asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the United Kingdom, as a guarantor power under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, has made any representations to Tassos Papadopoulos and the Greek-Cypriot leadership to reconsider their rejection of President Talat's offer of 5 September 2007 to resume negotiations. [HL1667]
We have not made any representations to President Papadopoulos regarding Mr Talat's offer in September 2007. It is vital however, if progress is to be made, that there exists constant contact and dialogue at all levels between the two communities. We continue to urge all parties to take measures to help build trust on the island and demonstrate the necessary political will to turn words into actions.
asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the United Kingdom, as a guarantor power under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, has discussed with Ban Ki-Moon, the United Nations Secretary-General, the package of proposals presented by President Talat of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus at their meeting on 16 September 2007. [HL1668]
We have not discussed with UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, the package of proposals presented by Mr Talat, leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, in September 2007. However, we were encouraged by Mr Talat's expression of support for the 8 July agreement and the list of confidence-building measures that he proposed.
We continue to encourage all parties to the Cyprus problem to engage fully with the efforts of the UN to achieve a comprehensive solution based on the 8 July agreement. 2008 presents a unique opportunity to make decisive progress towards a comprehensive settlement. We urge all parties to take measures to help build trust on the island and demonstrate the necessary political will to turn words into actions.
asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the United Kingdom, as a guarantor power under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, has taken steps to assist the Turkish-Cypriot people, as promised by the then Prime Minister Tony Blair after the referendum on the Annan Plan on 24 April 2004. [HL1669]
We continue to support fully the EU's commitment of 2004, reaffirmed in 2007, to support the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community, thereby facilitating a settlement.
The EU aid package of €259 million is starting to make a visible difference to the lives of Turkish Cypriots. To date, €88 million have been tendered for, €33 million have been contracted and €12 million have been spent.
At the same time, we remain committed to achieving further trade liberalisation and will continue to support the efforts of the EU presidency to secure such an agreement. Improving the ability of Turkish Cypriots to trade with the EU will bring the community closer to Europe and reduce dependence on Turkey.
However, while efforts to ease the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community are important, ultimately this isolation will only be fully lifted in the context of a UN brokered comprehensive settlement to reunite the island.
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their assessment of Ban Ki-Moon's recent report on Cyprus; and whether, as a guarantor power under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, they will implement paragraph 47 of that report, which encourages economic, social and cultural ties between the international community and the Turkish-Cypriot people. [HL1670]
We fully endorse the remarks made in the latest report from the UN Secretary-General that “it is regrettable that the ongoing debate on the lifting of the isolation of Turkish Cypriots has become a debate on recognition”. We remain committed to supporting the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community, thereby facilitating a settlement.
The recent UN Security Council Resolution on Cyprus (1789) was agreed with consensus among the five permanent members of the Security Council. The resolution stressed the importance that all parties focus on making decisive progress towards a comprehensive settlement in 2008.