WRITTEN QUESTION E-1590/01 by Frank Vanhecke (TDI) to the Council. The Cyprus issue.
Date: 2001-06-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Cyprus, Türkiye, accession criteria, accession negotiations, accession to the European Union, pre-accession strategy

4.4.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 81 E/39

Which measures will the Council take to put an end to pressure and attacks on human rights defenders in
Tunisia and to influence the Tunisian government to immediately and unconditionally release NØjib Hosni
and allow him freedom of movement in Tunisia and abroad?

Reply

(26 November 2001)

With regard to Mr NØjib Hosni, the Council notes with satisfaction his release from the El-Kef prison on
12 May 2001 after nearly five months of imprisonment following a presidential pardon. By the same
token, it notes that two other political prisoners, Mr BØchir Abid and Mr Haroun Mbarek, have been set
free, although only on conditional terms, at the end of May. Both are members of political parties
prohibited in Tunisia. Finally, the Council welcomes the release from detention of Sihem Ben Sedrine on
August 11 and hopes that the charges of insulting an official, which have been raised against her, will be
dealt with according to a due procedure of law.

The Council will continue to raise human rights issues, including such individual cases as that of Mr Hosni,
with the Tunisian authorities whenever the need arises and at any level it deems appropriate, including in
its political dialogue with Tunisia.

(2002/C 81 E/048)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1585/01

by John Cushnahan (PPE-DE) to the Council

(1 June 2001)

Subject: Proposal for an EU-wide police force and border protection service

Recently German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder called for Europe to upgrade to an FBI-style unit to
prevent international criminals from exploiting a border-free Europe. Will this issue be on the agenda of
the forthcoming JHA Council? If not, when is it expected to be addressed?

Reply

(21 November 2001)

No formal initiatives or proposals for an EU-wide police force and border protection services has been
introduced in the Council framework.

(2002/C 81 E/049)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1590/01

by Frank Vanhecke (TDI) to the Council

(1 June 2001)

Subject: The Cyprus issue

During his visit to Brussels in late April 2001, Erg(cid:252)n Olgun, the representative of the Turkish Cypriot
President, Rauf Denktash, warned in unmistakable terms that the latent Turkish-Greek conflict on the
island of Cyprus would escalate if the European Union acted upon the agreement reached by EU Heads of
State or Government in December 2000 in Helsinki and did not regard the division of the island as
constituting an obstacle to the island(cid:146)s accession to the European Union (see the 3 May 2001 edition of
(cid:145)European Voice(cid:146)).

Erg(cid:252)n Olgun, the spokesman for the Turkish-Cypriot Government, spoke of (cid:145)incalculable consequences(cid:146) if
accession negotiations with Cyprus were continued without any official negotiations with the Turkish-
Cypriot Government.

C 81 E/40

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.4.2002

1.

Has the Council reacted to these manifest threats from the Turkish-Cypriots?

2. What is the Council(cid:146)s view of the UN proposals for the creation of a federal state on Cyprus, a
proposal rejected by the Turkish-Cypriot Government?

3. What steps will the Council take over the next six months in order to promote the reunification of
the divided island?

Does not the Council deem it desirable for any form of accession negotiations with Turkey to be

4.
suspended until that country ends its illegal occupation of Cyprus?

Reply

(27 November 2001)

Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots can have no doubt about the EU position with regard to the Cyprus issue.
It would be inappropriate for the Council to react every time a Turkish Cypriot expresses his views on the
matter. The Council would give a general reminder of the positions adopted by the European Council on
the Cyprus issue, in particular at its meetings in Helsinki (see paragraphs 9(a) and (b) of the Presidency
conclusions) and Nice (see paragraph 56 of the Presidency conclusions). The need for a resolution of the
Cyprus problem on the basis of the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and the desirability (cid:129) also in
Turkey(cid:146)s own interest (cid:129) of accession to the EU of a united Cyprus have been made clear to them on many
other occasions.

The UN Secretary General submitted his (cid:145)oral remarks(cid:146) last November as a basis for further discussion by
the parties. The EU strongly supports the UN Secretary(cid:146)s current efforts to find an overall agreement on the
Cyprus issue but it has not commented on the substance of the (cid:145)oral remarks(cid:146).

The EU will continue to press Turkey to encourage the Turkish Cypriots to reengage with the
UN Secretary-General and to support him to bring the process initiated in December 1999 to a successful
conclusion. The political dialogue on the occasion of the most recent meeting of the EU (cid:129) Turkey
Association Council on 26 June 2001 provided another opportunity for the EU to put its views across.

Accession negotiations with Turkey can only start after Turkey has fulfilled the Copenhagen political
criteria as specified in the Accession Partnership for Turkey of 8 March 2001. On Cyprus the Accession
Partnership lists under (cid:145)Enhanced political dialogue and political criteria(cid:146) as a short-term (2001) priority for
Turkey:
(cid:145)In accordance with the Helsinki conclusions, in the context of the political dialogue, strongly
support the UN Secretary-General(cid:146)s efforts to bring to a successful conclusion the process of finding a
comprehensive settlement of
the Helsinki
conclusions.(cid:146)

the Cyprus problem, as referred to in paragraph 9(a) of

The Accession Partnership for Turkey made it clear that further steps towards satisfying the Copenhagen
criteria and in particular progress in meeting the specific priorities of this Accession Partnership in 2001
need to be taken. In this context, the G(cid:246)teborg European Council stated that the Accession Partnership is
the cornerstone of the pre-accession strategy for Turkey.

(2002/C 81 E/050)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1596/01

by AndrØ Brie (GUE/NGL) to the Council

(21 May 2001)

Subject: Situation regarding the Chemical Weapons Convention

important and comprehensive
The Convention prohibiting chemical weapons is one of
international disarmament treaties.
Its monitoring machinery was acclaimed when it was introduced,
especially by the EU Member States(cid:146) governments. Via this Convention, for the first time, States party

the most