THE PAYMENT of $1.2 million in compensation by Turkey to Greek Cypriot refugee Titina Loizidou was left hanging in the balance again yesterday as conflicting reports emerged from Strasbourg, where the Council of Europe (CoE) was to consider sanctions against Ankara.
Although the issue was on yesterday’s agenda of the CoE Committee of Ministers, discussions were not completed and are expected to be resumed today.
Early reports yesterday suggested Ankara was about to pay up, but this was later denied by Turkey’s Permanent Representative to the CoE, Numan Hazar.
Speculation was rife that Hazar had been given the green light to pay the money awarded by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in 1998, if the Committee of Ministers agreed to suspend an earlier ECHR judgment in the Loizidou case until the end of 2005.
In the earlier decision, dated December 1996, the ECHR ruled that Turkey was guilty of committing a continuing violation against Loizidou by preventing her from accessing her property in Kyrenia. The ruling also reaffirmed the validity of property title deeds issued before 1974, a thorny issue for the Turkish side and one which would set a precedent for the return of hundreds of thousands of Greek Cypriots to their homes in the occupied areas.
In one of two draft resolutions relating to the current CoE discussion, obtained by the Cyprus Mail yesterday, the Committee, referring to the December 1996 judgment, said it decided to “resume the examination of the execution of the judgment of 18 December 1996 in due time, taking into consideration proposals to do so at the end of 2005.” The second draft resolution refers to the “completion of payment” to Loizidou.
Anatolia New Agency quoted diplomatic sources as saying that differences of opinion between the CoE and Turkey had been minimised “thanks to mediation of the CoE Secretariat General”.
The CoE had already given Turkey an extra week to comply with the ECHR decision on compensation. Ankara was to pay up or face CoE sanctions by November 19 but was given a week’s extension.
Reports from the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) said late last night that if Turkey does not pay by today the Committee of Ministers would begin discussions on what sanctions to take against Ankara.
CNA said the same sources indicated that the CoE Secretariat had completed the document with suggestions for possible sanctions against Turkey.
In Athens, where official talks were being held, Greece’s Prime Minister Costas Simitis and President Tassos Papadopoulos said the CoE member states have an obligation to implement decisions of the ECHR without preconditions, especially those states wishing to join the EU.
“Turkey must comply immediately with the Court decision in the Loizidou case and give solutions to this case, not only because of the need to respect human rights but because of the credibility of the court itself,” Simitis said.
