Reactions to the European Arrest Warrants against usurpers of occupied Greek Cypriot properties continue in the Turkish Cypriot pressUnder the title “A legal war is going on”, Turkish Cypriot Volkan (19.08.11) reports that Emine Colak, chairperson of the so-called Turkish Cypriot Foundation for Human Rights, has commented on the European Warrants of Arrest against the usurpers of occupied Greek Cypriot properties.

In statements to Volkan, Colak said that these issues should be seriously taken into consideration and the Turkish side should work coordinately. She argued that a “legal war”, a “propaganda war” is going on and added that this situation will continue, if no solution is reached. She noted that the Turkish side should work on a strategy against all these and use the help of experts before some “bad developments” happen.

She said that the European Warrant of Arrest is debated in the entire EU and added that the issue of how right and how fair this is should be discussed. She added: “We have to examine this debate directed toward Cyprus. If the Turkish Cypriots will be arrested with the use of this mechanism, we have to be able to produce measures against this within our own community”.

Arguing that the Greek Cypriot side is very “aggressive” on these issues, Colak alleged that the “Property Compensation Commission” proved that the Greek Cypriots are not right on this issue.

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Star Kibris (19.08.11) publishes statements by lawyers who alleged that the efforts of the Republic of Cyprus to issue European Warrants of Arrest against the usurpers of occupied Greek Cypriot properties are contrary to the laws of the European Union. In exclusive statements to the paper, the lawyers, who are based in London, argued that the European laws say that persons who have committed a crime could be returned from an EU member country to another, if 25 criteria are fulfilled. They claim that crimes regarding property are not included in these 25 criteria.