WHAT EXACTLY DO THE BRITISH OWE TO CYPRUS? - Pafos Live 9/4
Giannaki L. Omirou
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives
Inaccuracies and errors are observed in the public debate in relation to what exactly applies to Britain's financial obligations to the Republic of Cyprus. NO it is not rent for British military bases.
Here's exactly what is true.
In addition to the Treaties of Guarantee and Alliance as well as the Treaty of Establishment, there is an important independent agreement between Cyprus and the UK, which accompanies the other documents and treaties that regulate the status of Cyprus and which provides for the payment of sums of money to the Republic of Cyprus. These amounts fall into two categories:
a) Those expressly specified in the agreement and concern amounts covering mainly the first five years after the proclamation of the Republic of Cyprus and other specially determined amounts for certain purposes. These have been paid for in 1965.
b) Those amounts that should have been paid every five years after 1965 by the British Government after consultations with the Republic of Cyprus. The British Government systematically refuses, despite repeated representations by the Cypriot Governments, to fulfil its obligations in relation to the above amounts.
Britain's refusal to fulfil this explicit legal obligation by paying financial assistance to the Republic of Cyprus every five years for every five years after 1965 constitutes a breach of a contractual obligation for which the Government of Cyprus must now act by all legal means offered.
It is useful to recall that the amount paid for the five-year period 1960-65 amounted to 12 million British pounds. It is therefore evident that the sums owed by the British for the period from 1965 to the present day amount to many hundreds of millions of pounds.
Annex R (Appendix R) and specifically in sub-paragraph (c) of the Treaty establishing the Republic of Cyprus, entitled "Financial Assistance to the Republic of Cyprus" are two letters, which were incorporated into the Treaty. The first is written by the last British governor of the island, Sir Hugh Foot, and is addressed to President Makarios and Vice-President Kuciuk and the second is the reply of the two to Foot. Subparagraph (c) is found in the letter of the British official. It states verbatim:
"Within the period of six months preceding 31st March, 1965, and before the end of each subsequent five-year period, the Government of the United Kingdom shall, in consultation with the Government of the Republic, review the provisions of sub-paragraph (a) of this paragraph and, taking into account all factors, including the financial claims of the Republic of Cyprus, will determine the amount of financial assistance that will be provided to this Government in the next five-year period."
Sub-paragraph (a) stipulates that in the first five-year period Britain would grant "in the form of a grant the sum of £12 million. (£4 million for 1961, £3 million for 1962, £2 million for 1963, £1.5 million for 1965). This money for the first five-year period was paid. Since then, Britain has not given any more money.
The Republic of Cyprus, according to a note prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in response to relevant questions from the Parliamentary Committees on Foreign Affairs and Legal Affairs, considers that "from the literal interpretation" of sub-paragraph (c) "it follows that the financial obligations of the United Kingdom are assumed (taken for granted).
The Government holds the opinions of the Legal Service on the issue of the legal possibility of claiming the above amounts. The time has come for the Government to make use of these opinions, which are absolutely positive as to the validity and justification of the claim by the British for the payment of these amounts to the Republic of Cyprus. It is possible to show such tolerance and passivity in the face of Britain's outrageous refusal to pay amounts due to Cyprus by virtue of their explicit contractual obligation.
The House of Representatives has repeatedly debated the issue of Britain's financial obligations to the Republic of Cyprus. In fact, there are repeated unanimous resolutions of the Parliament calling on the executive to seek the payment of the amounts due by Britain.
