Lord Maginnis of Drumglass Cyprus Speech, House of Lords

LORD MAGINNIS OF DRUMGLASS SPEECH AS PART OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS

Cyprus: Annan Plan

plan referendum, they have met their obligation towards the restoration of full international human rights

to the citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

The noble Lord said: My Lords, on 6 and 14 November 2002 I spoke in your Lordships' House on the

issue of northern Cyprus and the injustice that Turkish Cypriots have endured since 1963. I spoke of the

Greek Cypriot persecution of Turkish Cypriots before Turkey rescued them in 1974; of perverse and

ongoing propaganda that turned aggressors into victims; and of the United Kingdom's shameful

dereliction of its duty as guarantor under the 1960 treaty. I had hoped that we would have moved on.

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The House will know that in April 2004 two referendums were held in Cyprus, one in the Turkish-Cypriot

north and the other in Greek-Cypriot south. In those referendums, the two peoples of Cyprus exercised

their separate rights of self-determination. The plan was a compromise that, like all compromises, did

not give either side everything that it wanted. Nevertheless, the United Kingdom, the United States, the

European Union and the United Nations Secretary-General endorsed it as a fair and reasonable basis

for settlement. It was accepted by the Turkish Cypriots but rejected by the Greek Cypriots. I do not find

their reasons for rejecting it convincing.

The plan would have reduced, in phases, the number of Turkish and Greek troops to 650 and 950

respectively. Turkey could not have halted those reductions without wrecking its bid for membership of

the European Union. The plan would have allowed a large number of Greek Cypriots to return to their

homes in northern Cyprus and would have compensated the rest. There is, of course, a large number of

Turkish Cypriot properties in the south that are still occupied by Greek Cypriots, but nobody seems to

care about them.

I have known Cyprus for many years. I am in no doubt about why the Greek Cypriot leaders

campaigned against the United Nations plan. They simply do not wish to share power with the Turkish

Cypriots, and they think that their unjustified status as the government of Cyprus gives them the power

to do as they please. Their objective is to use the new influence that they have acquired in the

European Union to get Turkish troops removed from Cyprus and to bring Turkish Cypriots once again

under the Greek Cypriot domination from which they have already suffered so much. Put bluntly, they

do not want Turkish Cypriots in Cyprus, except perhaps as cheap labour.

The world is beginning to see the truth about the Greek Cypriots. Last week, the Islamic states

welcomed the Foreign Minister of the Turkish Cypriot state to their conference in Yemen. They passed

a resolution to open direct trade, transport and tourism links with northern Cyprus. Azerbaijan has taken

the first step by declaring direct flights permissible and recognising passports issued by the Turkish

Cypriot state.

It is wrong that the Greek Cypriot regime was ever accepted as the government of Cyprus. They threw

the Turkish Cypriots out of the government in 1963, and they have been well rewarded for their

audacity. Their reliance on a so-called doctrine of necessity was ridiculous, as they created the

necessity themselves. It has no substance after the referendum, if it ever had.

The Greek Cypriot leadership says that it wants reconciliation with the Turkish Cypriots, but is there

even a shred of evidence that it does? On the contrary, ever since 1963, the Greek Cypriots have held

the Turkish Cypriots under economic embargo, in an attempt to force them to accept a settlement on

Greek Cypriot terms. After the referendums last year, the international community made it clear that

there was no justification for the embargo, but it continues. Indeed, it has got worse.

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In another place, the Foreign Affairs Committee concluded that there was little evidence that Greek

Cypriots had taken it on board that membership of the European Union involved obligations as well as

privileges. Using their new-found privileges in the European Union, the Greek Cypriots have started to

bring legal actions against people, including British citizens, who relied on laws in force in the north of

Cyprus and who, in good faith, bought property there. I have a house in northern Cyprus, but I am not

affected; mine has pre-1974 British title.

"There is an effective administration in Northern Cyprus which has made laws governing the day to day

lives of the people. According to these laws the people who have occupied these [properties] are not

trespassers. They are not occupying them unlawfully and their conduct cannot be made the subject of a

suit in England".

These new legal claims are portrayed as actions brought by Greek Cypriot individuals, but it is in fact a

co-ordinated campaign by the government in the south to cause damage to the Turkish Cypriot

economy. Her Majesty's Government should tell the Greek Cypriot Government in unequivocal terms

that their conduct is unacceptable and should stop. The property issue must be resolved by an overall

political settlement.

Similarly, the Greek Cypriots, in pursuit of the same political campaign, have persuaded Transport for

London to deny the Turkish Cypriot tourist office the right to advertise. They have failed to lift this ban

even though the Advertising Standards Authority ruled on 22 April that there is no justification for it.

The ASA said:

"The fact that some people were offended that North Cyprus was being advertised as a holiday

destination does not provide sufficient grounds for objecting to a marketing communication for it. The

ASA Council considers that the advertisements were unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence,

or undue distress, and were unlikely to materially mislead".

When this issue first arose, I wrote to Mayor Livingstone but, so far, have received no substantive reply.

I pointed out that many Turkish Cypriots are offended by adverts for holidays in the south, but they are

not banned.

This advertising ban also contravenes UK Government policy. On 3 May the Foreign and

Commonwealth Office wrote to Transport for London indicating that international non-recognition of the

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus does not mean that the UK Government refrain from dealing with

Turkish Cypriots. It stated:

"On the contrary we believe that helping the Turkish Cypriots to come out of isolation, and to

raise their standards towards EU norms, will make a future settlement in Cyprus more likely".

But how can Turkish Cypriots do that if Transport for London, a British public authority, is

helping the Greek Cypriots to wreck the Turkish Cypriot tourist industry?

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To make matters worse, Transport for London is spending thousands of pounds of public money

defending a court action to have the ban removed. I think that we would all like to know how much

Transport for London has spent on the case.

The Foreign Affairs Committee in another place said that undertakings given to the Turkish Cypriots

must be honoured, and that the UK Government must do more to turn their words into action by working

to remove obstacles to direct trade with and travel to northern Cyprus. They called on the Government

to clarify whether they have the power to authorise direct flights between the UK and northern Cyprus.

I have myself asked for clarification but have received only vague and generalised replies from

Ministers. From this I conclude that Her Majesty's Government have the power, but not the courage, to

meet that obligation.

I hope that I have demonstrated the utter injustice of Turkish Cypriots continuing to face an embargo

after they accepted the United Nations plan, while the rejectionist Mr Papadopoulos, a former terrorist,

and his Greek Cypriot Government, get all the benefits. Of course the Greek Cypriots can reject the

United Nations plan, but they should not expect us to help them persecute the Turkish Cypriots a

moment longer.

In conclusion, while we deplore regimes like Mugabe's which Her Majesty's Government are powerless

to call to account, it is surely a national disgrace that, when Her Majesty's Government could do the

right thing by the people of the peaceful, democratic Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, all they can

do is prevaricate.

Turkish Cypriots still do not have basic international human rights to trade, to travel and to have the

same access to educational opportunity here and within the rest of the European Union as Greek

Cypriots.

I call on Her Majesty's Government to stop their shameful procrastination and immediately put those

matters right. Greek Cypriots do not have a veto on British foreign policy.

Source - http://www.embargoed.org/pdf/lord_maginnis_drumglass_cyprus_speech.pdf