§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will draw the attention of the Enlargement Commissioner of the European Union to the encouragement by Turkey of Mr Denktas not to engage in the sixth round of the Proximity Talks on Cyprus in late January in response to the invitation by the United Nations Secretary-General unless the "TRNC" is treated as having the same status as the Republic of Cyprus for the purpose of these discussions; and what is now their policy on the completion of the negotiations for the entry of Cyprus into the European Union in the light of this problem. [HL718]
§ Baroness Scotland of AsthalThe European Commission takes a close interest in progress of the UN settlement process and refers to it in its reports on Cyprus.
Government policy on Cyprus's entry into the European Union remains clear and unchanged: our objective is for Cyprus to enter the EU after a settlement, but we do not consider a settlement to be a pre-condition for accession. The Helsinki European Council endorsed this view and noted that the decision on Cyprus's accession would take account of all relevant factors.