A delegation form the Organization of Islamic Conference visited the TRNC on 20 March in order to hold contacts with the Turkish Cypriot authorities.

The delegation, which is headed by Atta Avmannan, the Deputy Secretary-General of OIC, and accompanied by Said Abbas the Vice Chairman of the Islamic Development Bank and Gazi Bakış, the Director of Islamic Solidarity Fund yesterday visited Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Serdar Denktaş.

During the meeting Prime Minister Soyer stated that the Turkish Cypriot people, who was spending effort to find a settlement based on equality wanted to take part in a possible settlement with its own religion, language and culture.

He said: " We defend the principle that the Turkish Cypriots, as an Islamic community, and Christian Greek Cypriots would come together under federal principles based on equality". Stressing that the Turkish Cypriot side had accepted the UN Peace Plan but the Greek Cypriot side, which refused it became an EU member said by using this advantage the Greek Cypriots were trying to increase the pressures and isolations imposed on the Turkish side. Prime Minister added that within this framework the visit of OIC delegation gave big support for us.

Soyer pointed out that even a smallest step towards lifting the isolations would pressurize the Greek Cypriot side to sit on the negotiation table and be reflected to the Cyprus issue as a big step.

Serdar Denktas for his part stated that contacts with the OIC member states have reached to a fruitful level within the last two years and now it was the time to start discussing concrete projects.

Stating that their aim was to develop dialog at a mutually equal level with other countries as well Denktas said: "while doing this we want to show our friends that there is no Greek Cypriot hegemony in the northern part of the island and although politically we are not recognized we have our own system and a government structure as a separate state. He added that after seeing and acknowledging this, they would try to search ways of motivating the Greek Cypriots towards a settlement.

He said the Greek Cypriots did not accept the existence of Turkish Cypriots in Cyprus and tried to impose to the whole world that Turkey was their collocutor and the problem in Cyprus was a matter of invasion. Denktas underlined that the problem was between the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots and it stemmed from the fact that the Greek Cypriots did not want to share any power and the beauties of the island.

Serdar Denktas said: "We want respect for our identity, religion and equal partnership status and our rights in a joint republic, and this will naturally help to settlement"

Atta Avmannan, for this part stated that the TRNC had a great importance for the Islamic world and that they visited the TRNC in line with the recent decision taken during the last Foreign Ministers Meeting of OIC.

Avmannan pointed out that OIC, gave big importance and spent effort for the lifting of the embargoes and isolations imposed over the TRNC and during this visit they would discuss with the Turkish Cypriot authorities what type of a cooperation could be developed between the two on cultural, trade, economic and sportive activities. Avmannan said "our aim is to stress the equality between the two communities and to ensure unity."

He said during the OIC’s Foreign Ministers Meeting in Bakü, they will discuss the report, which they were going to prepare after their visit to the TRNC.

The delegation, which also visited the Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Commerce and the Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Industry following the completion of their contacts in the TRNC will leave the island on Sunday.

"IMMOVABLE PROPERTY COMMISSION" FORMED

Within the framework of the "Article 159, Paragraph 1, Section (b) of the Law For Compensation, Exchange and Reinstatement of the Immovable Property of the TRNC Constitution", the Immovable Property Commission was formed.

According to the Supreme Council of Judicature announcement issued in the Official Gazette, the Council appointed 7 persons among the list proposed by President Mehmet Ali Talat on 17 March 2006 to work in the Commission.

The Law For Compensation, Exchange and Reinstatement of the Immovable Property which was prepared with the aim of implementing the requirements of international law in the TRNC’s Property Regime and provide "domestic remedy" for the cases filed in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) regarding the former Greek Cypriot properties left within the territories of the TRNC, envisages that this Commission will act as a court and its decisions will be binding and implemented just as the decisions of the judiciary.

The Chairman of the "The Immovable Property Commission" Sümer Erkmen stated that the ECHR has been informed about the establishment of the Commission.

Speaking to Cyprus Turkish News Agency (TAK), Erkmen pointing out that following the enforcement of the said Law on 22 December 2005, a period of 3 months given by the ECHR to form the Commission would end today (22 March 2006), said the necessary studies have been completed and the ECHR was informed about the structure of the Commission.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaking to Austrian weekly journal ‘Profile’, stated that as long as the restrictions imposed upon the Turkish Cypriots continue, Turkey will not open her air and seaports to the Greek Cypriots.

Erdogan responding to a question regarding the implementation of the Customs Union’s Additional Protocol, said:

"EU countries have not kept their promises. We have the right to do this in terms of the Customs Union. In 1996, we entered the Customs Union. In 2004, Greek Cypriots entered the EU. We could have objected their Customs Union Membership but we did not. On the other hand, we stated that as long as the Turkish Cypriots’ isolation continues, our Parliament would not approve the Additional Protocol that envisages the opening of our air and seaports to the Greek Cypriots. We insist on this issue regardless of its cost. I told same things to (Greek Cypriot Leader) Tasos Papadopoulos."