CYPRUS: In a bid to beat yesterday's deadline set by the European Court of Human Rights, two Greek Cypriots and their families have been told they are free to go home and reclaim their property in the north of the island, occupied by Turkey since 1974.
One has been granted compensation for land he does not wish returned, and a fourth has not replied to an offer of Cyprus £460,000 ($1 million) in compensation for being denied use of her property in the Varosha suburb of the port city of Famagusta, a military zone.
Turkey's foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, welcomed the decision of the Turkish Cypriot property commission and extended Ankara's support to its review of claims.
Turkey hopes that the board, set up last March, will satisfy the demand of the European Court of Human Rights for a "domestic remedy" for Greek Cypriot property claims.
More than 1,400 cases have been lodged with the court, which ruled a decade ago that Turkey, the occupying power, exercises control over the area and that the Turkish Cypriot administration is subordinate to Ankara and compelled Turkey to pay $1 million in damages to Greek-Cypriot refugee Tatina Loizidou for loss of enjoyment of her property in the north.
Once Ankara submits files on the four cases to the European Court it will decide whether the commission, comprised of five Turkish Cypriots, a Swede and a German, can provide "genuine and effective redress".
Another nine Greek Cypriots have made submissions to the commission.
Some 165,000 Greek Cypriots, two-fifths of the community, fled the north following the Turkish invasion, and 45,000 Turkish Cypriots moved to the north.
Turkish Cypriot legislation provides for the return to Greek Cypriot owners of properties not used by Turkish Cypriots, mainland Turkish settlers or the military and compensation for others.
But since most Greek Cypriot properties have been seized and occupied, the vast majority of owners can expect only compensation from a fund established by the Turkish government.
Records show that 58 per cent of land in the north is owned by Greek Cypriots, 16 per cent by Turkish Cypriots, 3.4 per cent by religious institutions and the remainder is public land.
The Cyprus government said that the commission's decisions amounted to a "misleading move by Turkey . . . to prove that a satisfactory mechanism exists and operates for the compensation of all Greek Cypriot refugees".
Spokesman Christodoulos Pashiardis argued that the European Court had ordered Turkey to restore full rights to all legal owners.
Most Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and settlers on the extreme right are opposed to the commission and regard its operations as detrimental to their real interests.