HL Deb 08 July 2004 vol 663 cc916-8

11. 21 a.m.

Baroness Knight of Collingtree

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether there are any legal or technical reasons why direct flights are currently not permitted between Ercan airport in Northern Cyprus and United Kingdom airports.

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)

My Lords, the British Government fully support the agreed EU policy of ending the isolation of Turkish Cypriots. Direct flights to Northern Cyprus could play a useful role in bringing that about. We are currently examining the feasibility of such flights.

Baroness Knight of Collingtree

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for that reply. The very encouraging statement from the European Commission—it came out only last night—mentions, among other things, opening Turkish-Cypriot ports. Does that mean that the airport in Northern Cyprus can be used by those who seek to sell their produce abroad or visit the country? If so, can she give the House any idea when the ports, including the airports, might be opened?

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

My Lords, as the noble Baroness said, the proposals came out last night. The Commission made it clear that the proposals have been concerned with establishing a regime to permit trade between Northern Cyprus and the EU, and did not go into the issue that was really the subject of the Question—that is, the direct air links. They did not go into the direct maritime links either. We are examining what the Commission said. As the noble Baroness knows, my right honourable friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have said that they want to do what is possible to enable trade, and to end the isolation in a broader sense and a transport sense as well. The proposals certainly look encouraging.

Lord Hannay of Chiswick

My Lords, the Minister agrees that the objective of bringing the north of Cyprus closer to the European Union is a worthy one; she has already said that. Does she agree that the Greek Cypriots ought to realise, if they took a calm look at the matter, that is in their interests too that the prosperity gap between them and the Turkish Cypriots should be narrowed? They are likely to benefit economically from an increase in economic activity in the north.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

My Lords, there is a great deal of common sense in what the noble Lord says. We welcome the fact that the Government of the Republic of Cyprus have stated their commitment to work to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots. I very much hope that they will continue to demonstrate their support for that goal, not merely by their general statements but by their willingness to engage in real facilitation on those points.

Lord Lea of Crondall

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that those of us who attended the meetings earlier this week with the new Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus were very impressed by his statesmanlike approach? He pointed out that it may be more difficult for airports, which are under the International Civil Aviation Organisation's jurisdiction, than seaports to do something as quickly as the European Commission has suggested. As the noble Lord, Lord Hannay, said, it will be very important to encourage the Government of Cyprus to realise that the moral high ground is increasingly occupied by Northern Cyprus, and that the threat of the Republic of Cyprus to use its veto in the European Union is not the way to go.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

My Lords, as I said, I hope that what the Government of the Republic of Cyprus in Nicosia have said--that they want to end the isolation of the Northern Cypriots—can be taken at face value. They must now look at practical ways whereby that might be possible. The noble Baroness's Question about direct flights is very important, and I feel that we have somewhat moved away from it in supplementary questions. We must also recognise that the issue is highly contentious, as I am sure that she does, but enormously critical. By examining those issues, as we are doing at the moment, and recognising all the problems around legalities and air traffic control, we are trying, as the Prime Minister has said, to look at ways in which the flights can begin as soon as possible. The Prime Minister has said that.

Lord Howell of Guildford

My Lords, I am sure that all the issues will be examined and reviewed ad nauseam, but the policy of the European Union seems to be to have direct flights to Ercan. It is also the policy of the Government, who say that flights should happen as soon as possible, and of the noble Baroness herself. Ercan airport has been transformed and upgraded, travellers want to travel and tourists want to tour, and the airlines want to run the flights, so why do we not simply get on and allow them?

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

My Lords, we cannot do that because it is an enormously complicated and difficult question, as I have explained. The noble Lord may not like it, but we have to get things right legally. The open-skies policy of the European Union does not extend to the air links between sovereign states within the EU, so direct air links are a matter for bilateral agreements. Such agreements have to be properly licensed. That is what is being looked at. I could not be more positive than I have been to the noble Baroness, short of saying that we will begin flights tomorrow. I indicated that my right honourable friends want them to happen, that the Government would like to find a way through the problems, and that officials and lawyers are looking at the issue very actively. I hope that that will satisfy the noble Baroness.

Lord Berkeley

My Lords, that response from my noble friend was very helpful. She said that the flights would have to be licensed bilaterally. Who has to license them? Who is stopping them?

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

My Lords, I did not say that. The flights do not get licensed bilaterally, but are agreed by bilateral agreements. Those agreements have to be licensed internationally by the Chicago Convention. I am jolly glad that I asked about that before I came into the Chamber.