EMBASSY OF CYPRUS, WASHINGTON DC
GROUNDWORK BEING PREPARED FOR DIRECT TALKS IN 1997
In recent weeks international efforts spearheaded by the United
States and Great Britain have aimed at preparing the groundwork for a
resumption of direct talks next year, talks that will hopefully lead
to a comprehensive Cyprus settlement. Concurrent with this effort,
U.N. officials, with the support of the permanent Security Council
members, are hosting military talks between the commanders of
Turkey's occupation troops and the Cyprus National Guard, in an
attempt to defuse tensions tensions resulting from a series of recent
Turkish provocations, including the murder of four unarmed Greek
Cypriot civilians along the cease-fire line.
Rifkind: Effort to Seek Comprehensive Settlement Next Year
From December 16-17 British Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind will
hold a series of discussions with Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides
and other leaders on Cyprus to "focus on the prospects for achieving
a comprehensive negotiated settlement of the Cyprus problem in 1997,
before E.U. accession negotiations begin," according to a British
Foreign Office announcement on December 6. In a meeting with Turkish
Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller on December 6, Rifkind told Ciller that
"every effort should be made" to reach a solution next year. The
Foreign Secretary stressed "the need for an equitable solution to be
reached on Cyprus. Such a solution will be to the benefit of all
sides concerned, including Turkey," a foreign office spokesman said.
Rifkind's visit follows a visit to Cyprus by a U.S. delegation headed
by the State Department's Director for Southern European Affairs,
Carey Cavanaugh. The visit was "to reinforce the commitment of the
U.S. Administration to working on pursuing a comprehensive settlement
of Cyprus and to make clear that the engagement will continue to be
very active in the months ahead," Cavanaugh said on November 13.
After meeting with President Clerides on November 14 he said "we
looked both at efforts that can be made to working on a comprehensive
settlement and also to improve efforts that can be made in the near
future to decrease tension on the ground.'' Cavanaugh added that
taking concrete steps to reduce military tensions "will provide not
only a greater sense of security but actual security on the island,
and that is important." The Cyprus President and U.S. officials also
discussed security as part of a comprehensive settlement, including
Clerides' proposal for the complete demilitarization of Cyprus and
the creation of a multinational force to be stationed on the island.
Despite the refusal of the Turkish side to discuss it, Clerides
continues to garner international interest in his demilitarization
proposal. Addressing the Organization for Security and Co-operation
in Europe (OSCE) summit meeting in Lisbon on December 3, he said that
demilitarization would "go a long way towards diffusing a constant
threat not only to the security of Cyprus, but also to the stability
of the region." The OSCE, he continued, could play an important role
in implementation of the proposal. Turkey's continuing occupation,
Clerides also told the summit, is contrary to the OSCE's Code of
Conduct stipulating that no member state can station armed forces on
the territory of another state without its approval. "Still worse,"
he added, "Turkey has continued to increase and upgrade its military
forces in the occupied part of Cyprus, to the extent that the U.N.
Secretary-General felt obliged to state . . . that the northern part
of the island is one of the most densely militarized areas of the
world." On the sidelines of the OSCE summit in Lisbon, President
Clerides and Foreign Minister Alecos Michaelides continued
discussions with Cavanaugh on ideas to reduce tensions on Cyprus,
including a proposal to suspend overflights by military aircraft from
Greece and Turkey. Cavanaugh separately presented the proposal to
Turkish government officials. Following discussions with Greek
government officials, Clerides told Cavanaugh that the Cyprus
government's main concern was about "when the U.S. initiative [for a
comprehensive settlement] would begin and about seeing the U.S.
initiative proceed," Clerides said on December 5, adding that "our
basic aim is to work on the substance of the Cyprus problem." State
Department spokesman Nicholas Burns confirmed on December 4 that
Cavanaugh "discussed a variety of measures aimed at reducing
political tensions and the potential for violence on Cyprus." He
added that the U.S. believes that these kinds of measures "would be
particularly conducive to helping build an atmosphere that would
facilitate movement toward some kind of comprehensive settlement of
the problems on Cyprus."
Turkish Demands Prevent Further Talks
The Cyprus government made clear that it was interested in measures
to reduce tensions and promote the success of direct talks, but it
also expressed deep concern over the Turkish demand to unilaterally
abrogate an agreement on overflights, and Clerides said that talks on
such a proposal could not continue without the Turkish government
providing clear assurances that it had withdrawn this demand. State
Department spokesman Nicholas Burns confirmed on December 5 that
Cavanaugh was unable "to conclude an agreement on steps to reduce
political tensions." Returning from Lisbon, President Clerides said
on December 6 that "we cannot consent to an agreement which would ban
flights by Turkish aircraft on one hand but on the other would give
Turkey the right to pull out of such an agreement and strike us."
Greek aircraft overfly Cyprus as part of the military cooperation
between the two countries in view of the continuing military threat
by Turkey, while Turkish planes overfly the island without Cyprus
government permission as part of a series of continuing military
provocations.
EUROPEAN UNION INTENSIFIES SUPPORT FOR CYPRUS
With the date for the
Economy Meets Convergence Criteria
The Cyprus economy continues to be a strong factor favoring Cyprus'
early accession to the Union. Cyprus is the only E.U.
applicant-country fully achieving the Maastricht criteria for
economic and monetary convergence, European Commission President
Jacques Santer said in Vienna on November 1. Praise for Cyprus'
economic vitality was also expressed in Nicosia on November 4 by the
chairman of the European Parliament's External Economic Relations
Committee, Willy de Clercq. Noting that Cyprus' economy was "very
prosperous" de Clercq said it met the Maastricht criteria,
particularly in the areas of inflation, monetary stability, interest
rate, and government debt. "Even if the island were not reunited,
the people of Cyprus that wish to join the E.U. should be given
this opportunity," the Euro-parliamentarian said, affirming the
Union's position that Cyprus can join the E.U. prior to a
comprehensive settlement. E.U. support for Cyprus is based on the
fact that "the status quo in Cyprus is not acceptable and causes
suffering to the population," Ireland's Deputy Permanent
Representative told the U.N. General Assembly's third committee on
November 18, speaking on behalf of the E.U. Presidency. Stressing
E.U. support for the "full respect of the human rights and
fundamental freedoms of all Cypriots," he also emphasized that the
"E.U. strongly deplores the recent violence in Cyprus and the
disproportionate use of lethal force by the forces in the north of
the island against unarmed civilians."
"U.D.I." CONDEMNED AMID CALLS FOR REUNIFICATION OF CYPRUS
On November
Turkish Jets Violate Cypriot Airspace In November, Turkey responded
to continuing calls for a reunified Cyprus by conducting a
provocative series of military exercises over Cyprus. Turkish
military aircraft repeatedly violated Cyprus' airspace, landing in an
airport in the occupied area, conducting a mock attack on a village,
and dropping parachutists into the occupied part of the island. The
government protested these violations to the U.N. Secretary-General
and to the permanent Security Council members, emphasizing that they
constitute further proof that Turkey lacks the political will to
reach a settlement.
AMBASSADOR JACOVIDES TO RETIRE
Ambassador Andrew J. Jacovides next
IN BRIEF . . .
Cyprus ratified the Council of Europe's convention on
laundering, seizure and confiscation of the proceeds from crime on
November 15. The convention, which aims at improving international
cooperation in the fight against organized crime, is meant to prevent
the laundering of the proceeds from terrorism, drug trafficking and
illegal weapons sales. Cyprus also recently signed a Council of
Europe convention ensuring foreign nationals freedom of expression,
assembly and association.
On November 22 the Cyprus government issued six arrest warrants for
individuals four illegal Turkish settlers and two Turkish Cypriots
involved in the murder of Anastasios Isaac, an unarmed Greek Cypriot
civilian killed on August 11 in the U.N. buffer zone. Trapped in
barbed wire as he was attempting to flee, Isaac was savagely beaten
to death with stones and iron bars by Turkish extremists. Interpol
has been asked to help apprehend the suspects and Attorney General
Alecos Markides said the investigators were continuing to identify
others involved in the murder. On October 30, the Cyprus police
issued arrest warrants for five persons in connection with the murder
of Greek Cypriot civilian Solomos Solomou, who was shot and killed in
the U.N. buffer zone on August 14.
December 6, 1996
Embassy of Cyprus
Press & Information Office
2211 R Street NW
Washington DC 20008
(202) 232-8993
(202) 234-1936 Fax
start of negotiations for Cyprus' accession to the European Union
approaching, the E.U. is intensifying support for efforts to resume
direct Cyprus talks. "The basis on which the E.U. would like to give
all possible assistance to this process is on the understanding that
the direct negotiations will lead to an internal settlement in
Cyprus," E.U. Presidency Representative for Cyprus Kester Heaslip
said in Nicosia on December 3, following a series of meetings with
Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides and other Cypriot officials.
Heaslip, who is expected to submit a report on the results of his
contacts in Cyprus to the E.U. Council of Ministers summit in Dublin
later this month, added that a successful conclusion to direct talks
"will make it possible for a federal, bizonal, bicommunal Cyprus to
negotiate with the E.U., and that these negotiations will certainly
begin at the end of 1997 or beginning of 1998." The E.U.
representative said that in the year before the start of negotiations
the E.U. member-states "trust, hope and pray the parties in Cyprus
will be able to reach a successful conclusion to the negotiations."
Referring to the numerous visits to Cyprus recently by European
officials, Heaslip said they are a "sign of the interest that the
E.U. is taking in Cyprus and our concern that the . . . peace
process, which has quickened recently, will be maintained,
strengthened and quickened further." The Cyprus government believes
that E.U. accession is integral to efforts to reach an overall
settlement and that E.U. member-states can play an important role in
working to break the current deadlock. "We call on our European
partners to contribute to the resolution of the problem because,
though seeking E.U. accession, our primary concern is to settle the
Cyprus question," Foreign Minister Alecos Michaelides said on
November 29. E.U. accession is "a leverage for a Cyprus solution," he
continued, and criticized statements implying that the Cyprus problem
must be solved prior to accession. "Any statement designed to cast
doubt on the conclusion of Cyprus' accession process hampers the
peace effort for a settlement and the role which this process can
play." Such a view prevents E.U. accession from serving as a catalyst
for an overall settlement and encourages Turkish intransigence,
Cyprus Government spokesman Yiannakis Cassoulides said on November 4,
adding that "those who tell the Turkish side that Cyprus will not
join the E.U. if a Cyprus solution is not found are doing the worst
service to efforts towards this goal."
15 thousands of Cypriots throughout the free areas of the Republic
protested the 13th anniversary of the "unilateral declaration of
independence" (U.D.I.) of the Turkish-occupied area and demanded an
end to Turkey's military occupation of 37% of Cyprus and the
withdrawal of illegal settlers from the occupied area. In a message
denouncing this secessionist act, Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides
said the people of Cyprus placed great hope that a new international
initiative, expected early next year, will finally achieve a Cyprus
breakthrough. The government is preparing to respond with
"imagination and responsibility to the new initiative," Clerides
said, but "it is not enough that our side alone desires a solution .
. . the Turkish side should also genuinely want it." He called on the
international community to ensure that once direct negotiations begin
the Turkish side will demonstrate the political will for progress to
be achieved. Clerides concluded by expressing the hope that next
year "we may celebrate the reunification of Cyprus, currently the
only divided country in Europe." After the issuance of the "U.D.I."
in 1983, the U.N. Security Council adopted resolution 541 on November
18, 1983 declaring any secessionist attempts "legally invalid" and
calling on "all states to respect the sovereignty, independence,
territorial integrity, and non-alignment of the Republic of Cyprus
[and] not to recognize any Cypriot state other than the Republic of
Cyprus."
week completes his second tour of duty as Ambassador of Cyprus in
Washington and, having reached the compulsory retirement age, he will
retire from the Cyprus foreign service at the end of this month. The
most senior Cypriot Ambassador serving abroad, Mr. Jacovides has been
a member of the foreign service since Cyprus became an independent
state in 1960. After retirement he intends to remain active in
public affairs.
From Washington, Mr. Jacovides served also as non-resident Ambassador
of Cyprus to
Brazil, as well as non-resident High Commissioner to Canada, Guyana,
the Bahamas, Jamaica and Barbados. Before returning to Washington in
September 1993, Ambassador Jacovides served as Permanent
Representative of Cyprus to the U.N., as Ambassador to Germany, and
as Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Ministry in Nicosia, after a
ten-year (1979-1989) assignment in Washington, where he was also
briefly the Dean of the diplomatic corps. Reflecting on his service
in Washington, Mr. Jacovides noted that "it has been a pleasant duty,
an honor but also a heavy responsibility to represent Cyprus in the
U.S. I believe I have done my utmost towards strengthening the
mutually beneficial excellent relationship between the U.S. and
Cyprus." The Ambassador noted, however, that he is also leaving with
a sense of disappointment because the efforts to end the division of
Cyprus, imposed by force of arms by Turkey since 1974, have yet to
succeed. But, he added, "I am encouraged by the commitment of
President Clinton and his Administration to press for a just and
lasting solution to the Cyprus problem," noting that strong U.S.
leadership can be crucial in bringing about a successful resolution.
"I am pleased," the Ambassador underlined, "that the efforts to end
the division of Cyprus enjoy strong bipartisan support in the U.S."
Mr. Jacovides will be succeeded as Ambassador of Cyprus to the United
States on December 12 by Mr. Andros A. Nicolaides, current serving as
Ambassador to Germany.