Derelict Hotel Varosha
The Strasbourg-based European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee adopted on Wednesday a draft resolution calling on Turkey to hand over Varosha to Greek Cypriots. Varosha was once a prime vacation resort but is now in a military zone and closed to civilians. The GCs have been offered the town before but so far have turned down the offer. In fact in 2006, when Finland was the term president of the EU, there was a plan to open Famagusta port to international trade under EU administration in return for opening a limited number of Turkish ports to GC traffic. The transfer of Varosha to the United Nations was also part of the deal which fell through.
The committee also ask for the immediate withdrawal of Turkish troops from the north and for Turkey to resolve the problems of GCs in Gökçeada and Bozcaada. The European Parliament will debate the draft resolution on Feb. 10 and voting will take place on Feb. 11.
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