Jennifer Lopez, on the hook for the Cyprus conflict

Published: July 11, 2010

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The singer and actress Jennifer Lopez has refused to perform in a hotel in the Turkish part of Cyprus following a Greek Cypriot protest campaign and now she could be sued by the tourist accommodation, Turkish newspaper “Today’s zaman” reported this Sunday.

Boz Group, a construction conglomerate based in Turkey and northern Cyprus, invited the star to participate on July 24 at the opening of Cratos Premium Hotel, located in Kyrenia, in which the Turkish company has invested $ 220 million.

Boz agreed to pay three million dollars to Jennifer Lopez for her performance, but as soon as it became publicly known, Greek Cypriot groups began a protest campaign by sending thousands of emails to the singer. According to these groups, the performance in the Kyrenia hotel legitimizes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), an internationally recognized state only by Turkey, located in the northern part of the island, divided after the Turkish invasion of 1974.

Under the Greek Cypriot pressure, Lopez decided to cancel, so she now faces the anger of the Turkish Cypriots.

“Jennifer Lopez has caused great harm to the image of our hotel. We have given her a deadline until Monday, if she does not change her decision (not attend the inauguration), we will demand for the damages,” Boz Group Vice President, Murat Bozoglu, told the reporters.

He explained that they have engaged in the services of two lawyers in New York, but still have hopes of solving this problem amicably. “If it’s needed, we (the Turks) will send her a million emails showing our intentions friendly and brotherly,” Bozoglu added.