Written Answers - EU Membership. Thursday, 19 February 1998

Dáil Éireann Debate Vol. 487 No. 5 Page of 131

  79.  Mr. J. Bruton      asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs      the position in regard to the representation of the Turkish Cypriot portion of the island of Cyprus in the negotiations for the accession of Cyprus to the European Union. [4315/98]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Andrews):    The Heads of State and Government of the European Union, meeting in Luxembourg on 12-13 December 1997, noted that the accession of Cyprus to the Union should benefit all communities and help to bring about civil peace and reconciliation. In this context, the Luxembourg European Council requested that the willingness of the Government of Cyprus to include representatives of the Turkish Cypriot community in the accession negotiating delegation be acted upon, and mandated the Presidency of the European Union and the European Commission to undertake the necessary contacts with all parties to achieve this aim. Following the recent Presidential elections in Cyprus, we would expect that the UK Presidency and the European Commission, in accordance with the mandate of the Luxembourg European Council, will be in early contact with the Government of Cyprus and the leadership of the Turkish Cypriot community, with a view to finding a basis for Turkish Cypriot participation in the accession negotiations. The Government shares the view expressed by the EU Heads of [988] State and Government at Luxembourg that the accession negotiations will contribute positively to the search for a political solution to the Cyprus problem through the talks under the aegis of the United Nations with a view to creating a bi-community bi-zonal federation.

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