---

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Answer

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons United Kingdom representatives urged the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to delay pressing Turkey into ending property violations in Cyprus found by the European Court of Human Rights in the case Cyprus v. Turkey in May 2001; and if he will make a statement. [190437] Mr. MacShane: The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe was aware of the context in which the decision on Cypriot property was being made. If all sides had agreed to a settlement on the basis of the UN Secretary General's comprehensive settlement proposals then it would no longer be necessary to refer cases to the ECHR as property issues would be dealt with by a domestic court in Cyprus. The UK believed that achieving a Cyprus settlement and thus putting in place a domestic remedy for property disputes was more beneficial than pushing through an immediate decision on property violations at the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. We always encourage member states to comply with the court's judgments and will continue to do so.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

425 c362-3W;425 c362W; 190437

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Cyprus Property Turkey Peace negotiations Northern Cyprus Council of Europe Committee of Ministers

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk