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UNITED NATIONS BODY AGAINST RACIAL DISCRIMINATION CONSIDERS REPORT OF CYPRUS
04 August 1998
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AFTERNOON
HR/CERD/98/36
4 August 1998
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination this afternoon began its consideration of a report from Cyprus on that country’s efforts to comply with the provisions of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Introducing the fourteenth periodic report, Petros Eftychiou, Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the United Nations Office at Geneva, stated that his country had done its utmost to respect, promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, in particular the principles and objectives set forth in the Convention.
During this afternoon's meeting, Committee expert Yuri Rechetov, who served as rapporteur for the report, regretted that the Government of Cyprus was prevented from ensuring the implementation of the provisions of the Convention throughout the country due to the lengthy occupation of part of Cyprus by Turkish forces and the continued division of the State.
The following Committee experts also participated in the debate: Shanti Sadiq Ali, Luis Valencia Rodriguez, Régis de Gouttes, Mario Jorge Yutzis, Ion Diaconu, Ivan Garvalov, Theodoor van Boven, and Agha Shahi.
As one of 150 States parties to the Convention, Cyprus must provide periodic summaries to the 18-member Committee on national efforts to implement the instrument. A three-person delegation was on hand to answer questions raised by Committee experts.
Also this afternoon, Committee members briefly discussed issues to be raised during their meeting with Mary Robinson, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, on Friday, 7 August at 5 p.m.
The Committee will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 5 August, to conclude its dialogue with the delegation of Cyprus.
Report of Cyprus
The fourteenth periodic report of Cyprus (document CERD/C/299/Add.19) on the implementation of the provisions of the International Convention in that country, affirms that there were no reports of racial discrimination brought to the attention of the authorities except for certain complaints made by foreign domestic assistants to the Commissioner for Administration. Such complaints are mostly related to the terms of their employment.
The report states that Cyprus does not sponsor or in any way defend or support racial discrimination by a person or an organization. On the contrary, since Cyprus was invaded by Turkey in 1974, it has consistently maintained that a solution to the problem should include the unity of the country as opposed to a solution which would lead to the alienation of the two communities and inevitably to discrimination.
According to the report, no significant changes which merit consideration of the Committee occurred since the submission of the last report. However, the situation continued to be the same with an exacerbation of the tension between the two communities because of the killing of two unarmed Greek Cypriots in August 1996.
Presentation of Report
PETROS EFTYCHIOU, Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the United Nations Office at Geneva, introducing his country's fourteenth periodic report, stated that Cyprus had done its utmost to respect, promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in general, and in particular the principles and objectives set forth in the Convention.
Mr. Eftychiou underlined that the information contained in the report pertained only to the territory of Cyprus under the effective control of the Government of Cyprus. He said that since 1974, 37 per cent of the territory continued to be under Turkish military occupation. As a result, the Government was prevented from ensuring the implementation of the provisions of international conventions.
Mr. Eftychiou further said that the situation in his country had become worse: the few hundred Greek and Maronite Cypriots who, despite the discrimination they daily faced, were still in their ancestral homes in the occupied area, were now obliged to acquire a so-called "exit and re-entry visa" in order to travel to and from the occupied area. In addition, the effort to find a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem, and thus securing the respect of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Cypriots, had also deteriorated further.
The illegal occupation regime had severed all bi-communal contracts and was now demanding recognition of sovereignty before consenting to even commencing negotiations for a solution, thus callously prolonging the drama of all Cypriots and continuing the gross violation of their human rights, added the delegate.
ELENI LOIZIDOU, Counsel of the Republic of Cyprus, noted that the Government of Cyprus attached great importance to the promotion of human rights safeguarded by the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination, whether based on race or national or ethnic origin.
She said that a bill providing for the granting of asylum to refugees was prepared for the purpose of implementing the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and its Protocol of 1967.
Ms. Loizidou regretted that her Government was still prevented, by the use of force, from applying the provisions of the Convention in the area of the Republic which continued to be under the illegal occupation of Turkey since its invasion of Cyprus in 1974.
Moreover, besides ratifying the European Convention on the transfer of convicted persons, Cyprus has also negotiated a number of bilateral agreements with other countries such as the Russian Federation, Egypt and Syria providing for the transfer of convicted persons to the country of their nationality, so that they could be near their homes and relatives.
Discussion of Report
YURI A. RECHETOV, the Committee expert serving as country rapporteur to the report of Cyprus, said that Cyprus had been providing regular reports on its efforts to implement the provisions of the Convention. He thanked the delegation for the additional information presented to the Committee in its introductory remarks.
Mr. Rechetov recalled that the Committee had deplored in the past that since 1974, the State party, due to the lengthy occupation of part of Cyprus by Turkish forces and the continued division of the country, was not in a position to exercise control over the whole of its territory. By consequence, it could not ensure the implementation of the provisions of the Convention throughout the country.
Mr. Rechetov said that Cyprus was one of those States parties assisting the Committee in carrying out its tasks. He commended the Government for the measures it undertook to ratify the amendment to article 8 of the Convention concerning the assurance by States parties to render effective protection and remedies against any acts of racial discrimination which violated human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Furthermore, Cyprus had to be lauded for the measures undertaken for considering the problem of trafficking and exploitation of women and girls and recommending appropriate legal and other measures for preventing and combating the problem, he said.
Mr. Rechetov wondered what sorts of daily activities were carried out between the two communities. He wanted to know if there was friction between the two, and if so, what were the legal means to resolve them. He said he lacked information on this issue.
Committee experts also put questions pertaining to the purpose of the recent Turkish Presidential visit to the Turkish occupied territory of Cyprus; the countries from which house maids were recruited; indiscretion of the authorities in the treatment of foreigners; and human rights education.
One expert said that in the present world economic order and the process of globalization, it was strange to receive information that in the last two years, as a result of increased economic activity, labour shortages were experienced in almost all economic sectors of Cyprus.
The expert also said that there was discrimination in the treatment of women and men in matters of citizenship. According to the report, a newly born child acquired automatically citizenship if the father was a Cypriot and the mother a foreigner. But if the mother was Cypriot and the father an alien, then the Minister of Interior had the discretion to grant Cypriot citizenship.
HR/CERD/98/36
4 August 1998
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination this afternoon began its consideration of a report from Cyprus on that country’s efforts to comply with the provisions of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Introducing the fourteenth periodic report, Petros Eftychiou, Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the United Nations Office at Geneva, stated that his country had done its utmost to respect, promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, in particular the principles and objectives set forth in the Convention.
During this afternoon's meeting, Committee expert Yuri Rechetov, who served as rapporteur for the report, regretted that the Government of Cyprus was prevented from ensuring the implementation of the provisions of the Convention throughout the country due to the lengthy occupation of part of Cyprus by Turkish forces and the continued division of the State.
The following Committee experts also participated in the debate: Shanti Sadiq Ali, Luis Valencia Rodriguez, Régis de Gouttes, Mario Jorge Yutzis, Ion Diaconu, Ivan Garvalov, Theodoor van Boven, and Agha Shahi.
As one of 150 States parties to the Convention, Cyprus must provide periodic summaries to the 18-member Committee on national efforts to implement the instrument. A three-person delegation was on hand to answer questions raised by Committee experts.
Also this afternoon, Committee members briefly discussed issues to be raised during their meeting with Mary Robinson, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, on Friday, 7 August at 5 p.m.
The Committee will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 5 August, to conclude its dialogue with the delegation of Cyprus.
Report of Cyprus
The fourteenth periodic report of Cyprus (document CERD/C/299/Add.19) on the implementation of the provisions of the International Convention in that country, affirms that there were no reports of racial discrimination brought to the attention of the authorities except for certain complaints made by foreign domestic assistants to the Commissioner for Administration. Such complaints are mostly related to the terms of their employment.
The report states that Cyprus does not sponsor or in any way defend or support racial discrimination by a person or an organization. On the contrary, since Cyprus was invaded by Turkey in 1974, it has consistently maintained that a solution to the problem should include the unity of the country as opposed to a solution which would lead to the alienation of the two communities and inevitably to discrimination.
According to the report, no significant changes which merit consideration of the Committee occurred since the submission of the last report. However, the situation continued to be the same with an exacerbation of the tension between the two communities because of the killing of two unarmed Greek Cypriots in August 1996.
Presentation of Report
PETROS EFTYCHIOU, Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the United Nations Office at Geneva, introducing his country's fourteenth periodic report, stated that Cyprus had done its utmost to respect, promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in general, and in particular the principles and objectives set forth in the Convention.
Mr. Eftychiou underlined that the information contained in the report pertained only to the territory of Cyprus under the effective control of the Government of Cyprus. He said that since 1974, 37 per cent of the territory continued to be under Turkish military occupation. As a result, the Government was prevented from ensuring the implementation of the provisions of international conventions.
Mr. Eftychiou further said that the situation in his country had become worse: the few hundred Greek and Maronite Cypriots who, despite the discrimination they daily faced, were still in their ancestral homes in the occupied area, were now obliged to acquire a so-called "exit and re-entry visa" in order to travel to and from the occupied area. In addition, the effort to find a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem, and thus securing the respect of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Cypriots, had also deteriorated further.
The illegal occupation regime had severed all bi-communal contracts and was now demanding recognition of sovereignty before consenting to even commencing negotiations for a solution, thus callously prolonging the drama of all Cypriots and continuing the gross violation of their human rights, added the delegate.
ELENI LOIZIDOU, Counsel of the Republic of Cyprus, noted that the Government of Cyprus attached great importance to the promotion of human rights safeguarded by the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination, whether based on race or national or ethnic origin.
She said that a bill providing for the granting of asylum to refugees was prepared for the purpose of implementing the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and its Protocol of 1967.
Ms. Loizidou regretted that her Government was still prevented, by the use of force, from applying the provisions of the Convention in the area of the Republic which continued to be under the illegal occupation of Turkey since its invasion of Cyprus in 1974.
Moreover, besides ratifying the European Convention on the transfer of convicted persons, Cyprus has also negotiated a number of bilateral agreements with other countries such as the Russian Federation, Egypt and Syria providing for the transfer of convicted persons to the country of their nationality, so that they could be near their homes and relatives.
Discussion of Report
YURI A. RECHETOV, the Committee expert serving as country rapporteur to the report of Cyprus, said that Cyprus had been providing regular reports on its efforts to implement the provisions of the Convention. He thanked the delegation for the additional information presented to the Committee in its introductory remarks.
Mr. Rechetov recalled that the Committee had deplored in the past that since 1974, the State party, due to the lengthy occupation of part of Cyprus by Turkish forces and the continued division of the country, was not in a position to exercise control over the whole of its territory. By consequence, it could not ensure the implementation of the provisions of the Convention throughout the country.
Mr. Rechetov said that Cyprus was one of those States parties assisting the Committee in carrying out its tasks. He commended the Government for the measures it undertook to ratify the amendment to article 8 of the Convention concerning the assurance by States parties to render effective protection and remedies against any acts of racial discrimination which violated human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Furthermore, Cyprus had to be lauded for the measures undertaken for considering the problem of trafficking and exploitation of women and girls and recommending appropriate legal and other measures for preventing and combating the problem, he said.
Mr. Rechetov wondered what sorts of daily activities were carried out between the two communities. He wanted to know if there was friction between the two, and if so, what were the legal means to resolve them. He said he lacked information on this issue.
Committee experts also put questions pertaining to the purpose of the recent Turkish Presidential visit to the Turkish occupied territory of Cyprus; the countries from which house maids were recruited; indiscretion of the authorities in the treatment of foreigners; and human rights education.
One expert said that in the present world economic order and the process of globalization, it was strange to receive information that in the last two years, as a result of increased economic activity, labour shortages were experienced in almost all economic sectors of Cyprus.
The expert also said that there was discrimination in the treatment of women and men in matters of citizenship. According to the report, a newly born child acquired automatically citizenship if the father was a Cypriot and the mother a foreigner. But if the mother was Cypriot and the father an alien, then the Minister of Interior had the discretion to grant Cypriot citizenship.