30.
asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will seek a new initiative to achieve a permanent settlement in Cyprus.
We are giving active support to the intercommunal talks currently in progress in Nicosia. We stand ready to give such additional help as the United Nations and the parties would consider useful but believe that a new initiative now would only tend to undermine that recently launched by the United Nations Secretary-General.
52.
asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the present position of the intercommunal talks on the future of Cyprus.
The secretary general of the United Nations tabled a paper on 18 November designed to lend substance to the talks. Since then there have been a number of meetings. Details of these are not made public but the parties are reported to be engaged in detailed discussion making use of the secretary general's paper.