WRITTEN QUESTION E-1483/99 by Armando Cossutta (GUE/NGL) to the Council. Initiatives intended to bring about the liberation of Cyprus.
C 170 E/22 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 20. 6. 2000 facilities damaged in the conflicts, the consolidation of democracy and civil society, the return of refugees and the preparation for economic recovery. At present, while the FRY is eligible for support under the Obnova programme, Serbia is only, for the reasons mentioned above, receiving humanitarian assistance, democratisation assistance and support for independent media. Of particular relevance has been the action implemented by the Commission to relieve the cost related to the refugee influx in the neighbour countries, where an amount of € 100 million has been made available, in form of budgetary assistance, to Albania (€ 62 million), FYROM (€ 25 million) and the Republic of Montenegro (€ 13 million). (2000/C 170 E/022) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1483/99 by Armando Cossutta (GUE/NGL) to the Council (1 September 1999) Subject: Initiatives intended to bring about the liberation of Cyprus On 20 July 1974, Turkey invaded and occupied the northern part of Cyprus. The last 25 years have witnessed arbitrary occupation based on force and oppression and involving a constant and systematic violation of international law and human rights: thousands of people lost their lives as a consequence of the invasion, the invaders have expelled hundreds of thousands of Greek Cypriots from their territory and the same thing has happened to several thousand Turkish Cypriots as a result of systematic ethnic cleansing (the very same ethnic cleansing which these days, as a response to the tragic events in Kosovo, arouses indignation in so many noble spirits). None of the UN resolutions calling for a peaceful solution to the crisis has had the slightest effect on account of Turkeyís intransigence, an attitude which is backed by the USA. 1. Does the Council not think that it should act independently within any appropriate international organisation in order to help re-establish international legality and restore the human rights which have been violated as a result of the relations between Turkey and Cyprus? 2. Does the Council not consider it both urgent and essential for it to take an active part in the proper preparation of an international conference on the Middle East which would enable a realistic (in both its methods and its timetable) programme to be drawn up, so as to allow ácrisis hot spotsí ü which, if allowed to smoulder, may lead to one huge conflagration ü to be coded in good time? Reply (2 December 1999) The Council believes that the best way forward in the Cyprus question, including the situation of human rights, is to push ahead with the search for a solution on the basis of the UN Security Council Resolutions. The Council welcomes the 9/10 June G-8 Summit conclusions and the UN Security Council Resolutions 1250 and 1251 of 29 June 1999 and considers that the invitation to UN talks this autumn without preconditions, together with the Resolutions, have brought about new momentum. The Presidency will continue supporting, together with other EU partners and international players, the efforts of the UNSG, Mr Annan, to reduce tensions and to contribute to progress towards a negotiated settlement. The Union also considers that progress towards EU accession and towards a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem should reinforce each other. It believes that Cyprusís accession to the EU should benefit all communities and help bring about civil peace and reconciliation on the island. It regrets that it was not possible to achieve a political solution in time for the start of accession negotiations. The Presidency continues to work (in accordance with the conclusions of the European Council of Luxembourg) for the involvement of representatives of the Turkish-Cypriot community in the EU accession negotiations. 20. 6. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 170 E/23 The Council has repeatedly stressed to Turkey, and will continue to do so, the need for Turkeyís positive contribution to the solution of the Cyprus problem. The Council expects countries with a European vocation to cooperate with it over its major priorities, one of them being the accession of Cyprus to the EU and a solution to the Cyprus question. Unfortunately Turkey has been blocking the political dialogue with the Union on some sensitive questions, including Cyprus, since the European Council in Luxembourg. However, following the earthquakes in Turkey and Greece and improving bilateral Greek-Turkish relations the atmosphere in EU-Turkey relations has improved, hopefully paving the way for dialogue also on Cyprus. The Council does not share the view expressed by the Honourable Member that an international conference on the Middle East could be beneficial in the case of Cyprus. (2000/C 170 E/023) WRITTEN QUESTION P-1494/99 by Olivier Dupuis (TDI) to the Commission (1 September 1999) Subject: Albania ü corridors 8 and 10 Information from Albania seems to confirm a plan giving preference to the completion of ácorridor 10í, a road link between Greece and Montenegro via Albania, at the expense of the completion of what has until now been regarded as a priority, namely ácorridor 8í, a link between southern Italy, Durres, Pristina, Skopje and Sofia, i. e. between Albania and Kosovo and between Albania and Macedonia, Bulgaria and Romania. Has the Commission any further information on this matter? Is it aware of the grave risks which the carrying through of such a plan would entail for the stability of the entire region, the internal stability of Albania and the comprehensive development of relations between, one the one hand, the European Union and, on the other, Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo? Can the Commission also provide information concerning the stage reached (including any delays and the reasons for them) in the completion of corridors 8 and 10 and the Unionís contribution thereto? Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission (15 October 1999) Pan-European transport corridors VIII and X are two of six corridors, which cross the Balkan region and connect to the Trans-European networks (TENs) and the South-East Europe area. Corridor VII runs from East to West in the Balkan area. It links the south of Italy and the Adriatic Sea with the Black Sea. It runs via the ports of Dürres/Flores, Tirana (Albania) and Skopje (the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)), further to Sofia (Bulgaria) and to the Bulgarian ports of Burgas and Varna of the Black Sea. Corridor X runs from North-West to South-East. It connects Salzburg (Austria) via Ljubljana (Slovenia), Zagreb (Croatia), Belgrade (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY)), Skopje (FYROM), with Thessaloniki (Greece). Besides this main link, there are four additional branches: (1) a branch from Graz (Austria) via Maribor (Slovenia) to Zagreb (Croatia); (2) a branch from Budapest (Hungary) to Belgrade (FRY), both connecting to Corridor V; (3) a branch from Nis (FRY) to Sofia (Bulgaria) and further on corridor IV to Istanbul; (4) a branch from Veles (Fyrom) via Florina (Greece) to the Via Egnatia. Connections between Albania and Romania are thus ensured through the links of corridor IV to corridor VIII. In a similar way, Albania is also connected to the FRY through the links of corridor VIII to corridor X. Albania is not therefore affected negatively by the development of corridor X. The development of these corridors is organised through memoranda of understanding (MoU) between the countries crossed and the Commission. Concrete improvements on each corridor remain in the hands of