CHANGES
IN THE UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN CYPRUS
1
February, 2005
According
to a Cyprus News Agency report, the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus
(UNFICYP) underwent expected changes in force level on the 31st of
January, as part of restructuring decided upon by the UN Security Council last
October.
According
to UNFICYP Spokesman Brian Kelly “the reason that there has been such movement
of troops in the last couple of days and over the last month is that we are at
the point in the peacekeeping annual schedule when rotations take place” he
added that “it is a rotation with a difference, meaning those leaving will not
be replaced as part of that downsizing. By the end of January UNFICYP's military
strength will be reduced from 1,230 to around 900 en route to the 860 target
which will be reached by late March-early April.”
Last
October the UN Secretary General had stated that after a review of UNFICYP had
been undertaken, the
Cyprus
peacekeeping force would be reduced by a third from the current level of 1,230,
but retain its original mandate of maintaining order and preventing a recurrence
of fighting. These troop reductions will be shared equally between each of the
contributing countries, with all of the main contingents being cut by around 30
percent.
As
part of these cutbacks, UNFICYP is to abandon fixed observation posts and camps
in favor of mobile units and helicopter patrols. This new concept of UNFICYP
operations named by the Secretary General “Concentration with Mobility”,
falls within the scope of rationalizing peacekeeping operations by utilizing all
available resources, while also making better use of technology.
As
UNFICYP Chief of
Mission
, Mr Zbigniew Wlosowicz, said in
New York
during the deliberations of the Security Council on the review of UNFICYP
“what is being proposed in the report is a decrease in our military component
by 30% which makes 860 down from 1230 and a slight increase in civilian
political component. We make sure though that whatever is done to UNFICYP or
changing UNFICYP will not jeopardize its capacity to be effective.”
On
his part, Ambassador Andreas Mavroyiannis, the Permanent Representative of
Cyprus
to the UN responding to the changes to the UNFICYP force noted that “For as
long as the Turkish occupation of
Cyprus
persists, the potential risk to security remains unchanged and renders
necessary the continuation of the mandate of the UN peacekeeping operation in
Cyprus
. We take note of the assessment of the Secretary-General that the security
situation on the island has become increasingly benign, but we also have to keep
in mind that it is of the utmost importance to safeguard and sustain this
improved climate, which is necessary for the successful outcome of any future
effort for the solution of the
Cyprus
problem. The role of UNFICYP in achieving this goal is particularly important
and the success of this Force, as of any other peacekeeping operation for that
matter, can only be measured by its contribution to making its ‘raison d’
etre’ void.” He also pointed out that any review on UNFICYP should be
carried out in accordance with objective criteria, based on the situation on the
ground.
UNFICYP
was first deployed in 1964. The governments of
Cyprus
and
Greece
voluntarily contribute over half of the cost of the force. Turkish troops have
occupied 37% of the territory of the
Republic
of
Cyprus
since 1974 in violation of numerous UN resolutions calling for their immediate
withdrawal.
* * * * *
Back