I congratulate
Mr. Joseph Deiss on his assumption of the presidency
of the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session.
It is commonly acknowledged that the
international community faces challenges that are
multiplying in scope and magnitude. This raises a
question about whether our ability to respond to these
challenges grows in tandem. We have recently
witnessed climatic and natural disasters on a scale
never experienced in recent history, such as the floods
in Pakistan, the fires in Russia, the earthquake in Haiti
and the landslides in China.
Environmental degradation and climate change;
rising poverty, food insecurity and the lack of basic
health care for so many of our fellow human beings in
a world with deep social disparities; terrorism; the
visible threat of nuclear proliferation, especially in the
Middle East; and the continuing economic crisis of the
past few years, which has primarily affected millions
of working people and the poor, require effective
regional and global action through the United Nations
and other multilateral organizations.
21 10-54959
Turning our attention to my own neighbourhood,
the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, I
would like to welcome the relaunching of negotiations
between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and to
express hope for a successful outcome. We all know
that it is a difficult task, but there is no alternative to
dialogue. We express the hope that no unilateral
measure will be taken that would create more obstacles
to the negotiations to reach an agreement. The solution
should lead to the creation of an independent and
sovereign Palestinian State living side by side with the
State of Israel.
Cyprus, together with Greece, has proposed the
creation of a humanitarian sea corridor to the people of
Gaza, utilizing our proximity to the area and our good
relations with all sides.
This year, Cyprus is celebrating the fiftieth year
since the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus and
its participation as a full Member of the United
Nations. The Republic of Cyprus became a Member of
the Organization as soon as it gained its independence
in the hope and with the aspiration of contributing to
the work of the Organization and playing a
constructive role in international affairs through the
promotion of the implementation of the principles of
the Charter of the United Nations. With its unique
geographic position at the crossroads of three
continents, Cyprus held the noble goal of serving as a
bridge for peace and cooperation in its neighbourhood
and beyond.
Having gained its independence at a difficult
period in world politics, Cyprus took a clear and
conscious decision to join the Non-Aligned Movement.
As a founding member of the Movement, Cyprus
played an active role in the work of the United Nations
and in resolving international problems. We have
always held the view that problems cannot be resolved
through military confrontation but must be solved
through dialogue, diplomacy and respect for the
territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of
all countries and peoples, whether great or small, rich
or poor.
In 2004, the Republic of Cyprus joined the
European Union (EU) as a full member. Proud of its
traditions, Cyprus preserves its neutrality and seeks to
play an active and constructive role as an EU member
State.
After Cyprus won independence in 1960, the road
for Cypriots has not, unfortunately, been without
problems. Despite many difficulties and misfortunes,
we have managed to achieve economic growth and a
satisfactory standard of living for our people. In the
political field, however, the first years of independence
were marked by difficulties and a lack of the necessary
political cooperation between the two communities of
the island, which were called to govern the country
together under the Constitution. Those early
differences and difficulties were exacerbated by
foreign interference. The culmination of these
interventions was the military coup of the junta that
ruled Greece at the time, and the illegal Turkish
invasion of July-August 1974. The military occupation
by the Turkish Army of 37 per cent of the territory of
the Republic of Cyprus continues today, as does the
violation of the human rights of all Cypriot citizens,
Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
The people of Cyprus have suffered enough. It is
time to overcome the problems, to achieve
reconciliation between the two communities and to
reunite our country and our people for the sake of
peace and future generations.
The General Assembly and Security Council have
been addressing the Cyprus problem since the 1960s. A
number of resolutions have been adopted by both the
Security Council and the General Assembly aimed at
safeguarding the independence, territorial integrity,
sovereignty and unity of the Republic of Cyprus. I take
this opportunity to express the appreciation of the
people of Cyprus to the Secretary-General, the Security
Council and the United Nations as a whole for their
continued and unwavering interest in Cyprus.
In 1977, Archbishop Makarios, the President of
Cyprus at the time, accepted the evolution of the
unitary State into a bicommunal, bizonal federation.
That historic compromise was a brave concession by
the Greek Cypriot community towards their Turkish
Cypriot compatriots. It sought to bring an end to the
foreign occupation and to restore the unity of the
Republic of Cyprus. The composition of the population
and the human geography of Cyprus were such that
conditions for a federation did not exist. The two
communities lived intermingled throughout the island.
It is for that reason that the acceptance of the
bicommunal, bizonal federation by the Greek Cypriots
constituted a historic compromise and a concession
towards our Turkish Cypriot compatriots.
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After 1977, the Security Council through its
resolutions endorsed the evolution of the Republic of
Cyprus into a bicommunal, bizonal federation with
political equality, defined not as numerical equality but
as the effective participation of both communities in all
organs of Government. The united federal State would
be one, with a single sovereignty, a single citizenship
and a single international personality. The federal State
would respect fundamental human rights and basic
freedoms in accordance with Security Council
resolutions. The principles and values of the European
Union would also be observed.
Since my election in 2008, I have actively
engaged with the leadership of the Turkish Cypriot
community in a Cypriot-owned process within the
framework of the Good Offices Mission of the
Secretary-General in order to reach a mutually
acceptable agreed solution on the constitutional and
other internal aspects of the problem. Two years into
the process and despite the difficulties, some progress,
although not as much as anticipated, has been achieved
on certain issues. At the outset of this process, we
agreed with the Secretary-General that there would be
no artificial deadlines or outside intervention in the
form of arbitration or the submission of ready-made
solutions.
With the new leader of the Turkish Cypriot
community, we worked through the summer and, in the
past few weeks, have further intensified our meetings.
In order to achieve results soon, I have submitted a
package consisting of three proposals. First, I have
suggested linking the negotiation of the chapters of
property, territorial adjustments and settlers in order to
give impetus to the process. I have also proposed that
when we are close to reaching an agreement on the
internal aspects of the problem, we could hold an
international conference under the auspices of the
Secretary-General and with the participation of the
permanent members of the Security Council, the
guarantor Powers, the European Union, the Republic of
Cyprus and the two communities to discuss the
international aspects of the problem.
The third element of my proposal concerns
Famagusta. My series of proposals would benefit all
sides and could create the necessary political climate to
drive the entire process forward. Unfortunately, the
new Turkish Cypriot leader and the Turkish leadership
have rejected these proposals.
I would like to make a special reference here to
our proposal on Famagusta. In 1974, Famagusta was a
city with a population of both Greek and Turkish
Cypriots. As the Turkish Army advanced towards the
city, the Greek Cypriot population was forced to flee.
The town of Varosha has been a ghost town ever since.
The Security Council considers the Government of
Turkey responsible for the area, and in 1984, under
resolution 550 (1984), demanded the return of the town
to the United Nations in order that it might be
inhabited by its legal inhabitants. Even before the
adoption of resolution 550 (1984), the leaders of the
two communities had agreed in 1979 to settle the issue
of Famagusta as a matter of priority, notwithstanding
any political negotiations on other issues.
My proposal, if accepted, would have benefits for
all sides. In addition to the return of the fenced city to
rightful inhabitants under United Nations control, my
proposal includes the restoration of the medieval part
of the city where our Turkish Cypriot compatriots live,
as well as the opening of the port of Famagusta to
external trade under EU supervision — a measure
directly aimed at benefiting the Turkish Cypriots. Such
a development would also benefit Turkey’s accession
negotiations with the EU and provide an excellent
example of harmonious coexistence and cooperation
between the two communities. From this rostrum, I
would also like to propose that the National Guard and
the Turkish Army again cancel their annual military
exercises this autumn.
Turkey’s leadership has assured the international
community that it wants a solution of the problem by
end of 2010. We are still waiting for its words to be
transformed into action. The same expectation was
repeatedly voiced by the European Council and in a
recent resolution of the European Parliament. The
European Union calls on Turkey to work on the basis
of United Nations resolutions and to meet its
obligations towards the European Union and the
Republic of Cyprus, which Turkey still fails to
recognize.
Turkey must respect the independence and
territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus and
contribute to the achievement of an agreement that
would reunite Cyprus and its people. Our vision is of a
reunited Cyprus, common homeland of Greek and
Turkish Cypriots, without any foreign troops or settlers
on its territory and with full respect for the human
rights and fundamental freedoms of all its people:
23 10-54959
Greek and Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians and
Latins. I would like to reiterate my commitment to
doing my utmost to that end.
From this rostrum, I repeat my call on the Turkish
leadership to meet with me, in parallel to the
negotiating process, so that I can share with them my
vision for a solution of the Cyprus problem, which
would serve the interests of the Cypriots, Turkey and
Greece, as well as of peace and security in the region.
The challenges faced by the international
community are increasing. Climate change, poverty,
malnutrition and lack of access to basic health care,
terrorism, wars, the threat of further nuclear
proliferation and nuclear terrorism, the economic crisis
and political instability in many regions of the world
require us to undertake a renewed and more effective
effort to protect humankind’s achievements. The future
is in our hands. We will succeed only if we achieve a
more just distribution and better redistribution of the
world’s natural resources and wealth.