BirKibrisli wrote:http://www.parliamentarybrief.com/2010/03/britains-duty-if-no-deal-in-cyprus
The UN-brokered talks intended to bring about a reunification of Cyprus, and which began in September 2008, have made little real progress, and command little popular support on either side. Handshakes with the UN’s Ban Ki-moon, who flew in in February in the hope of giving the talks a boost, served only to underline the problems which confront any meaningful settlement on an island bitterly divided for the past 47 years. Failure of these talks will mean the end of any hope of future reunification. If so, the next British government will need a new approach, argues Michael Stephen
The cat is out of the bag and amongst the pidgeons...
I await your comments! Please try to play the ball and not the man or the website..
Hi Bir,
If we are going to listen to what Michael Stephens wrote in
March 2nd, 2010 on what he thinks what the British Government thinks of the Cyprus situation, then I think it is only fair that we also listen to what the actual British Government's thinkings are, which were made during the
Westminster Hall debates on 16 November 2010. Here are couple of excerpt from that debate.
Ian Lavery (Wansbeck, Labour)
Does the Minister agree that not only do we have a moral obligation to support a solution in Cyprus on a one-state basis, but we also have a legal obligation based on the treaty of guarantee and the memorandums that we have signed with Cyprus? Does that differ from what he has just said?
Link to this Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 16 November 2010, c230WH)
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David Lidington (Minister of State (Europe and NATO), Foreign and
Commonwealth Office; Aylesbury, Conservative)
No, it does not. The hon. Gentleman draws me on to comments that I was about to make.
Far be it for me to criticise a distinguished elder statesman such as Mr Straw, but I am happy to make it clear that the Government's position is to support a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality for a united Cyprus. We do not support partition. As the hon. Member for Wansbeck has said, as one of the guarantor powers, we are bound by treaty not only to resist but to prohibit any step that would lead either to the partition of Cyprus or to its unification with any other country. The new British Government remain in support of that position on the present and future status of Cyprus.
Link to this Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 16 November 2010, c230WH)
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Alan Meale (Mansfield, Labour)
Does the Minister agree that there would be a great danger if Britain's policy moved away from the one that he has expressed? If we break the treaty signed in the '60s that gave independence to Cyprus, it would break all other parts of the treaty. That could affect the British bases on the island.
Link to this Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 16 November 2010, c230WH)
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David Lidington (Minister of State (Europe and NATO), Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Aylesbury, Conservative)
As a general principle, if one signs and ratifies a treaty, one should stick by its obligations. That is what we intend to do.
David Burrowes (Enfield, Southgate, Conservative)
I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who makes an important point. It is not simply the case that Cyprus is standing in the way of EU membership; it is up to Turkey to recognise that it must remove the army and that the island needs to be reunified. Turkey must take those steps before it can move towards EU accession. The European Commission's report also noted the Commission's assessment that freedom of expression needs to be strengthened in Turkey, both in law and in practice. It highlighted the fact that shortcomings remain in the free exercise of religion, and reference was made to disputes with neighbours, including Armenia. Those are other factors that go beyond Cyprus. It is important to get the facts right when making the argument about the accession process.
Alan Meale (Mansfield, Labour)
Let us look at why Cyprus was allowed to join the European Union, a move that was led by Britain. A British Government argued that Cyprus should be in Europe because it would have been ridiculous and folly to keep it out of Europe. We all know what Cyprus was at the time of its entry. It was being treated as an offshore island by many, with 7,500 companies on its shores. It had its own stock exchange and an independent link into the European banking system. It was probably best placed for trade with the old eastern bloc, which most of Europe was not. It had a fine relationship with areas of the middle east and an outstanding trading relationship with China and Africa, which many EU countries did not have. As I understand from scientific texts, Cyprus is one of only four places on the planet that have windows into space, and, communications being so important for the future, it was important that that was kept in the European sphere, rather than being independent outside it. If anyone has any doubt about that, they will recall that it is for that reason that Britain's listening and searching stations are still situated on the island.
Last, but not least, there is the importance of oil and gas, not only for Europe, but for the rest of the world. People will have to consider the importance of the European oil and gas pipeline, which is now being driven down to the shores of Greece, where further pipelines will be fixed that go across to Limassol in the republic. Similarly, pipelines will be coming down to join the central European pipeline from the Caspian sea, and they will link in to guarantee oil and gas for Europe. Cyprus will shortly become the gas station of Europe, and possibly the world, which is another reason why it was important that it came into the EU.
David Lidington (Minister of State (Europe and NATO), Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Aylesbury, Conservative)
Let there be no doubt that the United Kingdom Government are committed to supporting the ongoing settlement negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations, and particularly of Alexander Downer, which are aimed at achieving a settlement based on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality. That political equality must be accorded not only-although most obviously-to the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities, but also to the smaller minorities on the island. My hon. Friend the Member for Enfield, Southgate, chairman of the British-Cyprus all-party group, reminded us of the Maronite community. The position of the Maronite community and its members' entitlement to cultural and religious freedom of expression will be fully resolved only by a comprehensive settlement that reunites the island. The Government support the resolution passed by the Council of Europe in July 2008 that called for additional measures to
"support the revitalisation andpromotion of the cultural, religious and linguistic heritage of the Maronites,".
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