1 Introduction
1. As part of our continuing inquiry into Developments
in the European Union, it is our practice to visit the capital
of the country which holds the EU presidency in each six-month
period, while taking the opportunity of combining this with visits
to other states, particularly those which have recently acceded
to the EU or which are applicants for accession. We decided that
in July 2008, in addition to visiting Paris (to mark the start
of the French presidency) and Brussels, we would also visit Cyprus.
We were prompted to do so by the political developments which
have taken place on the island since our previous visit in January
2007.
2. Back in 2007 our interlocutors had been pessimistic
about the chances of a breakthrough in progress towards a settlement
of the "Cyprus Problem". However, the election of Demetris
Christofias as President of the Republic of Cyprus in February
2008 has transformed the situation. Mr Christofias was elected
with a mandate to open talks with his Turkish Cypriot counterpart,
Mehmet Ali Talat. The two leaders moved swiftly to lay the foundations
for full negotiations, by holding a series of meetings and commissioning
expert bodies to carry out preparatory work on the key issues.
In April 2008 the Ledra Street crossing in Nicosia was re-opened
after 44 years—an act of considerable symbolic importance.
3. Despite some subsequent setbacks and instances
of friction, the overall momentum of this process has been maintained.
In July the United Nations Secretary General announced that Alexander
Downer, the former Australian foreign minister, has been appointed
as his Special Adviser on Cyprus. On 3 September fully fledged
negotiations between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots commenced.
The two leaders have held almost weekly meetings since then, as
well as delegating more detailed work to their chief negotiators.
The intention is to reach agreement in principle on a settlement
by summer 2009.
4. During our visit to Cyprus in July 2008 we met
Mr Christofias, Mr Talat, and their chief negotiators, together
with other political leaders in both communities, and we have
subsequently received informal briefings at Westminster on the
progress of negotiations from Mr Downer and from HM High Commissioner
to Cyprus, Peter Millett.
About this Report
5. After our January 2007 visit to Cyprus, which
we combined with a visit to Turkey, we produced a short Report,
published in May 2007. In this we stated that:
It is not our standard practice to produce a
Report on the Committee's visits. The discussions we hold with
senior figures in governments, parliaments, business and civil
society are confidential, and we respect that confidentiality.
On this occasion, however, we felt that it was important to acquaint
the House with what we heard during the visit to Turkey and Cyprus,
and to bring to wider attention a summary of the issues we discussed
and the opinions we encountered.[1]
6. On the same basis we consider that it would be
useful to publish a short digest of the views we canvassed during
our 2008 visit. This is meant as an update of our previous Report,
and a 'snapshot' of opinion on the island on the brink of what
may be momentous changes.
7. As with our previous Report, in order to maintain
the confidentiality of the exchanges, we have arranged the material
by theme, rather than by interlocutor. Likewise, we wish once
again to make it clear that none of the comments or opinions reproduced
as an Annex to this Report either represents the view of the Committee
or is to be ascribed to any individual or organisation we met
in the course of our visit. They are listed in the Appendix.
8. We are very grateful to the political leaders
in both communities, as well as to the officials, opinion formers
and others whom we met, for their helpfulness in talking to us
so candidly. We wish to express particular gratitude to the High
Commissioner in Nicosia and his staff, who organised our visit
with great efficiency, and whose briefing and counsel have contributed
greatly to our understanding of the developing situation in Cyprus.
1 Foreign Affairs Committee, Fifth Report of Session
2006-07, Visit to Turkey and Cyprus, HC 473, para 3 Back
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