Barnet Council approves motion on Cyprus

The Barnet Council unanimously approved a motion Tuesday evening, requesting the Chief Executive of the Council to write to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, asking him to urgently reconsider his decision to appoint Joan Ryan as Special Envoy for Cyprus, in view of her recently publicized Turkish Cypriot connections.

The motion, tabled by the Conservative leader of Barnet Council Councilor Mike Freer and amended by Councilor Andreas Tambourides, notes that “Joan Ryan MP has shown increasing partiality on Cypriot affairs, including calling for direct flights to occupied ”northern” Cyprus”.

It said the Council understands that the wisdom of this appointment has already been questioned by a Senior Foreign & Commonwealth Official.

“The holder of such a vital role must show impartiality and neutrality, Council believes, traits that Ms. Ryan has recently proved not to show”, the motion added.

The Council believes an equitable solution must be found that would re-unify Cyprus and allow Greek Cypriot refugees to move back into the property seized from them in 1974.

It also deplores the inaction by the Labour Government in securing such a settlement, and the increasingly apparent anti-Greek bias demonstrated for example by former PM Tony Blair’s intervention in the Annan 5 referendum.