THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
April 1, 1998
TEXT OF A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES AND THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE
April 1, 1998
Dear Mr. Speaker; (Dear Mr. Chairman;)
In accordance with Public Law 95-384 (22 U.S.C. 2373(c)), I submit to
you this report on progress toward a negotiated settlement of the Cyprus
question covering the period December 1, 1997, to January 31, 1998. The
previous submission covered events during October to November 1997.
International efforts on the Cyprus issue slowed during this period in
anticipation of the February 1998 Cypriot Presidential election, which
President Clerides won. It was, however, an active period for
developments that affect Cyprus, including those in the area of EU-Turkish
relations. Turkey perceived the Luxembourg EU Summit as a setback to its
goal of closer integration with Europe. When I met Prime Minister Yilmaz
here in December, I urged him to remain focused on Turkey's long-term
interest in Europe.
There were negative developments on the island during this period. On
December 27, the Turkish Cypriots indefinitely suspended bicommunal
contacts between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. In January, the Greek
Cypriot National Guard assumed control of the Paphos airbase, which was
upgraded to serve as a base for fighter aircraft. We reiterated to the
Greek Cypriots our concerns about proceeding with the purchase of the
S-300 antiaircraft missiles, which present a serious obstacle to achieving
a settlement based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation.
