British Minister of State for European Affairs David Lidington has expressed hope that the person to be elected President of the Republic of Cyprus in February`s elections would set ambitious aims.

Speaking on Tuesday at a Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons, during a discussion on foreign policy, Lidington expressed hope that the new President of Cyprus would cooperate with the Turkish Cypriot leaders, the guarantor powers, the UN and others, in order to “bring about a settlement that would be profoundly in the interests of all communities on the island.”

Replying to a question by Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes, who said that as he understands there is a good will towards ending the island’s division in both communities in Cyprus and in part in Turkey, where he recently travelled, Lidington said he wished it could prove possible for the Cyprus problem to be set as a priority for the British government and the EU.

He noted, however, that a new initiative would have to wait until the presidential elections in Cyprus. “Clearly a major new initiative must await the outcome of the Cypriot presidential election in February”, he said.

Replying to a written question by Labour MP George Howarth regarding the hydrocarbons in Cyprus` exclusive economic zone, Lidington said both he and Foreign Secretary William Hague were regularly briefed on developments, noting that the discovery of hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean could bring prosperity to all the people of Cyprus and the wider region.

Cyprus was divided in 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. UN led talks have been underway with a view to reunify the island under a federal roof.

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