Solutions in Cyprus are hard to come by, as Linda Orams is
discovering. Mrs. Orams didn’t attend the hearing at the South
Nicosia Court, but she has issued a statement in which she pinpoints
the underlying reasons for this legal action against her.
Mrs. Orams described the legal maneuvers by Greek Cypriots as a
“prolonged ordeal”, stating that she is disappointed of the judgment
against her.
She further declares that she is being “hounded and persecuted” for
political reasons, and says she hopes the Greek Cypriots will find
better way, especially now that they are an EU member, to settle
differences through more appropriate channels.
Interest in the case continues, and for the Orams family, more legal
work must be done to protect their investment. One thing is certain;
this judgment will be used as a political tool against the property
market in TRNC, and will continue to keep property owners and
potential homebuyers, in a state of uncertainty.
“I am very disappointed that the judge has upheld the judgment
(South Nicosia District Court –19 April 2005) against us today.
We will be taking further advice from our lawyers on how to proceed
from this point. This is not the end of the matter.
My husband and I continue to maintain that we have been hounded and
persecuted as a result of political rather than personal issues.
It is a political
problem, which we believe should be settled by politicians, not by
individuals dragging others through the courts.
The Annan Plan made full provision for settlement and compensation
of land issues resulting from the past conflict and it is
dissapointing that it was not accepted by the Greek Cypriots. It is
also regrettable that as soon as the Greek Cypriots became citizens
of the EU, they chose to turn against people of other EU countries
instead of joining in a spirit of unity. This is completely contrary
to the ideals of the EU.
We sincerely hope that the Greek Cypriots will come to realise that
confrontation is self-defeating and not the way forward to heal the
divided island of Cyprus.
Calm dialogue and discussion should be the only way forward, not the
sort of prolonged ordeal we have to face.”
This news bulletin is taken from Cyprus Times newspaper.
(26.04.2005)
