A/HRC/7/46 page 4 organizations, which has had particularly negative consequences for advocacy and human rights groups. Examples include administrative delays in processing applications for the registration of non-governmental organizations and in effecting modifications to their status, and a lack of clear criteria for obtaining charitable or tax status. It is encouraging that the Government of the Republic of Cyprus is reviewing the situation to ensure that the rights and responsibilities of civil society organizations are better defined and understood in Cyprus. Meanwhile, consultations are understood to be ongoing in the Turkish Cypriot community to promote a more enabling environment for Turkish Cypriot non-governmental organizations. 7. No further progress was reported in bringing the two sides together on issues related to law enforcement. Although encouraged by reports concerning the arrest of persons involved in human trafficking, the Secretary-General has called for greater cooperation between the two sides on this matter.2 8. The Turkish Cypriot community in Limassol continues to make complaints of discrimination principally related to the lack of social services and adequate housing and the difficulty in obtaining identity documents. The Municipality of Limassol has opened a bicommunal social centre to address some of these concerns. Although there have been some notable improvements in the availability of official documents and forms of the Republic of Cyprus in the Turkish language, the majority remain in Greek only.3 9. Property continues to be an extremely sensitive issue on both sides, increasingly characterized by cases of litigations, with the situation in Varosha remaining unchanged. Hundreds of Greek Cypriot claims against Turkey for loss of property rights in the north are still pending before the European Court of Human Rights. The Court has in several cases concluded a continuing violation of property rights of displaced persons, stating that these persons have remained legal owners in the north. The pilot case dealing with this issue, Xenides-Arestis, became final on 23 May 2007, when the appeal by both parties to take the case to the Grand Chamber was refused by the Court. Noting with concern the reticence of the Turkish authorities to pay the amount awarded in respect of pecuniary damage, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe once again stressed that, in any event, and without prejudice to further clarifications, the amounts awarded by the court were due.4 In an earlier meeting, noting the information provided by the Turkish authorities on the functioning 2 Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Operation in Cyprus (S/2007/328), para. 38. 3 Examples of documents available in Turkish include the oath of citizenship in the Republic of Cyprus, which one must make in order to receive an identity card and the official form for the adoption of children. Also, both the Koran and the Bible are now on hand in all district courts in the Republic of Cyprus. 4 Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, Ministers’ Deputies Decisions, 1013th (DH) meeting, 3-5 December 2007.

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