General Assembly

Fifty-ninth session

Agenda item 29

Question of Cyprus

Security Council

Sixtieth year

Letter dated 14 June 2005 from the Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

Upon instructions from my Government, I have the honour of bringing to Your Excellency’s attention Turkey’s new attempt to reinforce its military presence in the occupied part of Cyprus by both increasing the number of Turkish troops and upgrading their military equipment.

As evidenced by recent information, between 3 January and 31 May 2005, under the pretext of rotation, 5,850 troops of the Turkish Armed Forces arrived and were deployed in the occupied area, while only 570 troops returned to Turkey during the same period. Similarly, during the last five months, 30 M-48A5 tanks (new type), 40 M-113 armoured personnel carriers (including 10 TOW 11 M-113 mounted), and 26 pieces of artillery (towed Howitzer 203 mm M 115) were unloaded from Turkish military vessels at the occupied port of Famagusta, while merely four tanks of the same type were withdrawn. Moreover, the Turkish forces, in their consistent effort to modernize and strengthen their armament, replaced a significant number of old heavy transport military vehicles with more than twice as many modern heavy transport military vehicles (of the MANAS type) (see annex).

Turkey ’s policy of reinforcing its occupation army in the northern part of Cyprus , “one of the most densely militarized areas in the world” (S/1995/1020), constitutes a serious breach of international law but also a serious threat to national and regional peace and stability. Furthermore, such activities bespeak a tendency to escalate tension and create a climate of instability, fear and mistrust on Cyprus . This will inevitably hamper any new initiative aimed at bringing the two communities together and finding a solution based on reunification and reconciliation.

Such negative and provocative actions on the part of Ankara raise grave concerns and serious questions about Turkey ’s real intentions on Cyprus , particularly at a time when there is an overall consensus on the need to reach a common ground for the resumption of negotiations that will lead to a mutually accepted settlement. It is regrettable that Turkey ’s widely publicized “new” approach on Cyprus and Ankara ’s repeated claim to “be always a step ahead of the Greek Cypriot side” cannot be translated into action. As a matter of fact, Ankara insists on consolidating and modernizing its military presence on the island, which is bound further to deepen the de facto partition. On the contrary, the Government of Cyprus is considerably decreasing its defence budget, consistently implementing the project of demining National Guard minefields, and during the last year submitted a series of military peacebuilding measures to reduce tension.

On behalf of my Government, I strongly protest the above-cited actions and express the sincere hope that the Government of Turkey will take heed both of the call of the international community and of the will of Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots to build their common future on the basis of mutual trust, security and respect. Turkey ’s aspiration to accede to the European Union and to play a decisive role in the region should lead Ankara to reconsider its policy on Cyprus , adopt a forward-looking approach and contribute to a peaceful settlement of the Cyprus issue. In this context, let me refer specifically to Security Council resolution 1251 (1999) and its explicit call for the reduction of all troops and armaments in Cyprus as a first step towards the withdrawal of non-Cypriot forces, in order to help restore confidence between the two sides. The same resolution stresses the importance of an eventual demilitarization of the Republic of Cyprus as a major objective in the context of a comprehensive settlement.

I would be grateful if the text of this letter could be circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda item 29, and of the Security Council.

Annex to the letter dated 14 June 2005 from the Permanent Representative of Cyprus
to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General