Cyprus

HC Deb 27 March 1996 vol 274 cc625-7W

Mr. John D. Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he(a) has had or (b) plans to have with Mr. Glafcos Clerides following his recent statement relating to the number of people described as missing following the events of 1974; how many Cypriots from (i) Greek and (ii) Turkish communities, are now listed as missing; and if he will make a statement. [23052]

Mr. David Davis

None. A UN committee on missing persons was established to investigate the fate of the missing. A total of 1,993 cases of Cypriots who remain unaccounted for have been submitted to the UN committee. We understand from the UN that 1,493 of these are Greek Cypriots and 500 are Turkish Cypriots.

Mr. Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had had with(a) Mr. Glafcos Clerides and (b) the Greek Government on the future resettlement of (i) Greek and (ii) Turkish Cypriots in Famagusta; and if he will make a statement. [23038]

Mr. Davis

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Tooting (Mr. Cox) on 26 March 1996, column499.

Mr. Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress there has been in the implementation of the United Nations confidence-building measures in Cyprus; what assessment he has made of the policy of the(a) Greek Cypriot and (b) Turkish Cypriot Governments to these confidence-building measures; when Nicosia international airport will be reopened; when Cypriots will be allowed to resettle in Varosha; and if he will make a statement. [23018]

Mr. Davis

Negotiations on the United Nations package of confidence-building measures have seen no progress since June 1994. We continue to believe that these measures could make a positive contribution towards an eventual solution to the Cyprus problem.

Mr. Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he(a) has had and (b) plans with the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the present position of the Turkish Cypriots living in areas of southern Cyprus. [23020]

Mr. Davis

The high commission in Nicosia maintains close contact with the United Nations force in Cyprus humanitarian branch, which is responsible for overseeing the welfare of Turkish Cypriots living in southern Cyprus. We fully support its work in this field.

Mr. Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the British Government will support an official inquiry into the alleged killing of Greek Cypriots by Greek Cypriot troops during the Greek Cypriot coup d'etat in 1974. [23039]

Mr. Davis

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Tooting (Mr. Cox) on 26 March 1996, column480.

Mr. Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the British Government plan to remain one of the guarantor powers for Cyprus. [23019]

Mr. Davis

Yes.

Mr. Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with(a) Mr. Glafcos Clerides and (b) the Greek Government about the number of foreign residents now living in southern Cyprus; what is his most recent estimate of the total number; and if he will make a statement. [23041]

Mr. Davis

None. We are responsible for the consular protection of some 7,000 British residents on the island. This does not include 200,000 or so dual nationals who are the responsibility of the Republic of Cyprus. We support the call in UN Security Council resolution 789 for a Cyprus-wide census under the auspices of the United Nations.

Mr. Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of the Turkish Republic of Cyprus about Cyprus's membership of the European Union; what assessment he has made of the Turkish Cypriot Government's support for Cyprus's membership; and if he will make a statement. [23032]

Mr. Davis

Staff at the high commission in Nicosia regularly discuss Cyprus' accession to the EU with members of the Turkish Cypriot community. We welcomed Mr. Denktash's statement last December outlining the circumstances in which he would be prepared to support EU accession by Cyprus within the terms of an overall settlement.