[The Party’s Over for Usurpers of Illegal property in the north of Cyprus ]

The UK Court of Appeal ruling ordering Britons Linda and David Orams to demolish their “dream home” built on land belonging to Greek-Cypriot Meletis Apostolides should act as a strong deterrent for speculators of Greek-Cypriot properties in the north of Cyprus.

Meletis Apostolides is one of nearly 200,000 Greek-Cypriot refugees forcibly expelled from their homes in the 1974 Turkish invasion and illegal occupation of the northern part of Cyprus.

The ruling, in which the Orams were ordered to demolish their “dream-home”, return Mr.Apostolides’ land, pay back rent with interest and legal costs estimated at £1.35m, has shocked and angered thousands of British and other EU citizens living in Greek-Cypriot properties in the occupied north of the island.

These reactions have not been unsolicited owing to conflicting messages received by the British public in the years following the invasion. They include the escalating and unrestrained “North Cyprus” property and holiday advertising in the 35 years following the invasion, and Cherie Blair’s own appointment as legal councillor in defence of the Orams at the time of her husband’s premiership. This in itself constituted an unprecedented British vindication of Turkey’s illegal occupation of Cyprus.

In the wake of ruling last week, estate agents are now offering speculators even further financial incentives for the acquisition of Greek-Cypriot property in the north, following the market’s freefall decline.

Thanks to Mrs Blair’s involvement however, the publicity generated provides opportunity to focus on the illegal occupation of the island and clarify the important implications of this judgement.

This decision of Court of Appeal of England and Wales upholds a landmark 2009 ruling by the European Court of Justice, which determined that cases decided in the Courts of the Republic of Cyprus are applicable throughout the European Union.

It reaffirms the fundamental right of property whose legal owners are all those Greek-Cypriots, forcibly expelled from their homes in the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

This should serve as a clear warning to the thousands of British and other European citizens who have been tempted to acquire cheap Greek-Cypriot properties in the north. They will suffer consequences much like the Orams. With the precedent having been set, hundreds more cases are now pending.

In parallel cases pertaining to Turkish-Cypriot property, the government of Cyprus has shown full respect for European Law. In contuining contravention of it, Turkish "authorities", now refuse to implement this ruling with public exhibits of outrage and defiance.

An earlier European Court of Human Rights Judgment on the Fourth Interstate Appeal of Cyprus Vs Turkey (2007), also provided the Republic of Cyprus with a powerful legal tool with which to defend the right of Greek-Cypriots to return to their properties. Turkey still refuses to execute the Judgment, which found her guilty of gross human rights violations.

In efforts to alter the demography of the island, Turkish authorities have consistently promoted the usurpation of Greek-Cypriot properties by their encouragement of settlers from the Turkish mainland. These settlers now outnumber Turkish-Cypriots indigenous to the island by a ratio of 2:1. It should be noted that Official reports by the Council of Europe have condemned Turkey for these tactics and called for establishment of an EU fund for their return.

Following the ruling, last week Turkish PM Erdogan raised his concerns to Prime Minister Brown suggesting that it will hinder the high level political negotiations currently underway to reunify the island. Erdogan’s diplomatic meddling serves only to highlight Turkey’s own judicial shortfalls. Unlike that of the Turkey, the British judiciary is independent of the state and immune to its intervention.

As an EU candidate Turkey should better spend its energy on constitutional reform and aligning itself with EU laws and policies. The property issue must be solved on the basis of international law and the EU Acquis Communautaire, without deviations.

There is a legal decision here which must be respected, particularly by an EU candidate. If Turkey is not ready to accept the decisions of the European courts, then it is certainly not ready for the EU.

Nicosia, 29/1/2010