The Cypriot House of Representatives adopted unanimously on Thursday a resolution calling on the government to make all necessary representations towards Britain to pay the sums it owes to the Republic of Cyprus, hoping that the island will in the future be rid of any military presence or bases on its territory.
The resolution was adopted after the House plenary discussion of the issue ”The financial obligations of Britain towards the Republic of Cyprus, as these emanate from the Treaty of Establishment, and the necessity to take every available legal measure to claim that owing.”
The House says that it will monitor the issue closely and requests that the government ”examines the further relevant conducts and taking measures, in case of a continuation of the refusal of the British authorities to respond to their obligations.”
With its resolution, the House ”condemns especially the recent case of the illegal arrest and detention, by the authorities of the British Bases, of Cypriot MEP Marios Matsakis, who was in Cyprus on a mission of the European Parliament.”
This arrest constitutes ”contempt of the European Parliament and the EU institutions in general,” it says.
The House points out that ”many other actions of the British authorities, in relation to the operation of their Bases in Cyprus, have repeatedly provoked the feelings of the Cypriot people.”
It reiterates that the rights of Britain, emanating from the Treaty of Establishment, are remnants of colonisation in a former colony and have been considered as such by the UN.
The House adds that the Treaty also provides for obligations, among which the payment of sums as economic aid to the Republic of Cyprus and as compensation for the facilities Britain enjoys.
In the resolution, the House points out that since 1965, Britain has not paid any amount to the Republic of Cyprus, adding that this failure to pay ”amounts to a violation of the Treaty of Establishment on behalf of the British side.”
House President Demetris Christofias, speaking at the plenary session, expressed the general wish of all political forces for the dissolution of the British Bases in Cyprus, adding that the issue must be examined in depth and be decided on collectively.
”We do not exercise sovereignty on the Bases’ territory. We question, rightly, the sovereignty on behalf of the British on the Bases,” he added.
Christofias said ”we certainly want the dissolution of the Bases, but how and when and the rest we must look into responsibly, for the financial issues and everything, and for the issue of sovereignty, because we do not exercise sovereignty, they claim that they have the sovereignty, so these things must be clarified.”
President of Social Democrats EDEK Yiannakis Omirou, who proposed the discussion of the subject, said the issue of the British behaviour towards Cyprus and mainly the violation of explicit contractual obligations is today a major foreign policy matter, linked directly to the struggle for national survival.
Britain has retained two sovereign military bases in Cyprus since the island gained its independence from British colonial rule in 1960.
