SEDAT ERGIN: Compensations to Cause Head Ache

“...The value of the land of the home of Titina Lozidiou in Girne is estimated at 70-80 thousand Euro. Some find this estimate high. Since 1974, a Turk is operating it as a pension. The ECHR sentenced Turkey in December 1996, to pay a fine of 600 thousand Euro to the Greek Cypriot woman...Turkey paid a fine of 1 million 120 thousand Euro (1 trillion 891 billion TL) to the Council, as compensation to Lozidiou, because of the accrued high interest rate. This is in fact, the biggest defeat Turkey suffered in the legal platform in Europe. Lozidiou still has another demand from the Court to return to her home in the North.

“Should the Annan Plan be adopted, thousands of Greek Cypriot petitions at the court would be directed to Cyprus...After the Plan is rejected (by Southern Cyprus), these cases are now posing an important problem for Turkey. ..IF ECHR treats the pending Greek petitions similar to that of Lozidiou, Turkey would face an enormous compensation that would destroy its budget. Let us say that there are 28.600 houses left by Greek Cypriots in the North after 1974. The stance to be taken by ECHR concerns Turkish tax payers, very much.”