Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-11-16-Speech-4-160"
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"en.20061116.21.4-160"2
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"Mr President, Famagusta is being held hostage. It has been described as a ghost town; it is desolate, isolated and empty. Famagusta is a city on the east coast of Cyprus. In 1974 Turkish troops invaded Famagusta and since then the city has been fenced off. At the moment it is unused and is guarded by Turkish troops. Nobody lives there. Anybody who attempts to enter is shot on the spot or tried in military courts.
Famagusta only enjoyed independence for 14 years. During that time, it was of indispensable benefit to the Cypriot economy. It had a population of 60 000 and 15 000 daily commuters. It hosted a bustling port. Despite housing only 7% of the population of Cyprus, it accounted for over 10% of the total industrial employment and production of Cyprus. Despite these figures and the obvious benefit to Cyprus, the town has remained desolate. This is clearly not a tolerable situation for Cyprus or the people. Obviously something must be done.
I find it incredible that the EU is not demanding the immediate and unconditional return of Famagusta to its inhabitants who are, incidentally, EU citizens. Instead we have this bizarre situation where the EU and many EU governments try to accommodate every one of Turkey’s obscene demands and wishes. We all know that Turkey desires to join the EU. We know what a powerful country it is. However, we must ask ourselves whether Turkey is ready to join the European Union.
Turkey is doing its accession cause no good. When I first came to this House, I voted to open talks with Turkey. I abstained in the latest vote. Will I have to vote against Turkish accession or will I feel a little goodwill on the part of Turkey some time soon?
I can see no good in this situation. Returning Famagusta would be an excellent opportunity for Turkey to show not only the original inhabitants of Famagusta but also the EU and the rest of the world that it is a peace-loving and peace-supporting nation."@en1
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