Letter from the Secretary of State for
Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to the Chairman of the Committee
Thank you for your letter of 26 October. I welcome
the continuing interest of the Committee in the Government's work
on Cyprus issues, and I look forward to answering any points you
will wish to raise at the end of our term as Presidency of the
European Union.
In the meantime, let me reassure you that the
successful resolution of Cyprus-related issues remains a major
priority. One of the most significant achievements of our Presidency
so far has been the successful opening of EU accession negotiations
with Turkey on 3 October. This is of key importance in the search
for a Cyprus settlement. I believe that, as part of Turkey's accession
process, a steady normalisation of relations between Turkey and
Cyprus will in turn help increase trust and interaction between
the parties and provide a surer context for a resumption of negotiations.
And ultimately a comprehensive settlement will have to be reached
before Turkey can eventually accede to the Union.
Naturally I hope that a settlement can be reached
long before that. I fully agree with the Committee's conclusions
that we must seize any opportunities to make progress. Time is
not on our side — indeed, the problems are becoming more
intractable as time passes. I spoke to UN Secretary General Kofi
Annan on 5 October to discuss the prospects for progress. We are
also in contact with other members of the UN Security Council.
But ultimately the impetus for renewed efforts has to come from
the parties on the island demonstrating their readiness to re-engage
and their willingness to make the necessary compromises and commitments
that a successful resumption of negotiations would require. This
was a message that both the Prime Minister and I reinforced to
President Papadopoulos and Foreign Minister George Iacovou during
their visit in July. The Deputy Prime Minister also took the same
message to representatives of both communities during his visit
to Cyprus last month.
In this context, I would like to see President
Papadopoulos agreeing to face to face meetings with Mr Talat,
which must surely be a necessary condition for recreating the
conditions in which progress towards a settlement might be made.
I also agree with the conclusion reached by
the Committee that the EU must honour the undertakings it made
to the Turkish Cypriots. We were in close contact with the Luxembourg
Presidency on this issue. The Luxembourg Presidency made efforts
to reach agreement on a package of measures including a trading
arrangement through the port of Famagusta. In the end these efforts
proved unsuccessful, but nonetheless I believe the process of
trying to establish common ground through direct negotiation involving
both sides and the Commission was useful.
In our own Presidency, it remains our intention
to adopt the aid regulation as soon as possible, in order to preserve
the flow of EU assistance to the north of the island. The related
issue of trade for the Turkish Cypriots remains difficult—as
Presidency our challenge will be to find consensus between those
Member States who wish to see the Commission's trade proposal
adopted quickly, and others, including the Republic of Cyprus,
who remain opposed to this regulation. Whilst I cannot predict
the outcome at this stage, I will say that we continue to believe
that allowing the Turkish Cypriots to trade freely with the rest
of the EU would make a settlement more likely, less costly and
easier to consolidate.
The Government is also continuing its support
for efforts to promote reconciliation and interaction between
the two communities in Cyprus in other areas. Both our High Commission
in Nicosia and the British contingent of UN peacekeeping forces
have been active in this regard, on issues such as preparations
for opening new crossing points on the Green Line, and finding
facilities in the buffer zone to assist in work by the Committee
for Missing Persons.
I would be glad to discuss or provide further
information on any points of interest in greater detail.
Rt Hon Jack Straw MP
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
16 November 2005
| 
