Cyprus British Foreign Affairs Committee Report on Cyprus

boulio · instructor

maybe leave one base intact and get rid of the other one all together,which is the southern most base the one on the tip of cyprus give them that one to the british on a lease basis and give the one near ammohostos to the new republic.the british and americans are asking cypriots(both greek and turkish) to make compromises they in turn should do the same.

Viewpoint · vip

Are we reading the same report??? isnt this a move to get both sides back to the negotiating table??
Direct flights being the key here to apply pressure on Mr Papadop to declare exactly what he wants and commence negotiations with Talat who at every opportunity asks for meetings and even extends his hand in search of a solution to only receive very negative responses from the south.
The comments about being uneuropean and Mr Papadop are very revealing of how another EU heavy weight views Southern Cyprus in the EU.

brother · professor

Tassos at the moment is making the ROC look like the spoilt child of the E.U, and in turn his actions are starting to isolate them.

turkcyp · lecturer

Hi Alex,

How can I find the questionaire and the results of both of your surveys. I mean in the site you are referung us at is only the report and your interpretation.

Is there anyway you can post the questionares by themselves with the answers to the questionare and without any interpretations as a part of your report.

I just wanted to see in detail what kind of questions have been asked and what kind of asnwers have been given in detail.

Thank you in advance,

Alexandros Lordos · instructor

Nickp · advanced member

I found the report a breath of fresh air summing up the current situation on the island in a rational light without high emotion.

Be interesting to see what comes of it.

As for the british bases. There not really harming the everyday person, if anything they provide jobs and business for the local population. However, would be nice to see the size reduced massively. However, if Turkey have issues with it, then i think they should tell the British what they think.

Bananiot · lecturer

Very kind of you Alexandros to publish the report for us all to see. I had an easy day today and managed to read all of it. I find the report very balanced and accurate. It actually explores all possibilities for the future actions that need to be taken in order to reach an agreement and the way it puts matters across, in a diplomatic and polite way, is an indication of its seriousness. For example, it asks Turkey to act magnanimously, without pointing an accusing finger to the occupier. I think this is how we should go about it to. Themistocleous called for something to this effect too but the bigots soon jumped on him in order to silence him. This is why I am very sceptical as to whether some people really want a solution.

Having said the above, the report is not that polite for our government and our President. I am not surprised.

"the Republic of Cyprus has not fully taken on board that its membership of the EU involves obligations, as well as opportunities''.

The above is not very flattering for us but it is very hard to disagree with this. It is another indication of the isolation Papadopoulos has thrown the RoC in. He is not liked, whether we like it or not, and this scares me because the people that matter in this world have no respect for Papadopoulos. This is not, as mikkie seems to think, due to his recent antics. The man has a long history in politics, that goes back to the late 50's. He is an exposed politician and it is very easy to make a judgement on him.

cannedmoose · professor

I too have found time to read the report and found it remarkably balanced and considered. I have a great deal of time and respect for the members of the FRC having read previous reports and watched some of their proceedings on TV. I'm still working my way through the interviews and written submissions (Alex, it might be an idea if you post this on your site too as their is a goldmine of information in that file - it's the 290-page document), but the comment in the conclusions that immediately struck me was conclusion number 2, in which the Committee recommends that the UK work to encourage Cyprus to essentially 'be more European', which is quite a damning phrase in diplomatic speak. Essentially it's saying that Cyprus is still acting in a modernist fashion even now they're a member of the post-modern EU. If anything is going to raise the hackles of the GC government, it'll be that.

On the whole (and I'll expect damnation and fire-breathing fury from my ol' mate Piratis on this one), the recommendations on direct travel, on deterring purchase of property by UK citizens in the north, on trade, were all excellent suggestions and ones that I hope the UK government will lobby hard for in Brussels.

As for the bases, the suggestion by Chris Brewin that the UK cedes sovereignty in favour of a 99-year lease was also an excellent suggestion. From a quick skim-read of the report I don't know if this was included (probably not), but his point that most of the spy facilities (such as Olympus) are already based on leased land was a moot one. It is true that the bases do provide employment to many GCs and thus their total removal would be an economic shock