that the seven applicants today will not become 70 or 700 tomorrow?”
The same went for Turkish Cypriots seeking their properties back in the south.

“What will happen, God forbid, if the ECHR rules that the commission is fit to examine applications? My hope is that Greek Cypriots are very careful.

“Now is the time for initiatives. We must use our membership in the EU to come closer to a solution,” he added, taking a dig at the government.