§ Mr. SpringTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current state of the negotiations on the island of Cyprus' future. [157108]
§ Mr. HawkinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress towards a settlement in Cyprus. [157147]
§ Mr. MacShaneFollowing the UN Secretary General's 4 February invitation to the parties, and the procedural agreement subsequently reached in New York on 13 February, substantive talks resumed in Nicosia on 19 February.
These talks, under UN auspices and on the basis of the UN Secretary-General's plan, aim to reach agreement on a settlement that will be put to the two Cypriot communities in separate simultaneous referendums on 21 April.
The settlement would take effect on the day after it had been approved, thus enabling a united Cyprus to join the European Union on 1 May.
Initial reports of progress are encouraging. The timetable is tight, and both sides are arguing for changes to the plan on some substantive points. But we hope that the constructive spirit shown by the parties in New York will enable them to reach agreement to their mutual benefit. The UK will continue to give its full support to the UN Secretary-General and to the parties in order to help realise this historic opportunity.