Good afternoon,

I would once again like to thank Their Excellencies, Mr. Christofias and Mr. Eroglu, for accepting my request that they join me in Geneva today.

This has been our third meeting together. As you will recall, we met in New York in November 2010 and then again in Geneva in January of this year.

I also spoke with Mr. Christofias and Mr. Eroglu in April when we decided it was best to take a little more time to advance the negotiations towards a comprehensive settlement before we met again.

Both sides have worked steadily to take the negotiations forward since our meeting in January, but progress has been far too slow.

Some important areas have remained untouched. For this reason, today’s meeting has been useful and productive.

We have identified some of the difficulties that are standing in the way of reaching a comprehensive agreement, and we have discussed the need to significantly intensify the negotiations.

I have also raised with both the leaders the importance of looking ahead at the objective rather than focusing on the problem in minute detail.

The atmosphere today was quite positive. I was impressed with the commitment of both sides to agree on the details to create a united Cyprus.

Both leaders have made it clear that they are aiming to reach a comprehensive solution as soon as possible.

I stated to Mr. Christofias and Mr. Eroglu that while I agreed that the negotiations must be Cypriot-led and Cypriot-owned, I was prepared to offer an enhanced United Nations involvement, without prejudice to this central principle.

I am happy to report that both leaders have accepted my offer.

I also took the opportunity to remind both leaders of the parameters of the agreement that we are striving to reach as set out in relevant Security Council Resolutions.

The leaders have agreed to enter into an intensive period of negotiations on the core issues when they return to the island.

They will focus on finding a way through the difficult core issues.

I have every expectation that by October the leaders will be able to report that they have reached convergence on all core issues, and we will meet that month in New York.

This will take the Cyprus negotiations close to their conclusion and would allow me to give a positive report to the Security Council on the matter.

It would also pave the way for me to work with the parties towards convening a final, international conference.

I am also pleased to report that the leaders have agreed that they must begin to build support for a comprehensive agreement.

On both sides the public has become weary. Both leaders must renew hope and enthusiasm for a solution.

They have acknowledged the need to begin to prepare their respective communities for the compromises required for a settlement and the prospect of living together in a united Cyprus.

Thank you.

Did you know you can find Cyprop on Facebook?  All you need to do is click on the following link Cyprop North Cyprus Facebook and you will be taken straight to our Cyprop North Cyprus Facebook profile.  Once you add Cyprop North Cyprus as a friend on Facebook and we accept you you will be able to see lots of interesting stuff happening in North Cyprus that Cyprop are involved in including all the latest construction photos from Cyprop’s very own Begonvillia Court development as well as photos of the Cyprop family and friends and maybe even a couple of snaps of yourself if you’ve recently been with Cyprop in North Cyprus on one of our inspection trips. Add the Cyprop North Cyprus Facebook profile to your friends on Facebook and see for yourself!

Substantial progress has been made at Karpaz Gate Marina since last summer and the completion of the marina is now in sight.  The entire marina breakwater is now complete and the construction of the marina buildings has taken great strides forward, with some of the finishing touches such as decorative features, brickwork and sections of the promenade already finished.  An ‘acoustic wall’ which reduces waves in the marina, making it safer and quieter for visitors to the marina complex, is also already in place.

Karpaz Gate Marina’s inner basin will contain six floating pontoons and is designed for yachts ranging in size up to 55 metres in length.  Once complete and ready for the soft opening in May 2011, the marina will offer mooring capabilities for up to 300 vessels (including super yachts and mega yachts), lift-out capabilities of up to 300 tonnes and the best refit and repair facilities in the Mediterranean.

Stop press! The owners of Karpaz Gate Marina have announced exciting plans for a new hotel and beach club on the site.  The proposed plan would see a high class beach hotel constructed above the beach club, just east of the marina, which would open in 2012.  More details will follow on this as and when we receive them.

We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who came to see us on our stand at the 2011 Boat & Caravan Show in Birmingham last week.  The show was a great success and saw the UK exhibition launch of our Secret Hills Hotel & Spa Resort project.  Secret Hills is the first SIPP approved property investment opportunity in North Cyprus and was received with great enthusiasm by everyone who we spoke to about it.  One of the things people seemed very excited about was the prospect of being able to re-invest their under performing pension funds to purchase luxury hotel suites at Secret Hills Resort in North Cyprus and earn rental income as well as capital appreciation.

We were also pleasantly surprised by the number of people at the show who were there to buy a caravan or motorhome, came on our stand and realised that for the same money they could own an apartment at Begonvillia Court or even a villa in sunny North Cyprus!  As a result of this we have increased the number of inspection trips going over to North Cyprus in the coming months.

Taking into account the positive response we had from everyone and also the fact that we came across many people at the show who have already booked or are about to book holidays in North Cyprus for this coming year, this has confirmed to us what we already knew….. there is a great future for property investment and tourism in North Cyprus.

Secret Hills Hotel & Spa Resort

Cyprop are pleased to introduce to you our exciting new project called ‘Secret Hills Hotel & Spa Resort‘.  Secret Hills is the first FULLY SIPP APPROVED hotel leisure complex in North Cyprus.  Situated at the gateway to the stunning Karpaz peninsula and set amid rolling hills cloaked with orchards of olive and carob trees, Secret Hills will not be a secret for long.

Secret Hills will fill a gap in the holiday market by offering luxury hotel accommodation in an apartment style.  Aimed at families, groups of friends and couples of all ages, the resort will compromise seven blocks proviving 84 one bedroom and 84 two bedroom hotel suites, together with 7 large three bedroom penthouses.

A wide range of Spa and leisure facilities including a first class restaurant, bars, cafe, swimming pools with water flumes, bowling greens, tennis courts, Spa treatments and much more, will make Secret Hills a resort for all age groups.  Off-site activities will include pony trekking, game fishing and escorted tours into the fantastic and ancient landscape of the Karpaz Peninsula.

All guests will have automatic entry to the fabulous Secret Hills Beach Club, with regular free minibus transport.  Basking in year round sunshine, Secret Hills will extend the normal holiday season to include Europe’s winter sun seekers.

Almost a secret for many years, North Cyprus is now becoming recognised for its wonderful climate, its friendly people, stunning scenery and its ideal geographic location.  Thousands of people have discovered that, situated only a couple of hours from Europe and the Middle Eastern countries, North Cyprus is a haven of calm, easily reachable as a holiday destination or the location of a second home.  Now it is perfectly placed as the site for a foreign property investment with great upward potential and there is no more attractive one then the Secret Hills Resort.

North Cyprus held its first ever rugby 7s tournament on Saturday, hosted by the Star Warriors.

It was a day of firsts, the first 7’s tournament, the first rugby game at the Zafer Stadium in Güzelyurt, the first Star sponsored rugby match and the first game for two young Pumas players, Curtis Froud and Josh Stindel.

Two sides each from the Warriors, the Pumas and the UN battled it out in the sunshine to see who would walk away with the Star sponsored trophies. For those not familiar with the game of 7’s rugby, it’s a fast and furious game, comprising of seven players, playing full-on rugby for seven minutes each way. In the high temperatures of Saturday, it’s a very hard game.

The organisers arranged for two groups, the A’s and B’s. Each team in each group played the others. The top two through made up the semi-finals, with the winners playing the final. There was little doubt who would make the finals.

The fast, fit players from the UN outclassed the North Cypriot sides. In the true spirit of rugby, the UN asked two players from each of the Pumas and the Warriors to join the UN teams to play the final. It was a hard fought match, with the UN blues, with two Pumas players, Joe Omer and Mirunalan Guhanesan beating the UN hoops, 40-25.

Star Media Group owner Ali Safa was on hand to present the trophies – in third place the Warriors, in second place the Pumas, with the UN overall winners. He also thanked everyone that had made the day possible.

“Everyone present can look back on today and say they were pioneers of rugby in North Cyprus,” said Mr Safa. “It has been a great day and a great success and the Star are pleased to have been part of it.”

For more information on the Pumas and the Warriors please click on the links below:

www.cypruspumas.com

www.pitchero.com/clubs/guzelyurtlefkerufc

The ECHR ruled that in accordance with a previous ruling, Chrysostomos should apply to the Turkish Cypriot breakaway state’s compensation commission.

In the application, filed through lawyer and DIKO MP Andreas Angelides in 2009, the Church leader complained that because of the Turkish invasion of 1974, the Church and its parishioners had to leave behind property and flee places of worship.

The property consists of monasteries, chapels, churches and graveyards etc as well as ecclesiastical vessels and other religious artifacts.

Since 1974, Chrysostomos said worshippers have been prevented from enjoying the Church’s property while many properties had been destroyed, vandalised, looted or stripped of their religious function and are now used as Muslim religious sites, museums, bars, clubs and barns.  Religious artifacts have been destroyed or sold.

In its ruling, the ECHR said it could not accept the Archbishop’s claim that he represented all parishioners concerned by the application.

“The Court observes … that he has neither included a list of the names of those concerned, nor any letters of authority which state that these persons authorise him to act on their behalf, the ECHR ruling said. “It also appears that the title deeds submitted with the application in many cases identify individual local churches and religious bodies as owning the property without reference to the applicant or his Church.”

The ECHR said it could not consider that the parishioners – “an unlisted and unidentified group of persons” – can be regarded as applicants in this case.

But the ECHR did recognise that Chrysostomos had the authority to act on behalf of the Church as an entity and “he thus has legal capacity to make property and other claims on its behalf and on behalf of those individual churches and religious bodies under its umbrella.”

It went on to cite the Demopoulos decision of March 1, 2010, based on which the ECHR ruled that any Greek Cypriots with complaints over their lost properties should seek compensation by the commission in the north.

The court also found that complaints regarding the inability to carry out religious services on the properties “are closely linked to those … concerning the inability to enjoy the property concerned.”

“It has found that domestic remedies in this regard have not been exhausted before the IPC which is able both to order restitution of property and to award pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages in respect of any loss of enjoyment of the property. In the circumstances therefore, this part of the application raises no separate issue.”

The ECHR said it has no jurisdiction to consider the complaints regarding vandalism and theft as these acts occurred before 1987, when Turkey ratified the Convention.

The application was unanimously declared inadmissible.

**Article taken from the Cyprus Mail, January 27th, 2011**