The appointment of a new president of the Pan-Cyprian Refugee Union (PEP) is still pending, a situation that has created problems both for the organization’s operations and the implementation of its budget, as reported on Tuesday before the House of Representatives’ Refugee Committee with its Chairman, Nikos Kettiros, stating in his remarks that during the session, a representative of the Ministry of the Interior informed the Committee that on Wednesday the Council of Ministers woulda new Chairperson of the PEP.
In remarks made after the meeting, during which issues concerning the Pan-Cyprian Refugee Union (PEP), as well as issues that have arisen regarding Turkish Cypriot residences in the community of Mari and asbestos roofing in Turkish Cypriot residences, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Refugees and AKEL MP, Nikos Kettiros, said that for the past three months they have been calling for the appointment of a new Chair of the PEP, given that this body serves as the state’s institutional interlocutor on the most important issues affecting the refugee community.
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“Unfortunately, the indifference shown by the government, the Office of the President, and the President of the Republic has effectively rendered the Pan-Cyprian Refugee Union inactive for a very long time,” said Mr. Kettiros. A Refugee Association, he added, “which is represented at many meetings of institutional bodies that make decisions on issues concerning the refugee community, such as the Committees for the Administration of Turkish Cypriot Properties or the Welfare Service.”
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All these committees, Mr. Kettiros continued, are unable to convene because the Pan-Cyprian Refugee Union cannot function and appoint its members to these sessions.
“I must say that when we unanimously decided last week as a committee to add the issue to the agenda and raise it on our own initiative, we had no doubt that they would rush toappoint a Committee Chair,” he said. “It was an effort to pressure the government to move forward and resolve this issue. And yesterday we were informed by phone by the Ministry of the Interior, and today, during the session, we were informed by a representative of the Ministry of the Interior that tomorrow the Council of Ministers will appoint a President of the Pan-Cyprian Refugee Union,” he noted.
He also mentioned that they do not know who it will be.
“We hope it will be someone who understands the problems faced by the refugee community, and we will be ready to work with him to move issues forward because we need the Refugee Association to function as a representative of the refugee community. I must not fail to mention that we have been deeply saddened by the attitude and behavior of certain members of the Board of Directors, who, under various pretexts, have been obstructing the operation of the Pan-Cyprian Refugee Association for the past three months,” he added.
Mr. Kettiros said that the Pan-Cyprian Refugee Union could have met with the Vice President—which is why a Vice President is appointed— “but even here, unfortunately, power struggles have arisen at a time when we want to emphasize that our foremost responsibility and duty is to address the problems of the refugee community.”
“I think we need to demonstrate this in practice, not just in words, and I hope it does not happen again. I also told the members of the Committee today during the session that, at the very least, disagreements should be recorded during the sessions,” he said. According to him, “It is legitimate to have disagreements. However, it is illegitimate to obstruct the work of such a committee that actually has a job to do.”
When asked whether the law needs to be updated, Mr. Kettiros answered in the affirmative, adding that they should discuss it with the new President, and the parties that created the problem should indeed take a stance on this issue.
DISY MP Giorgos Lysandridis, in his remarks on the issue of the PEP, said that “The delay that has occurred betrays, if you will, a lack of concern for refugees, and it is unjustifiable that, three months later, we still do not have a president.”
This delay, he added, “and has created problems both for the organization’s operations and for the implementation of its budget, and it certainly occurred during Mr. Guterres’s visit to Cyprus, as you know, a month and a half ago, as well as during the period when events commemorating and honoring our fighters and the fallen were in the spotlight.”
Certainly, he said, “we expect this issue to be resolved immediately, and we hope that the information we have regarding the appointment of a new President tomorrow will materialize.” “Otherwise, the measures and the reaction from both the political parties and the Committee will be even more intense,” he noted.
When asked what explanation was given for the delay in appointing a PEP President, Mr. Lysandridis said that “I cannot say that a specific explanation was given, but since you’re asking, I must say that both the PEP, through its letters, and I personally, through various interventions, had informed the Ministry, which was aware of the matter from the very beginning—specifically, as of May 29— that the Ministry was aware of the issue, and I believe the Minister himself was informed and had taken the necessary steps as Minister.”
“Beyond that, you’ll have to ask the Office of the President why no progress has been made so far,” he concluded.
Committee Satisfied with Decision to Establish an Independent Appeals Body for Turkish Cypriot Residences
Regarding the other two issues concerning the management of Turkish Cypriot properties, one concerning residences and resettlement in Mari and the second concerning the replacement of asbestos roofs in Agios Ioannis in Paphos, Mr. Kettiros said that these are often everyday issues that arise in connection with the management of Turkish Cypriot properties.
“Today, I would like to express our satisfaction that the proposal which we had put forward for the establishment of an independent appellate body to review objections regarding rents or the allocation of Turkish Cypriot residences. “This is indeed a step forward,” he said.
He added that “it ensures equal treatment and safeguards the citizen’s right to know their score, as well as the reasons why their application was approved or rejected. To know the reasons why their rent was set at a certain level or at a lower level, to be aware of and be able to appeal this decision by the Turkish Cypriot Authority and to assert what is right or wrong, as they see fit.”
The Chair of the Refugee Committee noted that, contrary to what the Director of the Service—who ratifies the decisions of the Advisory Committees—had stated, she would not be participating in this body.
“Further updates to the regulations are expected, as we, too, are identifying weaknesses in their implementation, and we intend to address these weaknesses in collaboration with the other parties and the Turkish Cypriot Services Management Agency,”, he added.
In his own remarks regarding the issue of the relocation of Mari, Mr. Lysandridis said that it is a long-standing issue dating back to 1998.
“We note that the gradual decisions of the Council of Ministers, as well as this long-drawn-out process, have created a situation that cannot be addressed with a blanket decision or a unanimous—or, if you will, general—approach,” he said.
He explained that “there are individual cases— there are elderly people, there are children who have been relocated to small houses that were built for their parents and grandparents, and we need to figure out how to handle this group of refugees with sensitivity, but always with safety as our top priority—a priority we must ensure for the residents of the area surrounding the power plant and Mari.”
Source: CNA
