§ 14. Mr. LoveTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will report on the recent ministerial visit to Cyprus; and if he will make a statement on progress on negotiations between the Greek and Turkish communities on the island. [54381]
§ Peter HainI visited Cyprus on 10 and 11 April and met, among others, President Clerides and Mr. Denktash. I remain hopeful that a settlement can be found that will enable a reunited island to join the EU.
§ Mr. SpringTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the state is of the peace talks in Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. [56161]
§ Peter HainFace-to-face talks with UN involvement for a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement are at an important stage. The UK and the international community hope to see a reunited Cyprus accede to the EU. We are542W working hard to help all involved to move negotiations forward and co-operating fully with the UN Secretary-General's special adviser, Alvaro de Soto.
As the UN Security Council stated on 2 May, the time has now come to set down on paper areas of common ground between the two sides, with the aim of establishing the component parts of a comprehensive settlement which takes full consideration of relevant UN resolutions and treaties; and, where differences remain, to narrow and remove those through a process of negotiation focused on compromise formulations.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has welcomed UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's visit to Cyprus, from 14 to 16 May. He said:
it is a timely contribution to the process launched by the two leaders in Cyprus. The Cyprus problem has gone on too long. It is time we saw decisive steps towards a settlement.
§ Mr. SpringTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact the peace talks in Cyprus will have on Cyprus' accession to the European Union; and if he will make a statement. [56162]
§ Peter HainThe UK and the international community want to see a reunited Cyprus accede to the European Union. We are working hard to help all involved to move negotiations forward and co-operating fully with the UN Secretary-General's special adviser, Alvaro de Soto.
The UK supports agreement of the Helsinki European Council in 1999 that, taking into account all relevant factors, a political settlement on Cyprus would facilitate, but is not a precondition of, Cyprus' accession to the EU. Cyprus continues to make good progress in the accession negotiations and is expected to complete them at the Copenhagen European Council in December.