TURKISH Cypriot papers yesterday reported that the first proposal to invest in the ghost town of Varosha had come from a Greek Cypriot company.
The issue of the abandoned Greek Cypriot area in occupied Famagusta was back in the headlines at the weekend after it was revealed that Turkey had last month planned to give control of the once-thriving tourist resort to the Turkish Cypriot administration and that
Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash had offered to allow Greek Cypriots to return and live under Turkish Cypriot administration.
Since 1974, Turkish troops have had control of the abandoned town, but under a UN resolution the status quo must be maintained in the absence of a Cyprus settlement.
In July, Denktash announced he was willing to give back part of Varosha to the Greek Cypriots under UN auspices if Nicosia Airport was reopened. When the Greek Cypriot side declined, he threatened to resettle the area, a threat widely dismissed given the prohibitive cost of reconstruction.
But Denktash spoke of creating 15,000 new jobs and 20,000 hotel beds to rejuvenate the area. And Kibris newspaper said yesterday that businessmen had already begun to react positively to initiatives by the Turkish Cypriot religious association VAKIFLAR to draw up a master plan for revitalising Varosha and boosting the economy in the north.
According to Kibris, VAKIFLAR has already begun evaluating proposals made by individuals and companies for joint investment projects. “As has been learned, among these proposals there is a proposal by a company which belongs to a Greek Cypriot,” the paper said.
The chairman of VAKIFLAR, Taner Dervis, confirmed that the aim was to operate 20,000 beds and open 5,000 new businesses.
The government said yesterday that Denktash was again using the fenced-off town as a negotiating card in the Cyprus issue.
”Denktash continues to use the town of Varosha for his own political purposes and diplomatic handlings contrary to what international norms and UN Security Council decisions state,” the government spokesman said during his daily press briefing.
The issue was the subject of a meeting yesterday between Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Sotos Zacheos and UNFICYP chief of mission Zbigniew Wlosowicz, who was asked to comment on the reported intention of Turkish Cypriot religious organisations to repair and operate hotels in the town. Wlosowicz said: “That piece of information has not come to my office yet but as soon as it does we will look into it.”
House President Demetris Christofias said Turkey’s proposed move was “unacceptable”. “If Denktash wanted the area to be settled by its inhabitants and send a message of good will, Turkey should have granted Famagusta to the UN, just as it is foreseen by the relevant UN resolution and call on its inhabitants to return,” he said. “This did not happen. On the contrary, it is being rumoured that Turkey will give Famagusta to the illegal state and invite its inhabitants to return under Turkish Cypriot administration. This is unacceptable”, he added.
