[ALBSA-Info] Euro court Cyprus verdict revives Greek-Turk rivalry

[Gazhebo at aol.com]

Euro court Cyprus verdict revives Greek-Turk rivalry

By Claudia Parsons

ANKARA, May 11 (Reuters) - Turkish and Greek rivalry over Cyprus re-surfaced 
on Friday after the European Human Rights Court pronounced Turkey guilty of 
abuses following its 1974 invasion of the Mediterranean island. 

Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said the Court erred in its Thursday 
verdict and said the judgment would not contribute to a settlement on the 
divided island. 

"It's clear that the European Court of Human Rights did not make a correct 
decision on Cyprus," Ecevit told reporters. "Cyprus's questions are not legal 
but political...The questions can only be solved if the two sides enter into 
a dialogue." 

The court said that Ankara had violated 14 articles of the European Human 
Rights Convention, including the right to life, the right to liberty and 
security, the right to freedom of thought and the right to freedom of 
expression. The decision was passed by 16 votes to one. 

However, Greece hailed the Court's condemnation of arch-rival Turkey and 
called for an enforcement of the verdict. 

"The decision by the European Court is of historical importance," Greek 
government spokesman Dimitris Reppas told reporters. "(The court) must now 
use all its means so that its decision can be put into force." 

The case was brought by the Cyprus government, which argued that the 
27-year-old Turkish occupation of the northern third of the Mediterranean 
island had trampled on almost every article in the convention. 

Ecevit was prime minister in 1974 and ordered the invasion of the island 
after a brief, failed Greek Cypriot coup engineered by then military-ruled 
Greece. The island has been effectively partitioned since, but only Ankara 
recognises the self-declared Turkish Cypriot statelet. 

U.N.-sponsored talks for a settlement of the Cyprus issue stalled late last 
year when Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash pulled out, saying he would 
not join negotiations unless he was recognised as an equal partner in the 
talks. 

Cypriot Attorney General Alecos Markides said the ruling should strengthen 
Cyprus's bargaining position. 

"We are negotiating to find proper ways within an acceptable political 
compromise to restore the human rights of all the people of Cyprus, Greek 
Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots alike," he told Reuters on Thursday. 

Turkey refused to attend the Court's hearing when it opened last year and 
argued the Turkish Cypriot state was an independent entity. 

"Cyprus has two independent states," said Ecevit, who has streets named after 
him in northern Cyprus. 

"Even though many nations do not recognise this, it is a reality...The 
decision made by the European Court of Human Rights does not meet the 
realities of Cyprus." 

The court ruled that Ankara had deprived some 170,000 Greek Cypriot refugees 
of their rights by banning them from returning to their homes in the north, 
and deprived of the "right to life" about 1,500 people who disappeared during 
the invasion. 

Turkey should be held accountable for the actions of the northern Cypriot 
administration, the court said, adding that it "survived by virtue of Turkish 
military and other support." 

Ankara, which keeps around 30,000 troops on the island, has always denied 
accusations of rights violations. 

A settlement on the island is becoming more urgent as Turkey and the Republic 
of Cyprus aspire to join the European Union. Cyprus remains a key source of 
friction between NATO allies Greece and Turkey, especially since Greece is an 
EU member. 

Turkey became an official EU candidate in 1999 but has yet to begin 
negotiations partly due to concerns over its human rights record and the 
situation in Cyprus. 

Greece has indicated that Cyprus should be included in the next enlargement 
wave. But if the island is excluded because of its political problem, 
Greece's parliament is likely to block the entire expansion process. 

The court has not yet decided whether to fine Turkey and will issue a full 
verdict in a few months. As a signatory of the convention, Ankara must comply 
with the final ruling.