§ 69. Mr. Teelingasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what provisions regarding the Maronite Community are contained in the new plan far Cyprus.
§ Mr. ProfumoWhile the Maronite Community is not specifically provided for in the new plan for Cyprus, the intention would be to bear in mind the interests of this community when the system of government is worked out. The community would benefit from the general advantages to the people of the island as a whole, which would accrue from acceptance and working of the plan, in particular to the extent that the resources of Cyprus are devoted to progress instead of to violence.
§ Mr. TeelingWill my hon. Friend remember that, under the Radcliffe Scheme, the Maronite Community was, I think, to have been given at least one 246 Parliamentary seat? Will he always bear in mind that they are neither Greeks nor Turks—if anything, they are of the Lebanon—and have always been extremely loyal to us, and are now quite anxious about their future?
§ Mr. H. FraserIf my right hon. Friend is not able to offer any specific constitutional advantage to these very loyal subjects of the Crown, will he consider righting their long-standing objection to the fact that one of their churches has been taken over and made into a rather unpleasant and unfortunate museum?
§ Mr. ProfumoI hope that this might be a matter that we could consider at a later stage in the consideration of the plan.