Conservative MP David Barrowes said he will submit a motion calling for the return of the sealed-off section of Famagusta to its lawful inhabitants.
Burrowes and other MPs presented a petition to Number 10 Downing Street, signed by over 50,000 people asking what steps the UK is taking to support the return of Famagusta.
Burrowes has prepared a substantive motion similar to the resolution passed by the European Parliament in February 2012 to be debated in the Main Chamber of the House of Commons.
“This House endorses the declaration of the European Parliament of 14 February 2012 on the return of the sealed-off section of Famagusta to its lawful inhabitants; notes that the city of Famagusta in the Republic of Cyprus was captured by the invading Turkish forces in August 1974, that a section of Famagusta was then sealed off and remains uninhabited, under the direct control of the Turkish military, and that the return of the Famagusta sealed-off section to its lawful inhabitants would facilitate efforts toward a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem,” the motion reads.
On Tuesday 3rd of November, Burrowes will go before the backbench business committee with support from a number of colleagues, to present the case for a debate on Famagusta.
He said: “With the support of colleagues, I am presenting a case to hold a debate in Parliament on Famagusta. The issue has been a pressing one for many years, but every day without the return of Famagusta is also the day on injustice. Acceptance of the motion can help support a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem.”
Famagusta, a thriving holiday resort until the 1974 Turkish invasion, has become a ghost town, with derelict buildings, abandoned to the elements since it fell to the advancing Turkish troops in mid August 1974. The UN hold Turkey responsible for the fenced-off area of the town but in spite of repeated calls for its return to the lawful inhabitants – by the UN and other international fora – Ankara refuses to comply.
