Foreign Correspondence

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Britain and Greece Turkey issues.

[02] The British Foreign Office issued a warning that it is risky to buy land from Cyprus

Under the title It is risky to buy land from Cyprus Turkish Cypriot daily Star Kibris newspaper (04.07.09) reports that a warning which was added to the internet site of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office that It is risky to buy land from the island of Cyprus, made the Republic of Cyprus angry. According to the paper, this warning was published in the internet site of the Foreign Office for a long time now, but it only referred to the occupied areas of Cyprus, however, now it includes the free areas of the Republic as well.

The paper also writes that this development was the result of a letter sent to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office by the Embargoed Group which alleged that there are around 100 thousand persons in the free areas of the Republic who did not receive title deeds for their properties and that among it there are 30 thousand Britons.
http://www.hri.org/news/cyprus/tcpr/2009/09-07-06.tcpr.html#02

Greek PM urges Turk troop withdraw from Cyprus
By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS .. Associated Press
2009-10-19 11:20 PM

Greece's new prime minister urged Turkey on Monday to withdraw thousands of its troops from Cyprus to help ongoing talks aimed at reunifying the divided island.

The long-festering dispute on the eastern Mediterranean island has poisoned relations between Greece and Turkey, both NATO members, undermining alliance and European Union cooperation on security and hindering Turkey's bid for EU membership.

"It's a matter that either we solve it to unite us, or it will keep us divided," George Papandreou said after talks with Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias.

Cyprus was split into a breakaway Turkish Cypriot north and an internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south in 1974 when Turkey invaded in response to a short-lived coup by supporters of union with Greece. Turkey does not recognize the south and maintains around 35,000 troops in the north.

The island joined the European Union in 2004, but only the Greek Cypriots enjoy membership benefits.

"Certainly, occupation troops cannot be allowed to exist in an EU-member state, especially by an EU-candidate country," said Papandreou, who is paying his first official visit abroad as prime minister after winning general elections earlier this month.

Yearlong talks between Cyprus President Christofias, a Greek Cypriot, and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat have so far produced little real progress.

Christofias is faulting Turkey for constricting Talat's ability to negotiate an agreement on complex issues such as power-sharing under a federal structure and arrangements on property lost during the war. Turkey says it fully backs the peace process.

Christofias renewed his support for Turkey's bid to join the EU.

But he added: "We're not masochists ... We can't accept Turkey to proceed to full Union membership without first achieving a Cyprus settlement."

Cyprus is already blocking the key energy chapter in EU-Turkey accession talks _ one of 35 that Turkey must negotiate with the bloc.
http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1085663〈=eng_news&cate_img=83.jpg&cate_rss=news_Politics