Hendon’s MP, Matthew Offord, addressing the rally for freedom and human rights held in Trafalgar Square, took the opportunity to demand Turkish troops and settlers out of Cyprus .
Watched by people covering the whole of Trafalgar Square, Matthew spoke to the crowd and said that if Turkey wanted to join the European Union its politicians had to accept certain obligations. They must agree a settlement for Cyprus that is acceptable to all the islanders in both the north and the south; land and property must be returned to their pre-1974 owners; and the missing must be located and returned to their families.
Matthew said “It is progress that the coalition government has made the issue of Cyprus one of its priorities, as set out in the programme for government. Myself and other parliamentarians will keep this an active issue until we have a resolution for the island.”
Joining Matthew at the foot of Nelson’s Column was Erato Kozakou Marcoullis, the Cypriot Minister of Communications and Works, Theresa Villiers MP, Mike Freer MP, Alan Meale MP, Members of the European Parliament and the President of the National Federation of Cypriots, Peter Droussiotis.