British minister: no flights to north without Cyprus agreement

BRITAIN is unlikely to be able to allow direct flights from the UK to the north without the government’s agreement, British Minister for Europe, Geoffrey Hoon has said.

During a debate on Cyprus at the House of Commons, Hoon was asked about the flights issue following an application to Britain for direct flights from the Turkish Cypriot leadership last month.

Hoon said there were clear international ruled and laws governing the issue.

“So far, we have concluded that it would not be possible to authorise direct flights in the absence of agreement by the government of the Republic of Cyprus,” he said.

Hoon said a settlement of the Cyprus issue was a priority for his government.

“Cyprus matters to the UK. That is why we worked so hard to achieve EU membership for Cyprus – a point too often overlooked – and why we want to work closely with Cyprus to develop a new relationship with it as an EU partner,” he said.

“The property issue, the presence of Turkish troops in Cyprus and the number of Turkish nationals living in the north are a matter of great concern for all who take an interest in Cyprus. The longer the current division continues, the more intractable the problems become.”

Commenting specifically on the problem of Britons buying property in the north, Hoon said his government offered advice and warned British citizens of the risks.

The British Minister also underlined the importance of resuming Cyprus talks under UN auspices, and the agreement last year to kick-start negotiations through the July 8 agreement made with Undersecretary General Ibrahim Gambari.

“That agreement, along with the leaders’ subsequent agreement to the proposals set out in Mr Gambari’s letter of November 15, provide a new opportunity for the resumption of fully fledged settlement negotiations,” said Hoon.