EUParliament asks Turkey to return Famagusta Ghost-Town in Occupied Cyprus to its lawful inhabitants

 

*Brussels/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- EU Parliament asked Turkey to return the sealed-off, empty Ghost-Town Famagusta, located in the Territories of Cyprus Occupied by Ankara's Army since the 1974 Military Invasion, to its lawfull inhabitants, i.e. mainly to Greek Cypriots a.o. Refuges/Displaced persons obliged to flee the Turkish tanks, 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            The surprise-move was completed by a Majority of MEPs at the last minute  today, by signing the "written Declaration "No 0042/2011", initially tabled by Polish Socialist MEP Lidia Joanna Geringer de Oedenberg, Spanish MEP Willy Meyer (EuroLeft), Swedish Liberal MEP Cecilia Wikström, Greek "Green" MEP Michail Tremopoulos, and Polish ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP Artur Zasada.

It was supported, naturally, by all 6 Cyprus' MEPs, but "EuroFora" saw and met also with former Ministers Kyriakos Mavronikolas (PS), EU Parliament Security/Defense Committee vice-President, and experienced, mainstream MEP Eleni Theocharous (EPP), who looked both particularly active in order to alert their collegues about the need to attract the greatest possible number of MEPS' signatures. Mavronikolas told "EuroFora" that each Cyprus' MEP was speaking in priority with other EU Countries' MEPs of his/her Political Group.

 The EU Parliament's  text adopted officially today  "calls on the Government of Turkey to ... return the Famagusta sealed-off section to its lawfull inhabitants", i.e. mainly Greek Cypriot Refugees.

They "must resettle" there, "under Conditions of Security and Peace", EU Parliament's declaration stresses, always following closely the original UNO Security Council Resolutions on that matter.

+ For that purpose, EU Parliament "urges the EU Institutions" (such as EU Commission and/or EU Council, which, f.ex. still pay to the Turkish Government more than 1 Billion € each year for a controversial and unpopular EU bid, almost stalled since 2006-2007+), "to coordinate their efforts with (EU) Parliament to promote Turkey's cooperation".

The official text's considerations remind the fact that "the City of Famagusta, (located) in the Republic of Cyprus), was captured by the invading Turkish forces in August 1974". "A section of Famagusta was then sealed-off, and remains uninhabited, under the direct control of the Turkish Military".

EU Parliament's call to the Turkish Government is to be sent by its President, German MEP Martin Schulz, not only to all other EU bodies and EU Member States, butalso to UNO's Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, in order be informed of MEPs' will to implement UNO SC's Resolutions on the Turkish Occupied Famagusta city, now that he's personally involved in attempts to solve the Cyprus' issue on the basis of UNO SC Resolutions.

Because "the Return of Famagusta sealed-off section to its lawful inhabitants would Facilitate efforts towards a comprehensive Settlement of the Cyprus' issue", MEPs explain.

Indeed, given the Turkish side's general reluctance to respect ECHR's case-law on Greek Cypriot Regugees/Displaced persons' Human Rights to Return to their Ancestral Land and for restitution of their Family Homes and/or private properties, Famagusta's empty "Ghost-Town"'s return, obviously is the easiest step that Turkey can take on the Cyprus' issue.

MEP Tremopoulos told "EuroFora" a.o. that, in his view, the move should be combined with an earlier, Cyprus Government's offer to also allow a kind of joint direct Foreign Trade deal, uniting together Greek and  Turkish Cypriots towards reconciliation through common interests also for a "Green" Growth, and sustainable development which could be supported by EU Funds.

Thus, the return of Famagusta's Refugees could re-equilibrate the approach of Cyprus' issue with respect of Humanitarian principles, as a step towards a comprehensive solution without winers and losers, particularly useful now that the Political Talks appear reaching a deadlock, he said.

Meanwhile, EU Parliament's declaration cites the UNO's Security Council Resolutions 550 (1984) and 789 (1992), as well as its own (EU) Resolutions on Famagusta, spreading from 1993, and 2008 (Petitions' Committe) up to  2009's EU - Turkey's controversial "Talks", revealing Ankara's persisting refusal to comply with the European and International community's official decisions throughout Decades.