Brussels, 27/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - In its draft report on enlargement that it presented last week (see EUROPE of 23 May, p.12), the European Parliament's Foreign affairs Committee urges plenary to support the pursuit of "intensive direct negotiations" between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, Clerides and Denktash. The resolution on the "Cypriot issue" is that the centre of the Cyprus chapter of the draft report that the European Parliament is to adopt in June (also see page 14). In the absence of official information on the negotiating process and faced with the targeted leaks of information (the two parties have agreed on an embargo on information, the explanatory memorandum stipulates), the parliamentarians stress that "both sides must continue to negotiate in good faith" and "avoid" public statements and other acts that may "endanger the spirit of co-operation in which negotiations have unfolded so far". The draft report supports the declaration made in February by the President of the United Nations Security Council by which the two parties should have as goal to reach an agreement by June.
The Parliamentary committee recalls that "only a single sovereign Cypriot State will be permitted to accede" to the EU, knowing that the European Council has always declared that the absence to a settlement on the island would not prevent Cyprus' joining the EU. The MEPs also consider that the Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash should be recalled to order to achieve freedom of expression and because he did not let the EU representative "enter the Turkish Cypriot part and do its work". Although they criticise Mr. Denktash's opposition to contacts between the two communities, the MEPs find "reason for hope" in the latest contacts between the trade unions of the two sides, as well as politicians. The parliamentary committee backs the Commission's proposal to allocating aid to the northern part of Cyprus for it to be able to catch up its delay after accession.
As for accession negotiations, the report stresses that with 27 chapters of the 30 provisionally closed, Cyprus "is again part of the frontrunners". Cyprus is, however, urged to implement the acquis. The report praises the fact that the island's macroeconomic situation has improved over the past 18 months.