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Sunday, 1 September 2024
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Security Council Extends Mandate of UNFICYP until 30 June 1997 (96-12-23)United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org23 December 1996
Press Release SC/6307SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS MANDATE OF UNFICYP UNTIL 30 JUNE 1997Resolution 1092, Adopted Unanimously, Supports Good Offices Mission Of Secretary-General; Reiterates Situation in Cyprus Is 'Unacceptable'The Security Council this afternoon extended the mandate of the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for a further six months until 30 June 1997 and called upon the leaders of both communities to create a climate of reconciliation and confidence. Unanimously adopting resolution 1092 (1996), the Council reiterated that the status quo in Cyprus was unacceptable. It stressed its support for the Secretary-General's mission of good offices and the importance of the concerted efforts to work with him towards an overall comprehensive settlement. The Council deplored the violent incidents of 11 and 14 August, 8 September and 15 October, which resulted in the tragic deaths of three Greek Cypriot civilians and one member of the Turkish Cypriot Security Forces, as well as injuries to civilians and UNFICYP personnel. It deplored in particular the unnecessary and disproportionate use of force by the Turkish/Turkish Cypriot side, as well as the largely passive role played by the Cypriot police in response to civilian demonstrations. Reiterating its grave concern about the excessive levels of the expansion, upgrading and modernization of the military forces and armaments in Cyprus, the Council called again upon all concerned to commit themselves to a reduction in defence spending and in the number of foreign troops on the island to help restore confidence between the parties and as a first step towards the withdrawal of non-Cypriot forces. It stressed the importance of eventual demilitarization of Cyprus as an objective in the context of an overall comprehensive settlement and called upon the Secretary-General to continue to promote efforts in that direction. Also by the resolution, the Council called upon the parties to cooperate with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in his efforts to prepare the ground for open-ended direct negotiations between the leaders of the two Cypriot communities in the first half of 1997 in order to secure an overall settlement. The Council reaffirmed its position that a Cyprus settlement should be based on a State of Cyprus with a single sovereignty and international personality and a single citizenship, with its independence and territorial integrity safeguarded, and comprising two politically equal communities as described in the relevant Security Council resolutions, in a bi-communal and bi-zonal federation, and that such a settlement must exclude union in whole or in part with any other country or any form of partition or secession. The Council also reaffirmed that the decision of the European Union concerning opening of accession negotiations with Cyprus was an important new development that should facilitate an overall settlement. The meeting, which was called to order at 1:15 p.m., was adjourned at 1:17 p.m. Resolution Adopted
Reports of Secretary-GeneralStating that the presence of UNFICYP on the island remains indispensable for achieving the objectives set out by the Security Council, the Secretary- General recommends in his report (document S/1996/1016) the extension of the Force's mandate for a further period of six months until 30 June 1997.According to the report, the situation in Cyprus has deteriorated in the last six months. There was violence along the cease-fire lines, including the "unnecessary and disproportionate use of lethal force" by the Turkish/Turkish Cypriot side to an extent not seen since 1974. The atmosphere between the two communities was marked by increasing distrust and hostility. The Secretary-General expresses serious concern at the excessive levels of military force and armaments in Cyprus and the rate at which they are being expanded, upgraded and modernized. During demonstrations on 11 and 14 August, UNFICYP did its best to prevent the demonstrators from entering the United Nations buffer zone. "An international peace-keeping force is placed in an invidious position, however, when faced with a volatile crowd of civilians", he adds. Controlling the civilian population must remain the exclusive responsibility of the local authorities. The violent incidents of August and September set the opposing forces on edge, the report continues. On a number of occasions, both forces moved forward of their lines into the United Nations buffer zone, and in some cases, attempted to restrict UNFICYP operations. That was an almost daily occurrence in areas where the delineation of the cease-fire line is disputed by the Turkish forces. Along the whole buffer zone but particularly in those areas where the opposing forces are in close proximity to each other, there has been a rise in instances of weapons being pointed or cocked, stone throwing and verbal abuse, the report states. In all cases, UNFICYP intervened with the military authorities on both sides to correct violations and to prevent any escalation. There was also an increase in the number of incidents in which the UNFICYP soldiers were threatened at gunpoint by soldiers of either side, and on four occasions, UNFICYP personnel came under fire. On 13 September, a Turkish soldier fired several rounds at a United Nations helicopter flying inside the buffer zone. There is an urgent need for leaders on both sides to make a serious effort to lead their communities in a more positive direction and to build trust and goodwill between the two sides, the Secretary-General says. The UNFICYP proposals to achieve that aim include early agreement on the package of measures to reduce tension along the cease-fire lines; implementation of the measures to improve the living conditions of the Greek Cypriots and Maronites living in the northern part of the island; and the removal of all impediments to the movement of people and increased contacts and communication between the two sides. The UNFICYP continued to implement its humanitarian mandate in respect of Greek Cypriots and Maronites living in the northern part of the island and Turkish Cypriots living in the southern part, the report states. The living conditions of the Greek Cypriots and the Maronites in the northern part of Cyprus have not changed in the period under review and there had been no further progress on the implementation of the recommendations arising out of the humanitarian review undertaken by UNFICYP in 1995. The Force continues to act as intermediary between the two communities and to facilitate cooperation in such areas as the repair and equitable distribution of electricity and water resources, says the Secretary-General. Should the Security Council decide to extend the mandate of UNFICYP for a further period of six months, the costs of maintaining the Force would be approximately $22.5 million. Of that amount, approximately $12.1 million would be assessed on Member States. In a report to the Council on his mission of good offices in Cyprus (document S/1996/1055), the Secretary-General says an urgent effort is required in 1997 to bring about early direct talks between the two leaders to negotiate an overall agreement. The leaders of both communities should clearly and publicly commit themselves to such a process. Preparations for direct negotiations are being intensified by the Secretariat and more intensive contacts with the leaders of the two communities and with Greece and Turkey are planned for the new year, including longer visits to Cyprus and to the area by his Special Representative. The Secretary-General calls on the Governments of Greece and Turkey to become more active in support of his mission of good offices. The leaders of both communities must give tangible indication that they are seeking an overall settlement on the basis of one country and to ensure that their words and deeds are in harmony with that objective, the report continues. Such a change in attitude cannot wait for a settlement; it must precede it and should be adopted without delay. The emphasis in their public statements and in their communications with each other must shift away from polemics and mutual accusations and towards their future relationship in a federal Cyprus. The Secretary-General states that both sides should implement goodwill measures that indicate their good intentions and help create an atmosphere of confidence. He calls on both leaders to undertake the following measures: crossing with minimal formality by members of both communities at the Ledra Palace checkpoint (for example, by only presenting identity cards); facilitating bicommunal contacts; cooperation and joint projects in areas of inter-communal concern such as the environment, water, health, education (including the elimination of biased and negative representations of each other) and the restoration of historic sites; youth and student exchanges; bicommunal sports events; elimination of provocative emblems and slogans; island-wide telephone communications; and bicommunal commercial activities and trade. Furthermore, the Secretary-General says, it is important that the UNFICYP proposals for further unmanning, the prohibition of loaded weapons and a military code of conduct along the cease-fire lines be agreed to and implemented without delay. "The current situation offers the two communities, and the region, both a warning signal and an opportunity", the Secretary-General says. The two leaders must recognize the seriousness of the moment and agree to negotiate a comprehensive settlement on the basis of mutual concessions and to facilitate that process by conveying to each other in both words and deeds a message of reconciliation. He calls upon both leaders to cooperate with his Special Representative and his Deputy Special Representative and with the governments that support his mission of good offices. According to the report, international interest in the Cyprus problem, in particular among the permanent members of the Security Council and the members of the European Union has continued to intensify. During the period under review, senior officials from France, the European Union Presidency (Ireland), the United Kingdom and the United States visited Cyprus, Greece and Turkey, to explore possible ways of bringing the positions of the two sides closer together and to seek greater support from Greece and Turkey. The missions of the European Union Presidency focused on a possible Union contribution to an overall settlement in the context of its decision to initiate accession negotiations with Cyprus, the report continues. Such a contribution would include explanation of the benefits which Union membership would bring to all Cypriots and would also address Turkish Cypriot concerns about its implications for an overall settlement of the Cyprus problem, particularly as regards bi-zonality, the Turkish guarantee and the relationship of Greece and Turkey with Cyprus. Regular consultations have taken place between the United Nations and representatives of interested Governments in Cyprus, at Headquarters and elsewhere. The report stresses that beneath the surface, the situation in Cyprus is changing, in terms both of the demographic composition of the island and of the relationship of the two communities with each other and to the outside world. Either the two communities will take control of their destiny by reaching an overall settlement on the basis that has already been agreed, or forces beyond their control will fundamentally change the situation on the island. The decision of the European Union to open accession negotiations with Cyprus and the timetable that flows from it provide an important reason for both sides to redouble their efforts, says the Secretary-General. It is in the vital interests of both communities to reach a solution before accession negotiations begin. It is widely believed that the accession by Cyprus to Union membership in a manner consistent with the agreed basis for an overall settlement would offer both communities the opportunity for enhanced prosperity and security. United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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