Property rights of displaced persons in Cyprus

Doc. 9905

12 September 2003

Property rights of displaced persons in Cyprus

Written Question No. 427 to the Chair of the Committee of Ministers

Reply from the Chair of the Committee of Ministers

I. Written Question No. 427 by Mr Jurgens (Doc. 9777)

Having regard to Turkey’s continued failure to comply with the Loizidou judgment, which is unprecedented in the history of the Council of Europe,

Recalling the grave concerns expressed in this respect and the Assembly’s decision to consider at its April session the consequences of a continuing refusal on the part of Turkey to abide by the judgment,

Noting however with interest that during the recent Committee of Ministers’ meetings the Turkish authorities expressed their determination to comply with the judgment of 28 July 1998 concerning the just satisfaction and that the Committee expects to receive shortly information on concrete steps to this effect,

Mr Jurgens

To ask the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers,

If he could provide the Assembly with more details concerning the progress expected on the payment issue and if further measures are now taken to respect the property rights of displaced persons as required by the European Court of Human Rights and the Court’s judgments;

How much more time the Committee will now give Turkey to settle these overdue issues?

II. Reply by the Chairperson of the Committee of Ministers

The Chair can confirm to the Honourable Parliamentarian that the Turkish authorities declared unambiguously at the Deputies’ meeting on 19 June 2003, that the necessary action will be taken in order to allow the Committee of Ministers to find, at the Human Rights meeting on 7-8 October 2003, that the just satisfaction awarded by the Court has been paid. This will also allow the Deputies to adopt a final resolution on the execution of the Court’s judgment of 28 July 1998.

As regards the question regarding further measures, it has first to be noted that the Deputies have so far concentrated, for obvious reasons, on the payment of the just satisfaction awarded by the Court. Once this question has been settled, the Committee will decide how to proceed on the other issues raised by this case.