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Symposium on Cyprus, Ankara (17 January 2003)
Speech by John Taylor ( Now Lord Kilclooney)

 
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:

Can I, first of all, state that I come as a friend of Turkey and of Northern Cyprus.  I first went to Cyprus 31 years ago on a midnight flight with my wife and we arrived to Nicosia airport at about 4 o'clock in the morning and obviously at that time of the morning you get into the first taxi you see. And so we jumped into a taxi and as we were going up the hill towards Kyrenia, the taxi driver said "You are lucky I am your taxi man" and that was a rather surprising comment to hear at 4 o'clock in the morning. And I said “Why?”  And he said "If you'd taken the other taxi, because he is a Greek Cypriot, he would have had to drive around the mountain and it would have taken an extra hour to get to your hotel. I'm getting you there one hour earlier". So we very much appreciated that but it certainly was an education immediately as to the division that existed in the island of Cyprus.

I've been a member of the British-Turkish parliamentary group in Westminster for many years, and I'm also chairman of the All-Party Friends of North Cyprus at Westminster in London.

I did represent the United Kingdom in New York for a week at the United Nations Assembly in early December, and whilst I was in New York, I went to visit President Denktash. I found the man seriously, seriously ill, in great pain. In fact, I feared that his life was at risk. And what irritated me at that time was the political pressure and demands being made upon President Denktash by Kofi Annan through the United Nations and by the European Union. If the man had died they would have been found guilty for killing him. And as you look at this document today of 150 pages with so many blank pages and lack of detail, and the irresponsible demand that this be agreed by the 28^th of February, I say it is political nonsense and I speak to you as a politician. There is no way in which this could be accepted as it stands, or even amended successfully in the short period of time that has been given, to the 28^th of February.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Her Majesty the Queen, in her Christmas address to the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, said "We have many problems, but I always look for the long term solution, and not for short term advantage", and it is something which applies to the people of Turkish Cyprus, of Northern Cyprus today. To join the European Union on the basis of this proposal would bring short term advantages to the Turkish Cypriots and, quite clearly, some of the business community within the Turkish Cypriot community recognize the opportunities that would arise.

But as a businessman myself in the United Kingdom, a not inconsiderable one, I would warn against businessmen in politics and thereby I'm criticizing even myself. Sometimes businessmen in politics only see the opportunities for themselves and do not think in the longer term interest of their own community. And I see signs of this weakness in Northern Cyprus today.  When I see people out demonstrating, I think in many ways the Turkish Cypriots are about to commit political suicide. Because, in the long term, this plan will in fact bring about the disappearance of the Turkish Cypriot community in Cyprus.  That is the bottom line.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As Professor Dodd has said, this plan involves a movement of Greek Cypriots northwards in the island of Cyprus. To begin with, tens of thousands of Greek Cypriots will move into land which Turkish Cyprus would have to give up, and than more tens of thousands of Greek Cypriots would move into the remaining territory, to reduce the area of territory to be controlled by the Turkish Cypriots. In fact 28% of the population in time is allowed to become Greek Cypriot. But it’s worse than that because the plan provides not just for 28% of the reduced territory to be Greek Cypriot, but the free movement of all the Greek Cypriots into Northern Cyprus so long as they only spend 3 nights per week in a bed in Northern Cyprus. Now who is going to go around every night at midnight to knock the doors of the Greek Cypriot houses, in Northern Cyprus, to find how many people are actually sleeping in their beds that night? Who is going to count the numbers of Greek Cypriots sleeping in the beds in Northern Cyprus? It is a farcical proposal, a silly proposal, and one that certainly Turkish Cypriots would be crazy to accept the idea of Greek Cypriots having free movement into Northern Cyprus - all Greek Cypriots to have free movement - and strictly speaking being there for 3 nights. In practice, they'll all be there all week, because there would be no checking and of course, as speakers said this morning, there will be no border between Northern Cyprus and Southern Cyprus; there will be no passports, it will simply be like a town council boundary. So that is one of the major dangers to the Turkish Cypriots community.

The next thing is, of course, this constitutional structure, and I want to underline what Professor Dodd said, the Senate will be 50% from the North, 50% from the South. That sounds fair, until you realize that 28% of those who come from the North will be Greek Cypriots. And so the majority of the Senate will therefore be Greek Cypriot.

And likewise in the Chamber of Deputies, its members would be proportionate to the population of North and Southern Cyprus, so there again the majority will be Greek Cypriots, and the final analysis in the parliamentary structure is that, although the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies will have Greek Cypriot majorities, the decisions would be made by a simply majority. In other words, the Greek Cypriots will control the future decisions of the common state.

The Presidential Council has been mentioned.  There again, 6 members to be appointed by the parliament. But it would be once again Greek Cypriot controlled.  One has to be from the common state, from the Northern State, but the Greek Cypriots in the parliament can appoint that one from Northern Cyprus who will be amenable to their decision, and so they will manage to have majority decisions within the presidential council, including one vote from the component state in Northern Cyprus.

Likewise the Supreme Court: 9 judges, 3 from Northern Cyprus, 3 from Southern Cyprus, 3 independents, appointed yet again by the Greek Cypriot controlled presidential council.

The one thing where there is some equality is the reference to the presence of the Greek and Turkish armies. There is to be equal presence of both the Greek and the Turkish armies. But one thing of importance to Turkey is that previously Cyprus could not be used for international military operations or bases without the approval of Turkey. That condition has now been removed. Cyprus in future could be used for international operations, military operations, without any approval from Turkey whatsoever.

Policing is something which has not been mentioned. There is to be a common state police force with its headquarters in Nicosia. It will of course be mainly Greek Cypriot because they are the majority in the island of Cyprus. There is to be a component state police force, one in Northern Cyprus, one in Southern Cyprus. The Southern Cyprus one would be almost totally Greek Cypriot, the Northern Cyprus one will be about 28% Greek Cypriot, because they will have 28% of the population. And the common state police force, the one which will be almost totally Greek Cypriot, will have the right to operate in the Northern Cypriot state, so you're going to have 2 police forces operating in the same state, one controlled by the Northern state, and one controlled by the central state. And in addition, they're to have a joint investigation agency to follow up terrorism, drugs and money laundering and it is to have equal numbers from each state but there again that does not mean equal numbers of Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots. In practice, it will mean majority Greek Cypriots and minority Turkish Cypriots and believe it or not, there's also a proposal for the Greek Cypriot police force in the component state in Northern Cyprus, and the same applies to the equivalent in Southern Cyprus, and the same applies to the equivalent Turkish Cypriot force in Northern Cyprus, to have hot pursuit. In other words, it provides for the Greek Cypriot police force in Southern Cyprus to have the right of hot pursuit into Northern Cyprus. I believe from the policing point of view there is total confusion in having 3 separate police forces and 2 of them having the right to operate within Northern Cyprus.

There is a limit in the proposals on the number of mainland Turks who can be in the island of Cyprus. And likewise the number of mainland Greeks, and of course you know why that is there; it’s because if Turkey ever became a member of the European Union, contrary to one of the main principles of the European Union, the free movement of people through all its member states, as many British can go to France, as many French can go to the United Kingdom, but not if Turkey joins the European Union, because it’s already laid down in this U.N. plan, supported by the European Union, that there can be no more than 33 thousand mainland Turks in Cyprus. So if Turkey joins the European Union the principle of free movement of persons from Turkey to Cyprus will not apply in this particular case and  Turkey ought to  be forewarned about that.

The Citizenship Board, there again it’s going to be appointed by the Greek Cypriot controlled Presidential Council and so you’ll understand the kind of people who will serve on it.

I now want to conclude with a brief summary of my problems with this plan.  I’m referring to the map. I think the idea of the Karpaz peninsula being transferred to the control of the Greek Cypriot state is quite wrong indeed, impractical.  Apparently the reason is that many Greek Cypriots used to live in that part of the Karpaz, and that there are still about 200 Greek Cypriots living there. Well, if that's the principle being applied then you can apply it likewise through Southern Cyprus. There are still about 200 Turkish Cypriots living in Southern Cyprus, and many used to live there. So if a part of Northern Cyprus has to be given over to Southern Cyprus, then part of Southern Cyprus should now be included in the new Northern state if one is going to be fair.

The main road for Nicosia - I don't know, the map’s not there now - but the main road from Nicosia to Famagusta, on the original proposals, was intended to be retained entirely in the Northern state. But following the second revision of the plan, of course, part of that main road is now going to be under the control of the Greek Cypriot state. And, of course, as has been mentioned earlier by the general when he spoke, the orchards around Güzelyurt, which are so important for the economy of Northern Cyprus, are going to be transferred mostly back to the Greek Cypriot Southern State.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I hope there is a settlement in Cyprus.  I'd like to see peace there, a settlement and Cyprus in the European Union. But there are many difficulties in this present plan, that if it were accepted as it stands at the moment it would be the beginning of the end of Turkish Cypriots living in Cyprus and the beginning of the end of Turkey's interest in Cyprus.

If there is no agreement, then I do hope that you here in Turkey will continue to give your support to the Turkish Cypriot community. I think they will be greatly encouraged today as they see all the seats here at this symposium occupied by people, showing that Turkey has a genuine interest in the future of the Turkish Cypriot community. And I hope that some of the problems which the Turkish Cypriots have had to suffer from, such as the economic embargo, such as the lack of passports, that these will be dealt with by Turkey. For example if you take the question of passports, it can be dealt with very easily. There’s a precedent in Europe.  In the United Kingdom, we agreed with the Republic of Ireland, that those living in the United Kingdom who claimed they were Irish, whether they were in Birmingham, London, Glasgow or Belfast, they could have Irish passports. There's no reason on earth why those people in Northern Cyprus who claim to be Turkish, should not be given proper Turkish full passports; so that they will no longer live in house imprisonment in Northern Cyprus, but can travel right across the world.

We don't need annexation of Northern Cyprus with Turkey but integration, yes; we've already got it in telephones, in post, in air connections, and in the lira currency, and I'd like to see it in the electricity as well. We must fight; Turkey must argue the case for the lifting of the economic embargo on Northern Cyprus. And finally, Mr. Chairman, now that the European Union appears to be going to bring Greek Cyprus, on its own if necessary, into membership of the European Union, that does certainly seem to be contrary to the 1960 Zurich agreements and what have you, and it is something which Turkey should now tackle legally to see if this can be challenged.

I conclude on a rather negative note perhaps, and it is the image that has been presented in London, and in Western Europe. There has unfortunately been the image of Turkish Cypriots demonstrating against President Denktash and demanding that he goes home, that he resigns. I was in Paris two days ago at the Council of Europe.  We had several Greek Cypriot MPs there, and they were delighted to be able to tell us all that their brothers, the Turkish Cypriots in Northern Cyprus, wanted them back living amongst them in Kyrenia, and Famagusta and Morphou and that their brothers, the Turkish Cypriots, wanted Mr. Denktash to resign; they said that is now the real position in Northern Cyprus, they want us back. That's the image that has been given by these demonstrations, and likewise in London, and Paris and elsewhere, we are getting a message from Turkey, which isn't very helpful either. And it is that it is time for Turkey to rethink its policies towards the Turkish Cypriot community; that perhaps the policies of 30 years ago need to be changed, that perhaps Mr. Denktash is no longer necessary. That has been seized upon by some of the leading newspapers and even by the BBC World Service radio and television, all saying that there's now a shift of position in Turkey, that they no longer support the Turkish Cypriots in Northern Cyprus. I hope those reports are not correct, but I do hope that they are corrected because there are press in Western Europe who are very keen to promote the propaganda of the European Union and of the Greek interest, and not to defend the interest of Turkey.

And so I conclude by saying "Long Live Turkey", and long live a Turkey which supports the security, safety and liberties of the Turkish Cypriot people.