§ Andrew MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what policy response the Government will make to the proposals by the Turkish authorities in the North of Cyprus seeking further derogations to the EU acquis as a precondition to their agreement to a settlement in Cyprus; whether the Government have communicated the proposals to the Government of Turkey; and if he will make a statement. [163244]
§ Mr. MacShaneThe UK is working to support the UN Secretary-General's good offices mission in Cyprus and, along with other members of the European Council, has declared its readiness to accommodate the terms of a Cyprus settlement in line with the principles upon which the EU is founded.
Once a settlement is finalised and approved by both communities it will be for the European Union to accommodate those arrangements, in order for a reunited Cyprus to join the EU on 1 May. The EU should not become an obstacle to a settlement that has been agreed by the parties themselves.
The UK has not communicated any proposals from the Turkish authorities in northern Cyprus to the Turkish Government.