Andrew Duff calls on European Council to meet Turkish Cypriot needs

11.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 27th Sep 2004

ANDREW DUFF CALLS ON COUNCIL TO MEET TURKISH CYPRIOT NEEDS: AMENDMENTS TO PARLIAMENT'S REPORT ON NORTH CYPRUS FINANCIAL REGULATION

Reacting to the failure of the Council to reach agreement on either the trade or financial regulation with respect to Northern Cyprus, Andrew Duff MEP (ALDE) has tabled several amendments to the Parliament's draft report on the matter.

Duff complains at the attempt by the Rapporteur, Mechtilde Rothe MEP, to insert special privileges for Greek Cypriot property rights. "The Greek Cypriots do not pay compensation to Turkish Cypriots," said Mr Duff, "and there is no justification for holding up financial investment in the North on spurious grounds. The EU always respects property rights in the utilisation of its funds, and there is ample case law of the Court of Justice to maintain the rule of law in this respect.

"In any case, there can be no settlement of property claims outside a comprehensive settlement of the division of the island under the terms of the Annan Plan."

Duff claims that the restrictions put upon the draft Regulation by the Greek and Greek Cypriot Governments would restrict the amount of land that could benefit from EU investment to as little as 15 per cent of the territory of North Cyprus ‑ excluding many communities that had voted overwhelmingly for the Annan Plan.

He also insists that the Financial Regulation should not be de-coupled from the Trade Regulation. "The two come and go together as a package. Otherwise the EU's determination to help the integration of the two parts of the island will be frustrated."

Duff objects to the demand of the Greek Cypriots that the Commission's decisions on the disbursement of the agreed funds of € 259 million should be subject to their veto. The Commission should be empowered to act as it does in the normal way through the Advisory Committee on which the Republic of Cyprus is represented.

Duff argues that it should be made explicit that Turkish Cypriots should be able to tender for EU contracts.

In detail, Duff's amendments read:

1. Insists that this Financial Regulation should not enter into force without the associated Trade Regulation [COM(2004) 466 final] which is part of the agreed package to assist the social and economic development of North Cyprus;

2. Calls for it to be made explicit that Turkish Cypriots will be able to tender directly for contracts under this Regulation;

3. Reaffirms its view that the issue of property rights and compensation can only be resolved under the terms of a comprehensive settlement of the partition of the island on the basis of the Annan Proposals, endorsed by the Turkish Cypriots;

ENDS/...

Editors' Note: Andrew Duff is Vice-President of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee. He is spokesman on constitutional affairs for the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.