§ 11.21 a.m.
§ LORD GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, with the permission of the House I should like to repeat a Statement being made in another place by the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. The Statement reads as follows:
" With your permission, Mr. Speaker, and that of the House, I will make a further Statement about Cyprus.
" Since my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs last reported to the House two days ago, my right honourable friends the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State have had talks with Archbishop Makarios, the President of the Republic of Cyprus. They have also had talks with the Turkish Prime Minister and his colleagues and with Mr. Joseph Sisco, the American Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs. In these consultations and exchanges the aim of Her Majesty's Government has been to explore the details of a situation which remains very grave and to determine the lines on which progress might best be made. We have urged restraint on all concerned and have emphasised the need to avoid further unilateral action.
" The Security Council has met once and will be meeting again later to-day. The North Atlantic Council is also meeting regularly and playing a very helpful role.
1318 "It is essential that time should be allowed for this complex and confidential process to be pursued. My right honourable friends have made this clear to the Turkish Prime Minister and his acting Foreign Minister.
" We have also been in regular contact with the Government of Greece. Following our repeated representations, we were informed early yesterday that the orders for the replacement of the Greek officers in the Cyprus National Guard have been signed. This means that the officers who led the coup in Cyprus will be withdrawn from the Island. The withdrawal will start in the next few days. This is significant progress but only the first step towards a solution of the problem.
" This morning we have formally asked the Greek Government to send representatives to London immediately. We intend to discuss with the Greek Government and others concerned how the National Guard should be officered in future and whether the system of providing security within Cyprus should be modified. We believe that if we can get this right to the satisfaction of all concerned, it will be a major step forward towards the restoration of confidence and stability.
"There is now no fighting in the Island and Nicosia Airport was opened to traffic yesterday. Substantial numbers of British holiday-makers have already been able to leave. For the time being in a situation which is still highly uncertain I am sure that all British subjects considering a visit to Cyprus will wish to postpone their journey."
My Lords, that is the end of the Statement.
§ EARL COWLEYMy Lords, I should like to thank the noble Lord for repeating the Statement to this House, and for bringing your Lordships up to date on international events. We welcome the initiative being taken by Her Majesty's Government in holding talks with President Makarios, the Turkish Prime Minister, and other interested parties. It is very important that the Government continue to work for a general consensus both of opinion as well as of action.
I do not want to press the noble Lord at this time to divulge information that 1319 might compromise these current and delicate negotiations. However, we welcome the withdrawal of the Greek officers of the Cyprus National Guard, but we ask the Government to keep a careful watch on the situation so that these officers are not replaced by men of similar political persuasion, since that would make any withdrawal a rather hollow gesture. I trust that this point will be made very clear to the Greek delegation when it arrives in London, which I hope will be very soon. We are also pleased that peace has at long last returned to Cyprus, and that British holiday-makers are being allowed to leave. We fully endorse the advice being given by the British Government to potential visitors to the Island not to go.
§ LORD BYERSMy Lords, I, too, should like to thank the noble Lord for repeating the Statement to us. It certainly represents some progress in the right direction. May I ask him who defines what is meant by "those officers who led the coup"? Is it not essential that we should get rid of all those officers who were in fact involved in this, and not just the relatively few leaders? Secondly, may I ask him where this man Sampson is at the present moment, and what is going to be his future? Thirdly, what orders have been given to the replacement officers about the necessity for maintaining, or getting back to the state of independence for Cyprus?—because I should like to endorse what has been said from the other Bench that merely replacing one set of officers by another may not be progress.
§ LORD GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, I appreciate what has been said about the need to be restrained in our own speculations about the rather difficult and very important talks which are continuing at the moment. However, if I may address myself to one or two of the questions, I should be very glad to try to help your Lordships on this matter. In regard to the point about the replacement of the officership of the National Guard, which both noble Lords stressed, I have no doubt at all that this will be one of the most important questions for discussion with the Greek Government as well as others concerned. The point is well made and, I think, fully taken that the replacement must be total in respect of the change of political bias which clearly 1320 obtained in the officers, which led to the coup. Therefore, the replacement must achieve the objective which the noble Lord, Lord Byers, described.
As to the whereabouts of the leader of the coup I have no definite knowledge. I should like to take this opportunity of repeating what I have said more than once in your Lordships' House, that we recognise Archbishop Makarios as the only President of the Republic of Cyprus.
§ LORD HAILSHAM OF SAINT MARYLEBONEMy Lords, would the noble Lord care to comment, if it is not embarrassing to him, upon the attitude of the Americans in this matter, which struck me as rather disappointing?
§ LORD GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, I can assure your Lordships that our talks with the Americans, with Mr. Sisco, have led to a complete understanding by our friends and allies in the United States of the British position and attitude on this important matter, and that they are supporting us.
§ LORD DRUMALBYNMy Lords, would not this be a good opportunity to discuss with Archbishop Makarios and others who are going to be present at these discussions the possibility of introducing Turkish elements—that is, Turkish Cypriot elements—into the Army at the present time, and also Turkish Cypriot officers?
§ LORD GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, I presume that the noble Lord refers to the possibility of a mixed officer-ship of the National Guard. It is an interesting suggestion, and one which I would immediately say personally, if one could get it, would be most desirable. I hesitate to indicate how successful such a suggestion might be in the present context, but it is right that it should be made, and I am quite sure that it will be discussed and canvassed, at least to some extent.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, may I ask my noble friend whether, when those concerned are considering the replacement of the officers in the National Guard, they would take into account the possibility that United Nations' officers should occupy that position, in view of the fact that there is already a United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus?
§ LORD GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, that is certainly a possibility which should be considered. I am extremely grateful to my noble friend for raising it. Of course, I must restrain myself from expressing my own enthusiasms. Your Lordships' House is anxious that this question of the officership of the National Guard should be placed on a permanently satisfactory basis. All suggestions—we have heard at least two which are of great value—will certainly be considered by our own Government in consultation with the other two guarantor signatories.
§ LORD DAVIES OF LEEKMy Lords, would my noble friend try to see that most of us appreciate the work of the 3,000 troops put in by Austria, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Finland and Sweden who unostentatiously have done a considerable job of work in a most difficult situation? Finally, is my noble friend aware that a Greek newspaper in Athens reported in 1972 that Archbishop Makarios had met Grivas and that not long after Grivas's death Makarios felt that he could grant a great amnesty? Those discussions were never reported publicly, but Makarios must have felt that there were the seeds of possible and continuing co-operation with Grivas. Grivas must have been disappointed with a Fascist régime in Greece. Is that report of the meeting available to the Foreign Office? Has it been seen?
§ LORD GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, I am sure we would all endorse what my noble friend said in tribute to the action and deportment of the United Nations Forces in Cyprus. On the question of discussions which President Makarios has had, especially in the last few months, with representatives of EOKA, a good deal of publicity has been given to these and it was a sign of his readiness to try to achieve basic unity on the Island, even with elements which continued to work actively for enosis, which he, for practical and sound reasons, had set aside temporarily.
LORD HENLEYMy Lords, over a thousand of Makarios's friends have been 1322 arrested. Nothing was said about this in Statements. Could the noble Lord say anything about these arrests?
§ LORD GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, no doubt there have been arrests. These would seem to be extensive, but I could give no figures. I am certain we shall wish to know what happens to these people and will exert ourselves, with others, to see that they are not harshly treated, and indeed are released as soon as possible.
§ LORD SEGALMy Lords, in view of the fact that the Government still recognise President Makarios as head of the Government of Cyprus, will they take steps to press for the release of his supporters who have been arrested?
§ LORD GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, I have just said so, and I am glad to have the noble Lord's reinforcement of our intention.
§ LORD CARADONMy Lords, would my noble friend be prepared to confirm that the British request is not for the replacement of the Greek officers in the National Guard, but for their withdrawal? Secondly, would he confirm that it is the determined purpose of Her Majesty's Government to achieve the restoration of the legal Government in Cyprus?
§ LORD GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, the Statement made this perfectly clear. It describes the question of replacement as a first step. It goes on to indicate that we shall work for a modification of the security content and structure within the Island. In regard to my noble friend's second question, the answer is unqualifiably in the affirmative.
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, we have a great deal of business to do to-day. I suggest we now move to the next item of business.