Following reports in the press about a leaked document covering property rights, President Akinci has said that the details of property settlement are still being discussed.
Explaining that the negotiating teams on both sides are continuing to work on determining the criteria for settling the property issue, Akinci called on the public to disregard reports in the press about the property issue.
Akinci, referring to reports that appeared in the press regarding a formula for settling the property dispute said, “We are trying to do what is best for our people. The people should listen to what we have to say. In the end it will be the people who will decide”, he added.
Stating that documents are frequently exchanged as part of the negotiations process, Akinci said that he could not comment on the press reports since he had not yet had the opportunity to examine the published documents and added: “I need to see if the documents published are in fact genuine. We send copies of these documents to parliament but we are not under any obligation to explain them to anyone”.
Akinci also argued that ‘first application’ is different from ‘first right of say’. “Of course the first application will be made by the owner of the property. This is only natural. I believe that some will be demanding compensation at the very beginning. But it doesn’t mean that when the first title deed owner wants his or her property back that there will be restitution. This issue will be solved entirely through the criteria to be determined”, Akinci added.
The president also noted that the Turkish Cypriot side, from the very beginning, has been insisting that the majority of property ownership in the Turkish Cypriot constituent state should belong to the Turkish Cypriots and added: “This is clearly stated in existing UN parameters agreed at the beginning of the 90s”.
BRT
