The UK remains a firm supporter of the UN-led settlement talks and is doing all it can to help both sides in Cyprus reach a deal, British Minister for Europe David Lidington has said in a reply letter to a British MP.

In his reply, in response to a letter MP Matthew Offord sent to British Foreign Secretary William Hague in July, Lidington also said that Turkey has a crucial role to play in the success of this process.

“We continue to use our relationship with Turkey to urge the authorities to be flexible in their approach to the Cyprus talks. Turkey’s support of the settlement process is a clear requirement as laid out in their EU accession criteria,” he remarked

Lidington noted that “ultimately, the Cypriot people will decide, through a referendum, whether they can support the package that we hope both leaders can agree upon, for the long term security and prosperity of all Cypriots.”

He added that this is a process by Cypriots and for Cypriots, where the onus is on both leaders to agree on the shape of a future bi-zonal, bi-communal federation.

The British Minister said that issues which Offord raises in his letter such as Turkish troops, settlers and property are extremely difficult and occur as a direct result of the political situation on the island.

“It is my belief and the British government’s position that these issues will only be resolved by a comprehensive settlement to end the continued division of the island,” he pointed out.

The latest round of UN-led negotiations, which began in September 2008, has so far failed to yield results, due to continuing Turkish intransigence and insistence on a two-state solution, contrary to numerous UN resolutions providing for a bizonal bicommunal federation. The purpose of the talks is to find a negotiated settlement, acceptable to both communities on the island, that would reunite the country, divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion.