Cyprus-UK BREXIT Negotiation will Start+Advance well, says to "EF" Governing Party MEP Christoforou

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- The Forhcoming Cyprus - UK Negotiations on relevant "BREXIT"'s aspects would Start soon and shall Advance Well, optimistically said to "Eurofora" Nicosia's Governing Party's mainstream MEP Lefteris Christoforou, from the Biggest Group of MEPs, that of ChristianDemocrats/EPP.

EU Parliament will have to Vote in order to Endorse the result of EU - UK Negotiations on BREXIT, and, therefore, it has recently Started to closelly Follow their Progress, as its new President, Antonio Tajani, recently announced.

Christoforou was Speaking to "Eurofpra" in EU Parliament in Strasbourg the Same Day that its Plenary Debated and Voted, Earlier Today, on the general "State of play of (EU) Negotiations with the United Kingdom" until now, with the participation of EU's Chief Negotiator on BREXIT, Michel Barnier, (Comp.  Barnier's recent Statements to "Eurofora", previously, at : ....).

Cyprus - UK Negotiations on specific Issues of common interest are due to Start Next Week, from the 11th of October, in Brussels.

The Chief Negotiator for Cyprus is Ambassador Minas Hatzimichael, a Top Diplomat who holds a Solid Experience particularly on Multilateral Relations, including at the CoE in Strasbourg and at the UNO in New York, etc., (with whom "Eurofora"s co-Founder has already Cooperated in the Past).  

The Beginning of those substantial Negotiations is due to Focus on the 2 Brittish Bases existing at the Strategic Island according to Treaties signed since its Independence on 1960-1961, about their possible Future after the planned Withdrawal of the UK from the EU.

- Among those EU Member States which are due to be Most Affected by BREXIT's eventual Consequences, Together with Ireland, Malta (also Member of the Brittish "Commonwealth", as Cyprus too), and perhaps the Netherlands, is included also Cyprus, for whom BREXIT is "an Important Issue", reportedly stressed, in parallel, Today at Nicosia, the experienced Cypriot Long-Time Foreing Minister, (and Former Top MEP in Strasbourg/Brussels (in charge of Foreign Policy at EU Parliament's Biggest Political Group, that of EPP, in the Past), Ioannis Kasulides, (Comp. various Kasulides' Statements to "Eurofora" on manifold Different topical EU/CoE/UNO issues, f.ex. : ...+... +..., etc).

- However, all the Repercussions of BREXIT vis a vis Cyprus canNot yet be Determined Precisely, for the Time being, inter alia, also because of an Insufficient, yet, Progress in the Main EU - UK Negotiations until now, Kasulides reportedly added.
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Indeed, the Resolution debated and Adopted, earlier Today here, by a Strong Majority of 557 Votes, Against Only 92, and with 29 Abstentions in EU Parliament, supports the View that "Sufficient Progress has Not yet been made" on the 2 Main EU Priorities : "Citizens Rights, Ireland and Northern Ireland, and ...UK's Financial Obligations".

=> Therefore, EU Parliament's Resolution "calls" on EU Heads of State/Government, (who are due to meet in a Summit in Brussels later this Month, on 19-20/10/2017), "to Decide, at [their] October Meeting to Postpone [their] Assessment" on BREXIT's course, "Unless there is a Major Breakthrough, in line with this resolution in all 3 areas" cited above.

 - But, "for the Moment", i.e. as long as "there is not sufficient progress on the negotiations on the table", then, "there is No chance of Entering into the 2nd Phase of the (EU - UK) Negotiations", (i.e. on London's Future Status vis a vis the EU, in case of BREXIT), Warned the President of EU Parliament's Biggest Group, German ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP, Martin Weber, during Today's Debates here.

>>> However, at the foreseeable Horizon, - "We Need clear Results in 2019; Otherwise the Consent of the European Parliament is Not guaranteed", President Weber also Urged everybody, before briefly meeting, later Today, also "Eurofora", at a subsequent occasion, (See, f.ex.: ...).
 

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+ Cypriot Citizens who Reside and/or Work in the Brittish Bases, which extend throughout considerable areas of the Island's Southern SeaCoasts, are due to be at the Focus of the Cyprus - UK Negotiations on BREXIT, that will start meanwhile (Comp. Supra).

During Today's Votes in EU Parliament's Plenary in Strasbourg, a Very Strong Majority of 586 MEPs clearly Rejected a controversial Amendment by the EuroSceptical EFDD Group to Drop a Call for EU Citizens' "Settled Status" as Permanent Residents in the UK, where a particularly Large Proportion of Cypriots have been notoriously Living since a Long Time ago.

Moreover, EU Parliament also Rejected another  Amendment which had attempted to ask for what it called "Gibraltar's Sovereignity", Not to be put in "Question" by BREXIT Negotiations.

However, EU Parliament "on the Other hand" , Positively "Noted" that "that in her Speech of 22 September 2017" UK Prime Minister Theresa May, "Excluded any Physical Infrastructure at the border" with Ireland, (i.e., f.ex., a Wall or Fence, etc).

This might even "presume... that the UK stays in (EU's) Internal Market and Customs Union, or that Norhern Ireland stays" there "in some form", MEPs went on to Speculate.

Such Points were specifically Adopted with a particular Majority of MEPs' Votes, even Stronger than that which played for the Entire Resolution : 562 Votes in Favor, instead of just 557, respectively.

Last, but not least, EU Parliament also Rejected anOther Amendment, asking to "Prevent a <<Hardening>> of the Border between Spain and Gibraltar" after the BREXIT, as it said

- Even if this particular Point, Exceptionally, attracted a somewhat Higher Minority of MEPs than All Other Votes : 90 instead of a usual 70 in Most Other Cases, i.e. +20 Dissident MEPs more than Average...