TOP AIDE to the Turkish Cypriot leadership Kudret Ozersay yesterday emphatically added to speculation that the ‘ghost town’ of Varosha will be opened to Greek Cypriot residents under Turkish Cypriot rule if the peace talks fail.
In an interview with English-language Turkish Cypriot paper Cyprus Today, Ozersay was quoted saying that if the talks fail, the authorities in the north will push forward with plans for the fenced off area of Famagusta.
“We will be taking action in parallel with UN parameters and the expectations of the international community. These actions will not hamper peace and stability in the region.
“However, we do not need to get the approval of the Greek Cypriot side to put these plans into practice,” he said.
Last week, reports surfaced in Turkish daily Milliyet that Turkey was preparing to open Varosha to its former inhabitants but under Turkish Cypriot rule if the peace talks did not reach a conclusion by July 1 when Cyprus takes over the EU Presidency.
Some saw it as a form of pressure on the Greek Cypriot negotiating team, others as a bluff, while legal analysts said the real issue here was money.
The Immoveable Property Commission (IPC) in the north has accepted over 400 applications from Varosha property owners, seeking restitution and awards for loss of use. A fair number of those applications involve substantial claims worth over €50m each.
Legal analysts argue Turkey has no legal reason to block restitution since Varosha is not inhabited by anyone, having been sealed off by the Turkish military since the invasion. Furthermore, paying for loss of use will end up costing Turkey billions of euros.
They do not rule out Turkey opening up Varosha to its original owners, but under two provisos, that they live under Turkish Cypriot administration, and sign a document, giving up their rights to seek compensation for loss of use.
President Demetris Christofias’ response to the report was to highlight that UN Security Council Resolution 550 specified the conditions in which Varosha should be returned. The resolution called on Turkey to hand the town to the UN, which will facilitate the return of its legal inhabitants.
However, speaking to Cyprus Today, the top aide to Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, Ozersay, said if there was no settlement, “then we have to ask ourselves, does the TRNC have authority over this area in its constitution? Yes. It is a military area. Over the past years, military areas have been nationalised for the benefit of society.”
Referring to the UN resolution, Ozersay said: “According to the Greek Cypriot side, we are breaching the resolution 100 per cent. If the Turkish side goes ahead with the opening of the area to the resettlement of the Greek Cypriots, we will be breaching the resolution by 80 per cent. This would not bring any further burden on us.
“We have to look at the issue from a rational point of view,” he added.
Eroglu’s official stance on the issue is that no such move is on the cards as long as peace talks are ongoing. Since both Turkey and Eroglu have made it clear they will pull out of talks on July 1 if there is no solution, Ozersay’s comments add a certain weight to the speculation.
The interview with the Turkish Cypriot aide started with him saying he would step down in July, as he had no faith in the negotiating process, which he claimed was skewed against the Turkish Cypriots.
