Cyprus asks Turkey to return fenced off area of Famagusta to lawful inhabitants

Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos on Monday urged that Turkey must agree to return the fenced off area of Famagusta (Varosha) to its lawful inhabitants if Ankara wants a meeting with Cyprus on its EU course to be held.

Papadopoulos made the remarks at an annual general assembly of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, while being asked to confirm Turkish media reports that Cypriot Foreign Minister George Lillikas is invited for a meeting in Helsinki with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat and Turkish Prime Minister Tayip Erdogan.

The president noted that he cannot confirm or deny if such meeting would be held though there were some thoughts about it, adding for this to happen, firstly Turkey must state that it is accepting the return of the fenced off part of Famagusta (Varosha) to its lawful inhabitants.

The fenced-off area of Famagusta (Varosha) is now under Turkish military administration.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey militarily intervened and occupied the north of Cyprus following a coup by a group of Greek officers.

A UN Security Council resolution on May 11, 1984 "considers attempts to settle any part of Varosha (Famagusta) by people other than its inhabitants as inadmissible and calls for the transfer of this area to the administration of the United Nations".

The EU formally launched talks with Turkey over the country's accession last October. The negotiations are expected to last at least a decade and Ankara is required to meet a number of criteria spelled out by the EU before entry.

The Republic of Cyprus, which entered the EU on behalf of the whole island in May 2004, is able to block Turkey's entry talks with its veto.

Source: Xinhua