Blair vows new bid for Cyprus deal

BRITAIN will continue to make efforts to restart talks over the future of Cyprus, Prime Minister Tony Blair vowed yesterday.

He told the House of Commons he hoped the international community would be able to mount a “constructive attempt” to get the sides back around the table.

Talks over a UN-promoted reunification plan collapsed in March after the proposals were rejected by Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.

The issue was raised at question time by MP Tom Cox, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Cyprus.

He said there had been “a dramatic change of attitude” in the Turkish Cypriot community, who said they no longer backed Denktash’s leadership.

“They no longer want the isolation they have had for so long and they now want to be part of the European Union.

“Against that background will you, when you next meet the Turkish Prime Minister, make very clear to him that he and his government really should start to enter into constructive dialogue in seeking a settlement for the benefit of both Greek and Turkish Cypriots who now very, very clearly want to associate together?”

Blair told him there was a “strong feeling” among Turkish Cypriots that they wanted to enjoy the benefits of EU membership.

“Of course we will continue our discussions with both the Greek and the Turkish government to see how we can bring about a settlement.

“Kofi Annan has recently made it clear that the UN proposals that we strongly supported are still on the table.

“So I hope very much we are able to mount a constructive attempt to get the parties back talking so we can get a settlement of this issue that would be beneficial for all the people on the island of Cyprus.”

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.