Before proceeding
with my remarks, I wish to indicate that Cyprus, as a
member of the European Union, is represented by the
Union and fully subscribes to the statement delivered
this morning by the President of Finland on behalf of
the European Union. I should also like to express my
sincere congratulations to Ms. Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa
on her election as President of this session of the
General Assembly, and my gratitude to Mr. Jan
Eliasson, President during the sixtieth session, for his
tireless efforts during a historic year for the United
Nations. I also wish to thank the Secretary-General for
his comprehensive report on the work of the
Organization (A/61/1), highlighting the problems, the
concerns and the achievements of the United Nations
and providing guidance on the way forward. I would
like moreover to warmly welcome the Republic of
Montenegro as the 192nd Member of the United
Nations.
During the session that followed the 2005 World
Summit, implementation of the Summit Outcome
Document (resolution 60/1), and the reform process
more generally, absorbed an important part of the work
of the Organization. The establishment of the
Peacebuilding Commission and the Human Rights
Council, alongside other important achievements,
constitutes an important building block towards a
consolidated international system based on effective
multilateralism. We should, however, not lose sight of
the fact that the legitimacy and the relevance of the
reform achieved will be judged by its impact on the
lives of our peoples. In that respect, let me underline
that as a country whose priority lies with upholding the
integrity of international law and full respect for
human rights, we have a strong interest in seeing a
Human Rights Council that fulfils its mandate and
leads to human rights improvements on the ground.
There are also aspects of reform that continue to
elude us, such as Security Council reform and a
comprehensive convention against terrorism; aspects
that remain in progress, such as management reform,
mandate review and system-wide coherence; and
challenges that are increasingly more difficult to
tackle, such as disarmament and non-proliferation.
06-52737 18
In that regard, I would like to commend the
President of the General Assembly for choosing the
achievement of the development goals as the theme of
her presidency in recognition of their enduring
importance. My Government believes that concerted,
innovative multilateral action to eradicate the scourges
deriving from poverty and underdevelopment can yield
substantial results. In that connection, Cyprus has
joined France, Brazil, Chile, Norway, the United
Kingdom and other countries in deciding to introduce a
special levy on air tickets, the proceeds of which will
fund improved access to medication in developing
countries.
Regrettably, the urgent need to achieve a
comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East
manifested itself in a very dramatic manner once again
this summer. For almost four weeks, the international
community witnessed a violent crisis in Lebanon that
caused indescribable suffering, devastation and a
deplorably high number of casualties among civilians.
We offer our sympathy and concern to the
Governments of Lebanon and Israel and to the families
of all those affected.
Firmly convinced that there is no military
solution to such crises, Cyprus, from the very first
moment of the outbreak of violence, supported the
calls for an immediate ceasefire and joined in the effort
to provide assistance both to the Lebanese people and
to the evacuees. Unfortunately, it took almost a month
for the Security Council to discharge its
responsibilities effectively towards the peoples of the
region, causing disappointment and frustration. In our
search for United Nations-centred, effective
multilateralism, the lessons learned from that crisis
should be a strong guiding force. We hope that the
expanded United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, to
whose deployment, operations and support Cyprus has
undertaken to contribute, will be effective in
preventing future eruptions of violence.
In parallel to the Lebanese crisis, the world
continues to witness the deterioration of the situation
in the occupied Palestinian territories, with a heavy
civilian toll and worsening humanitarian conditions. A
year after the positive prospects created by Israeli
disengagement from Gaza, the current crises serve as a
reminder of the urgent need for a new strategy that
would lead to a comprehensive and lasting settlement
of all facets of the Middle East question on the basis of
relevant United Nations resolutions. In that respect, it
is imperative to urgently revert to the implementation
of international agreements, including the road map,
providing for the creation of a viable Palestinian State
that will peacefully coexist side by side with Israel
within agreed borders.
Let me now turn to the Cyprus problem — a
problem of the invasion and continuing occupation by
Turkish military forces of 37 per cent of the territory of
my country for more than 32 years now. Mistaken by
some for a protracted conflict, the Cyprus problem
essentially epitomizes the inability of the international
community to redress this set of massive violations of
international legality. The status quo remains
unchanged and the humanitarian and human rights
consequences of the forcible division of the island and
its people persist. The efforts to establish a separate
political and legal entity within the occupied area of
Cyprus by the occupying Power remain undiminished.
Only with respect to investigating the fate of persons
missing since the invasion and establishing the
circumstances of their disappearance have we recently
witnessed some encouraging developments.
In the political field, we have continued to exert
efforts on two key axes, coming closer to a negotiating
process that would guarantee a peaceful settlement,
alleviate the consequences of the invasion and bring
about the reunification of Cyprus, its territory, people,
society, economy and institutions in a bizonal,
bicommunal federation.
The political agenda of projecting a separate
political entity in Cyprus has been pursued in recent
years under the pretext of a campaign to lift the so-
called isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community.
However, with the annual per capita income in the
occupied areas of Cyprus currently standing at
approximately $11,000, it is evident that the argument
for economic development is being exploited for
political reasons and is a manifestly unsubstantiated
allegation. A recent example of that pattern of
behaviour is the refusal of the Turkish side to consider
our proposal to increase trading activity by reopening
the port of Famagusta for exports to other States
members of the European Union, in cooperation with
the European Commission, following the return of the
now fenced-off and derelict city of Famagusta to its
lawful inhabitants under the control of the Cyprus
Government.
19 06-52737
The Greek Cypriots remain committed to
reunification through a functional bizonal, bicommunal
federation. The failure of the most recent initiative did
not alter our commitment or our willingness to work
resolutely towards the reunification of our country. The
proposed plan was not accepted precisely because it
did not provide for the reunification of our divided
country or address core issues and key concerns in a
satisfactory manner. The search for a settlement firmly
remains for us in the United Nations framework, within
the context of the good offices mission mandated to the
Secretary-General by the Security Council.
I would now like to turn briefly to developments
of a political nature that have taken place over the past
few months and to our attempts during that time to
create the right conditions for the resumption of
meaningful negotiations in the framework of the good
offices mission of the Secretary-General for a viable
settlement of the Cyprus problem. To that end, I wish
to emphasize our concurrence with the opinion of the
Secretary-General that good and careful preparation of
any negotiating process is necessary before full-
fledged negotiations can take place. It was thus agreed
that bicommunal discussions at the technical level
would commence to address substantive aspects of the
Cyprus problem, as well as issues that affect the
everyday life of all Cypriots as long as the status quo
persists — a process that could be complemented by
parallel confidence-building. This expert-level process
is a sine qua non for the preparation of issues and their
presentation to the leaders of the two communities for
the purpose of meaningful negotiation. The method of
initiating these technical discussions was agreed to by
the two communities during the recent visit to Cyprus
of Under-Secretary-General Gambari. Here, I wish to
express my sincere gratitude and appreciation for the
good offices of Mr. Gambari, as well as for the
continuing efforts of the Secretary-General’s Special
Representative, Mr. Michael Møller.
Addressing these core issues — which must be
settled satisfactorily if there is to be a feasible
solution — should facilitate the attainment of the
broader objectives of a settlement, which should be
based on international law, the relevant United Nations
resolutions, the high-level agreements, the European
Union acquis and the relevant decisions of the
European Court of Human Rights. That entails
establishing a bicommunal and bizonal federal State of
Cyprus with a single sovereignty and international
personality and with a single citizenship. It must also
guarantee the independence and territorial integrity of
Cyprus, without any foreign troops on its soil and
without the possibility of foreign intervention. A
settlement must aim, through a rational approach and a
common vision of the future, to preserve and uphold
the character of the State as a working democracy and
to ensure the reunification of society and the
convergence of allegiances to common institutions.
Ethnic origin, political equality as defined in the
relevant United Nations resolutions, and cultural and
religious diversity should be safeguarded, but not at the
expense of the fundamental rights of citizens and the
functionality and efficiency of State institutions.
We had hoped that by now, Turkey’s course of
accession to the European Union would have had a
catalytic effect, producing the necessary political will
on the part of Turkey and changing its perception of
Cyprus from that of an adversary to that of a partner, a
valuable neighbour and a potential ally in the European
Union. Such a change in attitude would render
completely anachronistic those considerations that
have led the country to maintain its occupation army in
Cyprus and that fuel its confrontational approach.
We continue to expect Turkey to at least proceed
with the implementation of its legally binding
obligations vis-à-vis the European Union. This is a
unique opportunity for Turkey to prove its willingness
to turn the page by meeting obligations that it
undertook years ago. Unfortunately, it has so far
persistently refused to comply with them. Instead, our
generous attitude towards Turkey’s accession to the
European Union has met with a blockade against my
country in its bid to join several international and
regional organizations and with Turkey’s refusal to
open its ports and airports to Cypriot vessels, as
required.
We still believe that in our relations with Turkey,
there is only one way forward: creating a future of
peace and cooperation, building bridges and mutual
understanding, normalizing our relations and working
hand in hand to achieve the goals of the European
Union in our region. That would also enable us to
address all outstanding issues to the benefit of all —
especially the Turkish Cypriot community, which
would have major opportunities to thrive and flourish
if Turkey were to accept and acknowledge that it has
no vested interests in Cyprus and must therefore
relinquish all forms of interference in my country’s
06-52737 20
affairs. Once again, I invite Turkey to recognize that
there is no room for military doctrines with regard to
Cyprus and to join us in seeking a lasting solution for
the benefit of all Cypriots — Greek and Turkish
Cypriots alike — of Turkey and of our entire region.