ANKARA - Foreign Ministry circles on Tuesday interpreted the decision which Council of Europe Delegates Committee accepted regarding Loizidou case as ''a diplomatic victory'' against Greece and Greek Cypriot side.
Diplomatic sources said Greece and Greek Cypriot side exerted extreme efforts in the recent months to prevent resulting of the case in the way which Turkey expected, stating that, ''we reached a result that will isolate Greece and Greek Cypriot side.''
Pointing out that Loizidou decision of European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) was dropped from the agenda with the decision of Council of Europe's Delegates Committee today, the sources said, ''this is a decision meeting our expectations. We know we reached a successful result. We reached our goal. We could not reach a better result.''
Sources said Turkey, which had been the only country that did not implement the decision of ECHR, got rid of this position by paying the envisaged compensation. Sources also said controlling process which Council of Europe Parliamentarian Assembly implemented on Turkey could be removed within a few months.
Sources stressed that although the judgement in question was considered unjust and wrong, Turkey fulfilled the requirements of the decision to preserve the credibility of the ECHR, to show that it adopted compromise culture and not to damage relations with Council of Europe and European Union.
Sources pointed out that in a second decision adopted in the Committee it was decided not to start talks before end of 2005 regarding implementation of a decision that had been taken by ECHR in 1996 about Loizidou. Sources said with this decision an opportunity was given to take a breath for the talks regarding general political solution.
Sources said a two-stage initiative had been launched in cooperation with Council of Europe Secretariat and with the support of COE member important countries aiming to drop Loizidou case from the agenda, to prevent similar cases in ECHR to result against Turkey and to direct them to Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) organs and stated that this initiative was resulted in COE Delegates Committee as it was envisaged.
Sources said Turkey made a statement in this respect and an information was given regarding the understanding constituting a basis for payment of Loizidou compensation. Sources said it was stressed that this payment would not serve as a precedent in the future, and noted that internal legal ways formed in TRNC were conveyed and that property problems in Cyprus was a part of political solution.
Sources said Delegates Committee accepted a decision noting Turkey's statement and dropped Loizidou decision from the agenda.
Sources pointed out that payment of compensation envisaged in Loizidou decision included ECHR decision, and that it did not mean that Turkey accepted to be held responsible for the property claims on TRNC territories.
Sources said both of the two Loizidou decisions of ECHR did not discuss 1974 military intervention was legal or not, pointing out that Turkey was not described as ''occupier''.
(AY) 03.12.2003