Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 233: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will detail his continued efforts in respect of the Cyprus reunification issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27127/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The United Nations has the lead role in the search for a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem. The EU enlargement process provided the impetus for the most recent efforts towards a settlement, which were undertaken by the UN Secretary General in the first half of 2004, during Ireland's term of the EU Presidency.

As a result of the referendums in Cyprus on 24 April 2004, the accession to the EU of a united Cyprus on 1 May 2004 was not possible. On 28 May, the UN Secretary General submitted a comprehensive report to the Security Council on his mission of good offices. He noted at the time that the unsuccessful outcome represented another missed opportunity to resolve the Cyprus problem, and concluded that there was no apparent basis for resuming the good offices effort while the stalemate continued. The process has remained under consideration in the UN Security Council since then.

In May of this year, following discussions with the UN Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan, the President of Cyprus, Mr. Tassos Papadopoulos, sent an envoy to New York for preliminary, informal talks with senior officials in the UN Secretariat. As a result of these discussions, the Secretary General asked Mr. Kieran Prendergast, the Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs, to travel to Cyprus, Athens and Ankara to listen to the views of all parties on the future of the mission of good offices on Cyprus.

On 22 June 2005, the Under Secretary-General, Mr. Prendergast, reported to the Security Council on his consultations. Despite certain positive elements, he reported that the gap between the stated positions of the parties on substance appeared to be wide. The Secretary General and United Nations officials continue to monitor the situation closely.

The Government has strongly supported the UN Secretary General, Mr. Annan, in his mission of good offices. The EU remains ready to accommodate a settlement of the Cyprus problem based on the Secretary General's proposals and in line with the principles on which the Union is founded. The objective we all share is an agreed comprehensive settlement, which will enable the people of Cyprus to live together as citizens of a united Cyprus in the European Union. I have consistently availed of all opportunities, including my visits to Cyprus and Turkey in July of this year, to encourage commitment to the UN process and to the achievement of an agreed outcome.