Cyprus, 1998

I would like to extend my

warmest congratulations to you, Sir, on your election as

President of this body. I have no doubt that your

diplomatic experience and proven leadership will guide us

successfully in our work.

Allow me also to thank your predecessor,

Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko of Ukraine, for the determined

leadership with which he steered the work of the fifty-

second session.

The United Nations, being the primary vehicle for

the pursuit of world peace, has striven throughout its

existence to make the world a better place to live in.

Despite adversities of all kinds, caused particularly by

opposing national interests, violent conflicts, natural

disasters and the proliferation of weapons of mass

destruction, the United Nations has pursued consistently

the noble goals enshrined in its Charter, first and foremost

the elimination of the scourge of war and the achievement

of economic development.

To be realistic, however, the hopes of mankind for

a new and genuinely just international legal and political

order, generated by the demise of the bipolar world, are

yet to be realized.

Cyprus reaffirms its commitment to work closely

with the other members of the Organization for the

attainment of our common goals. We support, therefore,

the reform efforts of the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi

3

Annan, to streamline the operations of the Organization in

a way that assures its ability to pursue its goals, meet new

challenges and safeguard its financial position. We stress

once more the importance of restructuring the Security

Council to make it more representative and transparent.

Cyprus welcomes the adoption of the Statute of a

permanent International Criminal Court, empowering it to

bring to justice the perpetrators of most serious crimes and

violations of humanitarian law. In this respect, we consider

the first-ever judgement by the international criminal court

for Rwanda on the crime of genocide a very important step.

Of special concern is the rising number of refugees

and internally displaced persons. Their plight calls not only

for international cooperation in providing protection and

humanitarian assistance, but also for addressing the root

causes of displacement. We continue to believe that the best

solution is the return of refugees to their homes in

conditions of safety, with full protection of their human

rights.

Cyprus condemns terrorism, which it considers a

menace to humanity, requiring effective international action

and solutions on the basis of international law and the

Charter of the United Nations.

The situation in the Middle East continues to be

characterized by lack of progress and obstacles to the

implementation of the peace accords. The current stalemate

poses a threat to the stability of the region. Cyprus, a

neighbouring State with close relations to the parties

involved, reiterates its support for the achievement of a just,

lasting and comprehensive settlement based on the relevant

United Nations resolutions.

I would like to reiterate my country?s support for the

documents adopted at the General Assembly special session

on the world drug problem and for the relevant efforts of

the United Nations.

Cyprus welcomes the recent report of the Secretary-

General on the situation in Africa. His recommendations

merit serious consideration and support by the international

community. We believe that the international community

should redouble its efforts towards assisting African

countries, with special attention given to debt relief, so that

they can avoid further instability and the danger of

marginalization.

Cyprus joined in the worldwide rejoicing over the

agreement of last April concerning Northern Ireland. It is

important for the sides to honour their responsibilities and

meet their commitments. We condemn acts of violence,

which should not be allowed to block the road to peace,

reconciliation and prosperity.

Cyprus supports strongly the efforts in the area of

arms control and disarmament. Since my last appearance

before this body, we have ratified the Chemical Weapons

Convention; we have also signed, and will soon ratify, the

Convention on anti-personnel mines. I should emphasize

in this respect that, in spite of the difficult situation we

face because of the presence of an occupation army force

of 36,000 troops, Cyprus has decided to sign the

Convention as an expression of our determination to join

the forces struggling to eliminate this utterly cruel method

of war. We are grateful to Canada for promising to

finance the undertaking to clear the minefields along the

ceasefire line in our country.

The United Nations has a special role to play in the

promotion of the well-being of small States. Small States

are often exposed to a much greater degree than larger

States to threats because of increased vulnerability of their

environment and security.

In this connection, Cyprus has suffered for more

than 24 years the grave consequences of the Turkish

invasion and the continuing occupation of more than one

third of its territory. Despite the pronounced will of the

international community through numerous resolutions

and the willingness of the Greek Cypriot side to negotiate

in good faith, no solution of the Cyprus problem has

resulted. It is, therefore, reasonable to ask why. The

answer is: It is because of the non-implementation and

flagrant violation of Security Council and General

Assembly resolutions by Turkey.

I feel that it is necessary to give some examples of

these flagrant violations which prevented solution of the

Cyprus problem. Security Council and General Assembly

resolutions calling for respect for the sovereignty and

territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus and non-

recognition of the Turkish Cypriot breakaway entity were

violated by Turkey, which is the only State which

recognized the Turkish Cypriot secessionist entity, and

which sustains it financially and militarily.

As regards Security Council and General Assembly

resolutions, calling for the speedy withdrawal of all

foreign armed forces and personnel from the Republic of

Cyprus, not only have the Turkish armed forces and

personnel not been withdrawn, but they have been

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increased and upgraded, to such an extent that the previous

Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, described in

his report to the Security Council the occupied area of

Cyprus as one of the most militarized areas in the world.

United Nations resolutions for the return of the

refugees to their homes under conditions of safety were not

implemented, not only because Turkish forces prevented the

refugees from returning, but also because Turkey, violating

other provisions of United Nations resolutions calling on all

parties concerned to avoid any action to change the

demographic composition of the population of Cyprus,

imported to Cyprus thousands of illegal settlers from

Turkey, usurped the properties of the refugees and installed

settlers in them. I could go on giving examples of gross

violations of United Nations resolutions by Turkey, but in

order to confine myself to the time limits allowed, I will

refer only to the latest violation.

The recent demand of the Turkish Cypriot leader,

Mr. Denktas, in the presence of the Turkish Foreign

Minister, violates all United Nations resolutions, which call

for a bizonal-bicommunal federation, with a single

sovereignty, international personality and citizenship, and is

aimed at derailing the negotiating process from the base of

the United Nations resolutions on Cyprus, and also at

extinguishing the independence of the Republic of Cyprus

and creating, under the guise of a Turkish Cypriot

Republic, a Turkish colony in Cyprus or, to say the least,

a Turkish protectorate.

The non-implementation of United Nations resolutions

on Cyprus tarnishes the image of the United Nations and its

main bodies. The former Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros

Boutros-Ghali, in one of his reports to the Security Council,

identified as a cause of the absence of progress in Cyprus

the lack of political will on the part of the Turkish side.

With that report the diagnosis of the causes of the

failure to make progress towards a solution is completed. Is

it too much for the people of Cyprus to ask what the next

step will be? Will the United Nations finally take the

necessary action to apply the required remedy in order to

put an end to the tragedy that has befallen our small State

and that has continued for 24 years?

The international community should not allow one

State to violate for so long its expressed will. The Security

Council, the main organ for international peace and

security, should proceed to examine how to implement its

resolutions as soon as possible.

I now want to address the problem of Cyprus, not by

looking at the past, but by outlining my goals for the

future. The Cyprus problem has been with us for over 40

years. Today, the two communities of Cyprus are led by

the generation that was involved in the earliest stages of

the Cyprus problem. This generation knows both the joys

of friendships that crossed communal lines and the

tragedies and suffering that also crossed communal lines.

Rauf Denktas¸ and I are both members of this

generation, which has seen the best and the worst of the

recent history of Cyprus. Our communities have entrusted

us with their respective leaderships. The people of

Cyprus, both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, look

to us, their leaders, to help shape a future that is better

than the present and that will not allow for a repetition of

the past.

Let me offer my vision for the future. I want all

Cypriots to have security in their homes and their

communities; I want all Cypriots to pursue their

livelihoods free of economic restrictions and the fear of

instability; I want all Cypriot children to know their

distinct cultural and religious heritage and to be able to

carry their identity and political rights into the future

without fear of domination from any quarter.

The solution to any constitutional problem on the

basis of communal or ethnic criteria and federalism

contains elements of partnership and political equality of

the constituent parts.

The solution to the Cyprus problem on the basis of

a bicommunal-bizonal federation requires such a

partnership of the two communities as would

constitutionally provide for a maximum degree of internal

self-administration for the two constituent cantons,

provinces or States, and, adhering to the principle of the

equal political status of the constituent parts, it must

provide them with the same rights, powers and functions

regarding their respective separate, internal self-

administration. The constitution must also provide for

effective participation of the constituent parts in the

federal government. It must also secure all fundamental

human rights and freedoms for all the citizens of the

federation. Above all, it must safeguard the single

sovereignty, the indivisibility and the unity of the

bicommunal-bizonal federation. Such a federation,

becoming a member of the European Union, will thrive

at home and abroad.

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One of the questions we should ask when looking at

various ideas for a solution is: Do they reasonably meet the

needs of the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots, and

will they promote stability and encourage cooperation and

partnership among the people of Cyprus?

It is obvious that a bicommunal solution must be

negotiated, not only because all United Nations resolutions

so demand, but also because only in negotiations can we

work out the practical steps needed to realize a functioning

solution.

Security for both communities is a fundamental part of

any settlement; this will require arrangements special to

Cyprus. To be effective, an agreement to this end must

produce a settlement that can meet the real life challenges

inherent to a small island State.

I believe that the gap between what ordinary Turkish

Cypriots and Greek Cypriots want and need in a settlement

is not so great as it might appear. Both want the same

things: peace, prosperity, stability and physical, political,

economic and cultural security, including respect for and

enjoyment of their homes and properties.

I am confident that, working together under the

umbrella of the United Nations and with the help of the

international community, Greek Cypriots and Turkish

Cypriots can construct a settlement that meets these needs

and removes the fears and insecurities that have plagued

Cyprus since the middle part of this century. To do this, we

must begin serious negotiations.

I believe that we, the current generation of leadership,

must negotiate a settlement to our decades-old problem that

will give all the people of Cyprus a future that will ensure

that the bitter experiences of the past cannot and shall not

be repeated. We, the older generation of both communities,

must close this sad chapter of Cyprus?s history with an

agreement between us which will allow generations to come

to build and realize the fruits of true partnership, based on

mutual respect and political understanding.

While we cannot reconcile ourselves with the Turkish

invasion and occupation, we are genuinely determined to

renew and invigorate bicommunal confidence and trust,

cooperation and interaction with our Turkish Cypriot

compatriots. In my investiture speech last February, I

extended a hand of friendship and urged the Turkish

Cypriot leader, Mr. Denktas, to join me in working together

towards finding a solution to the tragic problem of Cyprus

for the benefit of all the citizens of the island. Similarly, I

invited the Turkish Cypriots to participate as full

members in the Cypriot delegation negotiating the

accession of Cyprus to the European Union, thus shaping

together our positions and common destiny.

Today, before the representatives of the international

community and from the podium of this Assembly,

adhering to the will of the international community for an

agreed solution to the Cyprus problem within the

parameters set forth in United Nations resolutions, as

leader of the Greek Cypriot community, I renew my

invitation to the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community,

Mr. Rauf Denktas, to work together for the solution of the

Cyprus problem in order to build a happy and prosperous

island for our children and future generations. The

interests of Cyprus lie in the unity and interaction of the

two communities. The continuing tension prevents Cyprus

and its people from assuming their rightful role and

making their contribution to regional stability and the

improvement of Greco-Turkish relations.

The Government of Cyprus is committed to a

peaceful solution, on the basis of the United Nations

resolutions, which will safeguard the interests and the

human rights of all its citizens.

We have consistently put forward proposals for the

reduction of tension on the island.

Tension in Cyprus escalates because of the massive

presence of the Turkish occupation forces in the north,

their continuous strengthening and upgrading, and the

corresponding need the Government of the Republic feels

to strengthen its defences.

The Security Council, recognizing that the increase

in tension is due to the build-up of military forces, has

called in a number of its resolutions for the reduction of

forces and armaments.

While the Government of the Republic of Cyprus

will continue to exercise its sovereign right to strengthen

its defences with whatever means it considers necessary

for as long as Turkish occupation forces remain in

Cyprus, I have not failed, in response to Security Council

resolutions, to suggest concrete ways and measures to

work for a specific programme of reduction of foreign

and local forces and equipment as a necessary preparatory

step for the programmed and final withdrawal of all

foreign forces and other elements and for the

demilitarization of Cyprus. These proposals and

suggestions, on our part, are still valid and timely, and as

6

such they remain on the negotiating table. We remain

committed to a solution to the problem by peaceful means,

and for this a lessening of tension is a necessary ingredient.

In the face of continuous threats against Cyprus by the

vastly superior military might of Turkey, whose ultimate

aim is to keep the island a perpetual hostage, to destroy its

sovereignty and to reduce it to a Turkish protectorate, the

strong, principled support of United Nations Members is of

paramount importance.

At this point, I wish to thank the Foreign Ministers of

the five permanent members of the Security Council and

the Secretary-General for discussing the Cyprus problem on

24 September 1998 and for issuing a statement calling for

an early resumption of a sustained process of direct

negotiations between the two communities, reminding them

at the same time of the need to achieve a comprehensive

political settlement in accordance with Security Council

resolutions and to avoid any actions which might increase

tension.

I reply “Yes” to the resumption of a sustained process

of direct negotiations on the basis of Security Council

resolutions; I reply “Yes” to avoiding any action that might

increase tension and thus jeopardize progress in the

negotiating process.

We trust that we can rely once again on the active

solidarity of Members at this crucial juncture, as the most

sacred principles of the United Nations Charter and the

credibility of the world public order itself come into focus

in this respect.

As we approach the new millennium, the leaders of

the world must decide what kind of world we want our

children and grandchildren to live in. Is it a world of sheer

interests and lack of principles, where cold calculations of

economic and strategic interests are pre-eminent, or a world

governed by justice and respect for human rights, which is

the only solution for permanent peace and stability in the

world?