Turkey must alter its stance towards Cyprus, British MPs underline

Members of the House of Commons from the three political parties of Britain have expressed their decisive support to the efforts being made by the Cypriot President Demetris Christofias and the Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat for a solution to the Cyprus problem.
Speaking yesterday at a mass demonstration for condemning the Turkish invasion, at the Trafalgar Square in London, they stressed the need for Turkey to alter its stance towards the Cyprus question in order the efforts to become fruitful. In addition, they called on the British government to exert its influence towards Ankara for that change.
Speaking at the same demonstration, Government Spokesman Stefanos Stefanou stressed President Christofias’ determination to “utilize every possibility for the solution of the problem”, and called the international community to exert pressure on Turkey, the “key holder of the solution”, as he said.
Stefanou also explained the basis of the intended solution. “We are talking about a solution that reunifies Cyprus, within the context of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with a single sovereignty, a single citizenship and a single international personality. A federal Cyprus based on the political equality as provided by the United Nations resolutions”, he added.
The demonstration was one of the most massive of the last few years, and it began with a protest march from the building of the Turkish Embassy to the Trafalgar Square.
Peter Droussiotis, President of the National Federation of Cypriot Organisations in the United Kingdom, and Alexis Galanos, Mayor of the occupied city of Famagusta, also delivered a speech.
President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat agreed during a meeting on July 1, to meet again on July 25 so as to review the work carried out by the working groups and decide on future steps. This will be their fourth meeting after Christofias' election as President of the Republic of Cyprus in February 2008.
Six working groups and seven technical committees, set up in the context of an agreement achieved on 21st March between President Christofias and the Talat, are meeting to prepare the ground for substantive negotiations between the two leaders.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.