Cyprus Referendum Vital For Europe

6.52.59pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 21st Apr 2004

Sarah Ludford on a visit to Cyprus with a European Parliament delegation met with Turkish Cypriot politicians and public figures including Ozdil Nami, Mustafa Akinci and Ali Erel, pictured with her in this photo

Speaking in the European Parliament three days before the referendum vote in Cyprus, London Liberal Democrat MEP Baroness Sarah Ludford said that the whole EU had a stake in the outcome of the vote, and encouragement towards a positive view of the Annan plan should not be seen as 'interference by foreigners'.

She said she understood why EU Enlargement Commissioner Gunter Verheugen and Foreign Affairs Commissioner Chris Patten protested that they felt cheated. They observed that the 1999 'deal' was that while accession for the Republic of Cyprus would be unconditional, the Greek Cypriots would back a settlement.

Baroness Ludford, who was in Cyprus a month ago, added:

"I think the EU institutions should take some responsibility for failing sufficiently to encourage Greek Cypriots over the last 5 years to accept the idea of compromise. Those of us who reached out to Turkish Cypriots to bring them out of their isolation and into a European way of thinking appear likely to have succeeded, but we were often reproached."

"I fervently hope that in these last few days, all Cypriots will understand that the Annan plan is a historic opportunity that is not going to be repeated for a very long time, if ever. If the EU has to cope with a 'yes' vote in the North and a 'No' vote in the South, the status quo on the boycott of the North could not continue."

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