Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-10-03-Speech-2-139"
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"en.20001003.4.2-139"2
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".
Mr President, the report on the accession of Cyprus, which I am honoured to present to you, in comparison with the series of reports which you have heard about this afternoon, includes a special political aspect. This is a candidate country where a third of the territory has since 1974 been occupied by the Turkish army and where, because of a particularly impervious line of demarcation, the fundamental principles of the European Union cannot be applied across all of the territory.
The report which it is my honour to submit, which was also unanimously adopted in committee, observes that the part of the territory controlled by the legal authority fulfils the Copenhagen political criteria. Cyprus has a viable and prosperous market economy and should not encounter any particular problems in adopting the
. I have a duty to point out, however, that transposing the
is taking too long and that Cyprus, like other candidate countries moreover, should tighten up its administrative, fiscal and legal systems.
I am convinced that Cyprus’ accession could serve as a catalyst and a driving force in finding a solution to the political problem of the division of the island. Perpetuation of the status quo following the Turkish invasion of July-August 1974 is not acceptable to the European Union.
We therefore support the proximity talks which are currently being conducted under the auspices of the United Nations. We must however also point out that the definitive solution, a fair and lasting solution, must fully comply with both the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, with this being, quite simply, the international law in force, and also the principles governing the European Union. I am thinking, of course, primarily of the political principles, but also the principles of freedom of movement and of establishment.
Now that both Cyprus and Turkey are candidate countries, the Cyprus conflict ceases to be peripheral to Europe but rather an internal Community conflict. We must therefore have recourse to every means possible and to every asset available to us. Immediate confidence-building measures are essential as a way out of the current deadlock. The presence of one soldier for every six civilians, including the Turkish colonists, in the occupied zone of Northern Cyprus is unique in Europe, and even in the world.
Your rapporteur therefore proposes that the series of confidence-building measures and measures to dismantle the status quo should begin with the demilitarisation of the island, something that has, in fact, been demanded by a number of Security Council resolutions since 1983.
The Turkish Cypriot community has nothing to lose and indeed has everything to gain from accession. Both its security and cultural identity will be fully respected. Simply belonging to the European Union guarantees certain rights. Europe must become a responsible player in finding a solution to the Cyprus question. To this end, a key role will fall, without prejudice obviously to the Commission’s own role, to our High Representative for the CFSP, Mr Javier Solana."@en1
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