EPP CFSP Spokesman Kasulides to EuroFora: 2012 Mediterranean Gas findings to ease a Cyprus solution

According to the experienced Foreign Policy Spokesman of the biggest Group in EU Parliament, that of ChristianDemocrats/EPP, former Foreign Minister, MEP Yannis Kasulides, speaking to "EuroFora", recent confirmations of hopes to make big Ol/Gas findings in South-Eastern Mediterranean, between Egypt, Israel/Palestine, Lebanon and (EU Member) Cyprus, could have "very important" consequences in the whole region, not only for its Economic Development, but also on the Political field :

- " The Texas-based (USA) company Noble Energy will start drilling for Gas (around Cyprus)  in just about 1 Year from now", i.e. in 2012, Kasulides observed.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
- "When this will be done, I hope that it would prove that there are enough Money" to help boost important Political developments for Peace and stability in EU Member Cyprus' surrounding area, he optimistically added.

- In particular, this could be used, f. ex . also "in order to pay any indemnities for any adequate Solution of the Cyprus' issue", he concluded.

As it is known, Turkey refuses Greek Cypriot Refugees/Displaced persons' Rights to restitution (and, if impossible, compensation) of  their Family Homes and Private Properties, as well as their voluntary Return to their Ancestral Land, despite ECHR's case-law and International standards.

But Turkey has notoriously complained that it could not even fund a mere financial compensation, with only a few restitutions, of Greek Cypriot Refugees/IDPs' belongings, pushing ECHR, CoE and UNO towards a severe restriction and/or revisionism of their classical standards, to the detriment of the credibility of the PanEuropean mechanism for the protection of Human Rights.

+ Moreover, another area where Financial support might be politically helpful is the long-term funding of an International Peace-keeping force as a neutral Guarantee, in case of Agreement for Cyprus' ReUnification of the island.

Finally, it could also serve to fund eventually certain big and emblematic Common Economic Projects (f.ex. infrastrbringing together Turkish and Greek Cypriots, after 3,5 Decades of brutal Separation and systematic "Ethnic Cleansing" since the 1974 Turkish Military invasion and peristing occupation of the Northern part of the island.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
Kasulides had been serving as an experienced Cyprus' Foreign Minister and/or Government Spokesman when Nicosa started, initially, to negotiate with Kairo a subsequent agreement on the delimitation of their Exclusive Economic Zones according to the International Law of the Sea, followed, later-on, by similar deals as with Egypt, also with Israel, Lebanon, etc., around the South Eastern Mediterranean region where probable Oil/Gas fields are expected to be discovered as important as in the Geologically similar area of Mexico's Gulf, (some 52% of USA's needs).

After the 1000 m deep North Sea gas findings, (currently declining), technology had developed, since 1998-2001, towards the 2000 or even 3000 m deep Seabeds similar to Mexico's Gulf and  S/E. Mediterranean.      

If expectations are confirmed soon (See supra), it will be the 1st time that EU can hope to find a big Oil/Gas field, at least partly, at a European land.

Other big Oil/Gas Fields Fields are recently being discovered in the surrounding area, at the large of Egypt's Nile Delta, in Israel and Lebanon, etc.

After various unsuccesful attempts in the Past to broker a deal for Cyprus' reUnification, (f.ex. during the 1970ies, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2006, etc), UNO has started a New round of intercommunal Talks between 2008-2011, with recent attempts by UNO's Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to revigorate them between October 2010 (See UN SG's reply to "EuroFora"s question at EU Parliament in Strasbourg) and January/February 2011 (Comp. "EuroFora"s NewsReports from Geneva).

But April 2010 changes in the leadership of the Turkish Cypriot Community living in the area Occupied by Ankara's Army, followed by forthcoming Mid-Term Elections in Cyprus (May 2011) and mainly National Elections in Turkey (June 2011), developments were reportedly still insufficient to bridge a deal yet.

In less than 1 Year, after Hungary, Poland and Denmark : from July 1st, 2012, Cyprus will chair the rotating EU Council's Presidency, which is systematically prepared , during recent years, according to a "Trio", 18 Months-long joint general Program, prepared together by 3 successive EU Member States' Governments, together with EU Council's Secretariat and EU Commission.