Cyprus, 2010

I congratulate

Mr. Joseph Deiss on his assumption of the presidency

of the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session.

It is commonly acknowledged that the

international community faces challenges that are

multiplying in scope and magnitude. This raises a

question about whether our ability to respond to these

challenges grows in tandem. We have recently

witnessed climatic and natural disasters on a scale

never experienced in recent history, such as the floods

in Pakistan, the fires in Russia, the earthquake in Haiti

and the landslides in China.

Environmental degradation and climate change;

rising poverty, food insecurity and the lack of basic

health care for so many of our fellow human beings in

a world with deep social disparities; terrorism; the

visible threat of nuclear proliferation, especially in the

Middle East; and the continuing economic crisis of the

past few years, which has primarily affected millions

of working people and the poor, require effective

regional and global action through the United Nations

and other multilateral organizations.

21 10-54959

Turning our attention to my own neighbourhood,

the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, I

would like to welcome the relaunching of negotiations

between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and to

express hope for a successful outcome. We all know

that it is a difficult task, but there is no alternative to

dialogue. We express the hope that no unilateral

measure will be taken that would create more obstacles

to the negotiations to reach an agreement. The solution

should lead to the creation of an independent and

sovereign Palestinian State living side by side with the

State of Israel.

Cyprus, together with Greece, has proposed the

creation of a humanitarian sea corridor to the people of

Gaza, utilizing our proximity to the area and our good

relations with all sides.

This year, Cyprus is celebrating the fiftieth year

since the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus and

its participation as a full Member of the United

Nations. The Republic of Cyprus became a Member of

the Organization as soon as it gained its independence

in the hope and with the aspiration of contributing to

the work of the Organization and playing a

constructive role in international affairs through the

promotion of the implementation of the principles of

the Charter of the United Nations. With its unique

geographic position at the crossroads of three

continents, Cyprus held the noble goal of serving as a

bridge for peace and cooperation in its neighbourhood

and beyond.

Having gained its independence at a difficult

period in world politics, Cyprus took a clear and

conscious decision to join the Non-Aligned Movement.

As a founding member of the Movement, Cyprus

played an active role in the work of the United Nations

and in resolving international problems. We have

always held the view that problems cannot be resolved

through military confrontation but must be solved

through dialogue, diplomacy and respect for the

territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of

all countries and peoples, whether great or small, rich

or poor.

In 2004, the Republic of Cyprus joined the

European Union (EU) as a full member. Proud of its

traditions, Cyprus preserves its neutrality and seeks to

play an active and constructive role as an EU member

State.

After Cyprus won independence in 1960, the road

for Cypriots has not, unfortunately, been without

problems. Despite many difficulties and misfortunes,

we have managed to achieve economic growth and a

satisfactory standard of living for our people. In the

political field, however, the first years of independence

were marked by difficulties and a lack of the necessary

political cooperation between the two communities of

the island, which were called to govern the country

together under the Constitution. Those early

differences and difficulties were exacerbated by

foreign interference. The culmination of these

interventions was the military coup of the junta that

ruled Greece at the time, and the illegal Turkish

invasion of July-August 1974. The military occupation

by the Turkish Army of 37 per cent of the territory of

the Republic of Cyprus continues today, as does the

violation of the human rights of all Cypriot citizens,

Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.

The people of Cyprus have suffered enough. It is

time to overcome the problems, to achieve

reconciliation between the two communities and to

reunite our country and our people for the sake of

peace and future generations.

The General Assembly and Security Council have

been addressing the Cyprus problem since the 1960s. A

number of resolutions have been adopted by both the

Security Council and the General Assembly aimed at

safeguarding the independence, territorial integrity,

sovereignty and unity of the Republic of Cyprus. I take

this opportunity to express the appreciation of the

people of Cyprus to the Secretary-General, the Security

Council and the United Nations as a whole for their

continued and unwavering interest in Cyprus.

In 1977, Archbishop Makarios, the President of

Cyprus at the time, accepted the evolution of the

unitary State into a bicommunal, bizonal federation.

That historic compromise was a brave concession by

the Greek Cypriot community towards their Turkish

Cypriot compatriots. It sought to bring an end to the

foreign occupation and to restore the unity of the

Republic of Cyprus. The composition of the population

and the human geography of Cyprus were such that

conditions for a federation did not exist. The two

communities lived intermingled throughout the island.

It is for that reason that the acceptance of the

bicommunal, bizonal federation by the Greek Cypriots

constituted a historic compromise and a concession

towards our Turkish Cypriot compatriots.

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After 1977, the Security Council through its

resolutions endorsed the evolution of the Republic of

Cyprus into a bicommunal, bizonal federation with

political equality, defined not as numerical equality but

as the effective participation of both communities in all

organs of Government. The united federal State would

be one, with a single sovereignty, a single citizenship

and a single international personality. The federal State

would respect fundamental human rights and basic

freedoms in accordance with Security Council

resolutions. The principles and values of the European

Union would also be observed.

Since my election in 2008, I have actively

engaged with the leadership of the Turkish Cypriot

community in a Cypriot-owned process within the

framework of the Good Offices Mission of the

Secretary-General in order to reach a mutually

acceptable agreed solution on the constitutional and

other internal aspects of the problem. Two years into

the process and despite the difficulties, some progress,

although not as much as anticipated, has been achieved

on certain issues. At the outset of this process, we

agreed with the Secretary-General that there would be

no artificial deadlines or outside intervention in the

form of arbitration or the submission of ready-made

solutions.

With the new leader of the Turkish Cypriot

community, we worked through the summer and, in the

past few weeks, have further intensified our meetings.

In order to achieve results soon, I have submitted a

package consisting of three proposals. First, I have

suggested linking the negotiation of the chapters of

property, territorial adjustments and settlers in order to

give impetus to the process. I have also proposed that

when we are close to reaching an agreement on the

internal aspects of the problem, we could hold an

international conference under the auspices of the

Secretary-General and with the participation of the

permanent members of the Security Council, the

guarantor Powers, the European Union, the Republic of

Cyprus and the two communities to discuss the

international aspects of the problem.

The third element of my proposal concerns

Famagusta. My series of proposals would benefit all

sides and could create the necessary political climate to

drive the entire process forward. Unfortunately, the

new Turkish Cypriot leader and the Turkish leadership

have rejected these proposals.

I would like to make a special reference here to

our proposal on Famagusta. In 1974, Famagusta was a

city with a population of both Greek and Turkish

Cypriots. As the Turkish Army advanced towards the

city, the Greek Cypriot population was forced to flee.

The town of Varosha has been a ghost town ever since.

The Security Council considers the Government of

Turkey responsible for the area, and in 1984, under

resolution 550 (1984), demanded the return of the town

to the United Nations in order that it might be

inhabited by its legal inhabitants. Even before the

adoption of resolution 550 (1984), the leaders of the

two communities had agreed in 1979 to settle the issue

of Famagusta as a matter of priority, notwithstanding

any political negotiations on other issues.

My proposal, if accepted, would have benefits for

all sides. In addition to the return of the fenced city to

rightful inhabitants under United Nations control, my

proposal includes the restoration of the medieval part

of the city where our Turkish Cypriot compatriots live,

as well as the opening of the port of Famagusta to

external trade under EU supervision — a measure

directly aimed at benefiting the Turkish Cypriots. Such

a development would also benefit Turkey’s accession

negotiations with the EU and provide an excellent

example of harmonious coexistence and cooperation

between the two communities. From this rostrum, I

would also like to propose that the National Guard and

the Turkish Army again cancel their annual military

exercises this autumn.

Turkey’s leadership has assured the international

community that it wants a solution of the problem by

end of 2010. We are still waiting for its words to be

transformed into action. The same expectation was

repeatedly voiced by the European Council and in a

recent resolution of the European Parliament. The

European Union calls on Turkey to work on the basis

of United Nations resolutions and to meet its

obligations towards the European Union and the

Republic of Cyprus, which Turkey still fails to

recognize.

Turkey must respect the independence and

territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus and

contribute to the achievement of an agreement that

would reunite Cyprus and its people. Our vision is of a

reunited Cyprus, common homeland of Greek and

Turkish Cypriots, without any foreign troops or settlers

on its territory and with full respect for the human

rights and fundamental freedoms of all its people:

23 10-54959

Greek and Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians and

Latins. I would like to reiterate my commitment to

doing my utmost to that end.

From this rostrum, I repeat my call on the Turkish

leadership to meet with me, in parallel to the

negotiating process, so that I can share with them my

vision for a solution of the Cyprus problem, which

would serve the interests of the Cypriots, Turkey and

Greece, as well as of peace and security in the region.

The challenges faced by the international

community are increasing. Climate change, poverty,

malnutrition and lack of access to basic health care,

terrorism, wars, the threat of further nuclear

proliferation and nuclear terrorism, the economic crisis

and political instability in many regions of the world

require us to undertake a renewed and more effective

effort to protect humankind’s achievements. The future

is in our hands. We will succeed only if we achieve a

more just distribution and better redistribution of the

world’s natural resources and wealth.