Cyprus (Hansard, 10 May 1990)

§ Lord Reay
My Lords, we shall continue to give active support to the United Nations Secretary General's efforts to promote a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Cyprus problem.

§ Lord Stallard
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that Answer. I appreciate the Government's hand in this, as I appreciated and welcomed the Minister's recent statement in another place that their policy was to continue to refuse to recognise the proclaimed so-called Republic of Northern Cyprus. He said that it was illegally declared and that the Government would not recognise it. That statement was very much welcomed and appreciated so far as it went.
My Question asks what steps the Government are taking to secure a negotiated settlement of a dispute that has now lasted for 16 years. As it is now clear that the Turkish Cypriot President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which the Government do not recognise, wants only a recognition of the status quo, should we not now be seeking the support of those Turkish Cypriot community leaders who are prepared to negotiate honestly with the Cypriot Government under the auspices of the United Nations?

§ Lord Reay
My Lords, through continuous diplomatic contact with all parties concerned, including the fellow guarantor powers, Turkey and Greece, we have made strenuous efforts to help the United Nations find a way forward. The United Nations Secretary General has publicly acknowledged that no country does more to help him than we do.

§ Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos
My Lords, does the noble Lord agree that the Turkish Government's close relations with Mr. Denktash would help to achieve a negotiated settlement if the Turkish Prime Minister and his colleagues felt that that was necessary? Further, can he say whether the Prime Minister, during her recent visit to that country, discussed such matters with the Prime Minister of Turkey and his colleagues?

§ Lord Reay
Yes, my Lords. The Turkish President made clear to my right honourable friend the Prime Minister in Gallipoli on 25th April that the Turkish Government continue to support the United Nations Secretary General's Cyprus mission. President Ozal said that he supported the principle of a bi-zonal, bi-commual federation in Cyprus with equal political rights for the two communities.

§ Lord Monson
My Lords, is it not time that we abandoned the illusion that we can control the complex affairs of nations which are situated several hundred or several thousand miles away from our own country? Will the Minister agree that realistically, the best help we can give is, come what may, to maintain those oases of security and stability, the British Sovereign bases and in particular Dhekelia, which is the one part of the island where Turkish and Greek Cypriots can meet on equal terms?

§ Lord Reay
My Lords, we are one of the guarantor powers and we have longstanding ties with Cyprus. Under the 1960 Treaty of Establishment we retained indefinitely two Sovereign base areas in Cyprus. We have no intention of giving up those bases; nor have the Government of Cyprus ever asked us to do so.

§ Lord Stallard
My Lords, I must press the noble Lord for some further examples of what he considers to be the next step forward in this process of finding a settlement. Will he say what he considers to be the next step, rather than just simply saying that we shall continue to support the United Nations? In what way can we take the next step forward?

§ Lord Reay
My Lords, although the last round of inter-communal talks failed to make progress—and we regret that fact—nevertheless, the Secretary General of the United Nations remains committed to searching for a solution, and his initiative is still in being. The way forward is mapped out clearly in Security Council Resolution 649 which was unanimously adopted on 12th March. A member of the United Nations Secretariat has just arrived in Cyprus for consultations with both sides to prepare the ground for the resumption of talks.