ANKARA - Turkey on Wednesday criticised a landmark property rights lawsuit by a Greek Cypriot against a Turkish Cypriot, saying such action would hamper efforts to end the island's three decades of division.
"Such property claims by Greek Cypriots increase distrust" between the island's rival communities, foreign ministry spokesman Namik Tan told reporters.
"Their claims are not compatible with efforts to find a comprehensive solution," he said. "It is unacceptable that such pressure tactics be employed against Turkish Cypriots when they are also under international embargo."
In a first for the island, a Greek Cypriot district court last week began hearing a case brought by Panos Ioannides against Huseyin Caginer to stop "further illegal intervention on his land" in Turkish Cypriot-held Famagusta.
Ioannides sought up to 250,000 Cyprus pounds (433,000 euros, or 546,000 dollars) in damages.
Around 200,000 Greek Cypriots fled homes in the island's northern third after it was invaded and occupied by Turkish troops in 1974, following a Greek Cypriot coup to seek union with Greece.
Tens of thousands of Turkish Cypriots fled in the other direction, leaving large numbers of displaced title-holders on both sides.
The Greek Cypriot government has stepped up efforts to prosecute people involved in marketing properties that formerly belonged to members of the Greek community.
A UN peace plan sought to resolve the property issue through a mixture of restitution and compensation, but collapsed.
The failure of the plan meant that only the internationally recognized Greek Cypriots joined the European Union, while the breakaway Turkish Cypriot administration in the north, recognised only by Turkey, was left out in the cold.
Brussels has since tried to lift the economic isolation of the Turkish Cypriot north as a "reward" for backing the UN peace deal.
But the Greek Cypriots have prevented delivery of a 259 million euro (327 million dollar) aid package, saying that although they support the assistance, dealing directly with the north violates international law.
05/18/2005 09:55 GMT