§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit the Republic of Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. [144407]
§ Mr. VazThe Foreign Secretary has no immediate plans to visit Cyprus. However, I hope to visit the island in March.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Ministers from his Department have visited northern Cyprus since May 1997. [144406]
§ Mr. VazMy right hon. Friend the Member for Gateshead, East and Washington, West (Ms Quin), the then Minister for Europe, visited northern Cyprus in April 1999, as part of a wider trip to the island. During her visit to the north of the island she met Mr. Denktash, and party leaders Mr. Akinci and Mr. Talat.
I plan to visit Cyprus in March.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has recently had with Greece and Turkey on the proximity talks on Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. [144400]
§ Mr. VazThe Secretary of State meets his Greek and Turkish counterparts frequently. His most recent substantive discussions with them on Cyprus took place at the OSCE Ministerial Meeting in November.
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§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met President Clerides of the Republic of Cyprus. [144408]
§ Mr. VazThe Foreign Secretary last met President Clerides on 12 March 1998 at the EU Birmingham Summit. The Prime Minister met President Clerides on 10 April 2000 in London. The Foreign Secretary and I met the Cyprus Foreign Minister, Mr. Kasoulides, in London on 3 October and 29 September respectively.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with Mr. Rauf Denktash on freedom of the press in northern Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. [144412]
§ Mr. VazThe UK has made it clear to the Turkish Cypriots at various levels that we expect the rights of Turkish Cypriots, including the freedom of the press, to be respected. We will continue to monitor the situation.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who Her Majesty's Government's representatives will be at the next meeting of the United Nations' sponsored proximity talks on Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. [144402]
§ Mr. VazThe United Kingdom is not party to the United Nation-sponsored talks on Cyprus. However, we follow developments closely and Sir David Hannay, UK Special Representative for Cyprus, is likely to meet the parties during the next meeting. The UK urges all involved to co-operate with the UNSG's efforts to reach a just and lasting settlement.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with Mr. Rauf Denktash regarding the legal action taken against Turkish Cypriot opposition politicians and journalists in northern Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. [144413]
§ Mr. VazThe United Kingdom has made it clear to the Turkish Cypriots at various levels that we expect the rights of Turkish Cypriots to be respected, including the freedom of the press. We have expressed concern about particular instances, such as the recent case of Mr. Levent, and will continue to monitor the situation closely.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Ministers from his Department have visited the Republic of Cyprus since May 1997. [144399]
§ Mr. VazMy right hon. Friend the Member for Gateshead, East and Washington, West (Ms Quin), the then Minister for Europe, visited Cyprus in April 1999. The visit included meetings with President Clerides, Foreign Minister Kasoulides, Mr. Denktash, and several Greek and Turkish Cypriot party leaders.
I plan to visit Cyprus in March.