Cyprus (Hansard, 25 October 1995)

§ 8. Mrs. Roche
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement regarding the current situation in Cyprus. [36859]

§ Mr. Rifkind
The present division of Cyprus is unacceptable. We are giving active support to the UN Secretary-General's mission of good offices which we believe offers the best hope of a just and lasting solution.

§ Mrs. Roche
What does the Secretary of State have to say about the plight of the enclaved people who live in the occupied north of Cyprus and who are subjected daily to human rights violations and abuses? Does he not agree that it is about time that the British Government, who are a guarantor power in the area, exerted their influence on the illegal regime of Mr. Denktas and on Turkey itself?

§ Mr. Rifkind
When there is a division of a territory such as in Cyprus there are always personal tragedies and people caught up in it. That should give added impetus to the attempts to achieve reunification of the island on an acceptable basis. It is that which will offer the best prospect for the welfare of the people to whom the hon. Lady referred.

§ Mr. Nigel Evans
To what extent does my right hon. and learned Friend believe that we may be able to use Cyprus's application to join the European Union and Turkey's desire to have closer trading links with the EU as leverage to try to bring both sides in the north and south together, living in a bi-communal settlement?

§ Mr. Rifkind
It is indeed the case that negotiations with Cyprus about possible EU membership are due to begin at the end of the intergovernmental conference. I have no doubt that the negotiations would have much better prospects of success if we could see political progress in Cyprus which could lead to the unification of the island. My hon. Friend is right to draw attention to that as a factor to which I hope that all those involved in the dispute will give proper attention.

Mr. John D. Taylor
Since the European Union decided to negotiate the accession of Cyprus into the Union, the Greek Cypriots have withdrawn their support 1008 from the United Nations confidence-building measures. What reasons have the Greek Cypriots given for that reversal of policy?

§ Mr. Rifkind
A number of factors may have led to that. The important objective is to look to the future. The next step will be for the American presidential envoy to visit the island soon for talks with the various leaders. That should be encouraged and I hope that in future the confidentiality that is so crucial to any prospect of progress will be respected by communal leaders on both sides of the island.

§ Dr. Twinn
Does my right hon. and learned Friend agree that no party to the problems in Cyprus should be allowed to exercise a veto on Cyprus's entry to the European Community? Does he agree that there needs to be good political will on both sides of the argument and that that is clearly lacking in the Turkish Cypriot community?

§ Mr. Rifkind
As my hon. Friend said, there can be no veto. It goes without saying that progress that would lead towards reunification of the island would improve the prospects for success in the complex negotiations. All accession negotiations are difficult and when those negotiations involve an island which is currently divided like Cyprus there are difficulties which the Community has not had to address in the same way in the past.

§ Mr. Robin Cook
I welcome the Foreign Secretary's observation that there must be no veto on Cyprus's application. Is he aware that the Prime Minister has told the House that it would be extremely difficult for Cyprus to join the European Union unless the division of the island is resolved? Does he not realise that that is an open invitation to Turkey to rule out Cyprus's membership by making it difficult to resolve the division of the island? Will the right hon. and learned Gentleman now correct that error by giving unequivocal support to Cyprus in its application to join the European Union, thereby ruling out any Turkish veto?

§ Mr. Rifkind
Of course we look forward to a successful Cypriot negotiation for accession to the European Union. It is simple common sense to say, as my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has done, that an island that is divided and has not had political progress towards reunification will have much more difficult negotiations than would otherwise apply. The hon. Gentleman is being unrealistic if he does not recognise that fact, which is well understood in Cyprus by all the communities concerned.