[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 1 (Monday, January 11, 1993)]
[Pages 16-17]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
<R04>
Letter to Congressional Leaders Reporting on the Cyprus Conflict
January 5, 1993
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. Chairman:)
In accordance with Public Law 95-384 (22 U.S.C. 2373(c)), I am
submitting to you this bimonthly report on progress toward a negotiated
settlement of the Cyprus question. This report covers the months of
September and October and, for the sake of continuity and completeness,
the first 12 days of November 1992. Also, included with this report are
the U.N. Secretary General's report on the October-November negotiating
round and U.N. Security Council Resolution 789, which endorsed that
report, both of which were issued in the latter half of November 1992.
Most of the September-October reporting period was taken up with
preparations for the resumption of U.N.-sponsored Cyprus negotiations
scheduled for October 26. During the second and third weeks of
September, Ambassador Nelson Ledsky made his last trip to Cyprus,
Greece, and Turkey before retiring September 30 and relinquishing his
position as Special Cyprus Coordinator to Ambassador John Maresca.
During his visit to the area, Ambassador Ledsky discussed the status and
future of the negotiations with President Vassiliou of Cyprus, Turkish
Cypriot Leader Rauf Denktash, Prime Minister Demirel of Turkey, and
Prime Minister Mitsotakis of Greece.
During the third week of September, the first week of the 1992
Session of the United Nations General Assembly, then Acting Secretary of
State Lawrence Eagleburger met in New York with President Vassiliou,
Greek Foreign Minister Papakonstantinou, and Turkish Foreign Minister
Cetin. Ambassador Ledsky, accompanied by his designated successor,
Ambassador John Maresca, had additional separate meetings with President
Vassiliou, Foreign Ministers Papakonstan- tinou and Cetin, and
representatives of the Turkish Cypriot community.
Ambassador Maresca traveled to Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey during the
second and third weeks of October to do more preparatory work for the
talks in New York that were scheduled to resume on October 26. During
the same period, the U.N. Secretary General's representatives traveled
to Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey to prepare for the talks.
Face-to-face meetings between President Vassiliou and Mr. Denktash
under the chairmanship of the U.N. Secretary General resumed on October
28 in New York, a 2-day delay having been caused by problems related to
the way titles of the two leaders were listed in the U.N. Secretariat
daily agenda. Between October 28 and November 11, there were 10 joint
meetings, during which the Secretary General recorded in detail the
positions of the two parties on the U.N. ``set of ideas'' for a
framework for a Cyprus settlement. (A copy of the ``set of ideas'' was
appended to the Secretary General's report of August 21, 1992, which was
provided with my last letter on this subject.)
Having noted the positions of the parties, the Secretary General
prepared a ``non-paper'' setting out the essential elements of the
positions of both sides, along with relevant parts of the ``set of
ideas'' and U.N. resolutions. Both sides confirmed that their respective
positions were accurately reflected in the Secretary General's ``non-
paper.''
The Secretary General's report to the Security Council of November
19, 1992, on his good offices mission in Cyprus, which is attached, went
into some detail on the positions of the two parties, and noted that in
some areas the Turkish Cypriot side deviated from the U.N. ``set of
ideas.'' The Secretary General also noted that, although the Greek
Cypriot side declared it accepted provisions of the ``set of ideas,''
such declarations were frequently accompanied by provisos. He stated
that these questions should be cleared up
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in a manner that does not deviate from the ``set of ideas.''
The Secretary General, in paragraph 59 of his report, indicated that
intensive efforts had failed to produce an overall agreement, and he
concluded that the lack of political will mentioned in his previous
report ``continues to block the conclusion of an agreement that is
otherwise within reach.'' He noted in the following paragraph that the
Security Council had asked in its Resolution 774 (provided with my last
letter) that, should an agreement not be reached, the Secretary General
should recommend alternative courses of action to resolve the Cyprus
problem. Subsequent paragraphs outline his proposals, including a number
of measures to help create a new climate of confidence between the two
parties, which would contribute to the success of the negotiating
process. These confidence-building measures are outlined in paragraph 63
of the Secretary General's report.
On November 25, the U.N. Security Council adopted its Resolution
789, which endorsed the U.N. Secretary General's report of November 19,
and urged both sides to commit themselves to the Secretary General's
series of confidence-building measures, including initiating a
significant reduction of foreign troops and defense spending on the
island.
I am happy to note that, before departing New York in November, the
parties agreed to resume their face-to-face negotiations in March 1993,
which will be after the presidential elections in the Republic of Cyprus
scheduled for February 7, 1993. We would have preferred, of course, that
the October-November round of negotiations would have proceeded beyond
the point of defining positions and differences and would have entered
the phase of bridging gaps between the positions of the parties and the
U.N. ``set of ideas,'' including the Secretary General's map, which
remains the basis for negotiations for a fair and permanent resolution
that would benefit all Cypriots.
I continue to believe and to agree with the statement in Security
Council Resolution 789 that the present status quo is not acceptable. An
overall agreement in line with the U.N. ``set of ideas'' should be
achieved without further delay. I also urge all concerned to commit
themselves to the implementation of the confidence-building measures set
out in Resolution 789 and to come to the next round of talks prepared to
make the difficult decisions that will bring about a speedy agreement.
Sincerely,
George Bush
Note: Identical letters were sent to Thomas S. Foley, Speaker of the
House of Representatives, and Claiborne Pell, Chairman of the Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations.