Cyprus president attacks UN plan defending refugee case

Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos used the return of a Turkish Cypiot refugee to his property as an occasion to attack the UN plan to reunite the island that was rejected overwhelmingly by Greek Cypriots in April 2004.

On Tuesday Greek Cypriot refugees living in a Turkish Cypriot property were relocated after the government withdrew its appeal that granted restitution to Turkish Cypriot refugee Arif Mustafa who had fled his home after the Turkish invasion in 1974.

Referring to the UN Plan, which would have seen around half of Greek Cypriots fully restituted and the remainder getting at least one dwelling and thereafter a third of their total property back, Papadopoulos said under the UN plan there would be “one third of justice and three thirds of injustice”.

“An injustice is an injustice, usurpation of our properties is illegal and unacceptable, whether it is committed by one third or a bigger extent”, he said.

Referring to the Greek Cypriots who had to relocate from Mustafa’s house, the president disagreed with the term “refugees for a second time”.

“We cannot expect full justice. You cannot heal an illegally imposed injustice. We are seeking the best possible solution to satisfy the feeling of justice of our people, the needs of the displaced, but also to implement the rule of law”, the President said.