I would like to refer to Emilios Lemonaris’ succinct and pragmatic ‘Comment’ entitled, ‘The animal’s mine and I have the paper to prove it.’ The article highlights the Greek Cypriot leadership’s assertion at the intercommunal talks that the wishes of the owners should take precedence over those who are actually residing in them. Whether the Greek Cypriot ‘side’ likes it or not, The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that with the passage of time, the occupiers of property have rights too.
As a refugee from Famagusta, many thousands of us living in the south in Turkish Cypriot owned houses or who have built on Turkish Cypriot owned land would, according to the Greek Cypriot negotiators, by implication also have to lose the right to remain in these homes because the Turkish Cypriots would have first choice to demand our eviction.
In addition, I suspect that that the majority of both sets of refugees would not want to uproot and opt to live in the ‘opposition’ zone anyway. In short, the President and his aides are clinging to the oft quoted grandstanding slogan, ‘All refugees to their homes’. Yet again, it’s the refugees of both sides who are paying the price of political demagoguery and are being used as political pawns.
A solution along the following lines is a logical way out of the property conundrum which has stalled the talks.
With tacitly agreed territorial adjustments, it has been calculated that out of the approximate 160,000 refugees, more than two-thirds would return and remain in the Greek Cypriot zone. It should also be remembered that up to half have passed away. (My parents are a case in point). Of the remainder, they would be able to return and live under Turkish Cypriot administration – if they so wished – as the numbers, again taking into consideration those who have died, would easily fall within Turkish Cypriot preferred parameters. These latter refugees alone should decide whether they wished to return or receive compensation and not the politicians or their fellow countrymen. After all, the majority of Cypriots have lost nothing and in the main have done very nicely thank you.
The above is doable but whether the politicians have the statesmanlike qualities and political will to follow through I somehow doubt. Playing to the ‘patriotic’ gallery is far easier and would reinforce the negative habits of 36 years.
Gavin Jones, Paphos
