Statement by the Government Spokesman Mr Stefanos Stefanou on Security Council Resolution 1930 (2010) on the renewal of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, and Turkey´s reaction to it
"The Government of the Republic of Cyprus expresses its satisfaction with Security Council Resolution 1930(2010) with which the mandate of UNFICYP in Cyprus is extended for a further period of six months.
The resolution is balanced. It is important that it reconfirms the agreed basis of solution on which the direct negotiations are conducted between the leaders of the two communities of Cyprus for finding a comprehensive settlement based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, as this is defined in the relevant Security Council resolutions. The solution must be a mutually agreed solution and put for approval before the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots at simultaneous referenda.
The basis of negotiation is described in resolution 1251 (1999), in which the Security Council expresses its commitment at the purview of the adopted resolution. In resolution 1251 the position recorded is that “a solution to the Cyprus problem must be based on a state of Cyprus with a single and only sovereignty and international personality and a single citizenship, with its independence and territorial integrity safeguarded, and comprising two politically equal communities as described in the relevant Security
Council resolutions in a bizonal, bicommunal federation, and that such a solution must exclude union of Cyprus in part or in whole with any other country or any form of partition or secession.
It is noted that in the preamble of the resolution approved yesterday the joint statements of the leaders of the two communities of 23rd May and 1st July 2008, which describe the basis of the negotiation, are welcomed.
In the resolution, the hope expressed by the leaders of the two communities on 21 December 2009 that if possible 2010 would be the year of solution, is recorded. There is no reference to timeframes. With the strenuous efforts made by the President of the Republic and the Government and with the support of friendly countries the intense efforts of Turkey and its close friends to introduce timeframes were successfully confronted. The endevour to change the basis of the required solution was also averted.
The President of the Republic Mr Demetris Christofias will continue to come to the negotiating table with consistency in the agreed solution, with devotion to principles and the demonstration of the necessary realism. He will continue to work hard for the achievement of a solution, the soonest possible, which will be based on the UN resolutions on Cyprus, the principles of international and European law and the High Level Agreements of 1977 and 1979 between the leaders of the two communities.
The firm aim is that the solution must terminate the occupation, reunite the territory the people the institutions the economy and to restore and secure the human rights and the fundamental freedoms of all the people – Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians and Latins".
The Government Spokesman Mr Stefanos Stefanou, asked yesterday about Turkey’s reaction vis-a-vis the UN Security Council resolution extending UNFICYP mandate, said its reaction clearly exposed who was satisfied and who wasn’t with the particular resolution.
“Persistent attempts were made by Turkey and its friends and close allies, to use the resolution for setting timeframes and altering the agreed negotiation basis”, Mr Stefanou noted adding that that had been averted due to the coordinated and targeted actions by the President of the Republic, the Cyprus Government and friendly countries. “We had some drafts and with the assistance of friendly countries that have not abandoned us, as some have claimed, we managed to achieve a balanced and satisfactory resolution”,
he further stated.
Invited to comment on a statement by the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu that he had called for an intensification of the talks, Mr Stefanou pointed out that nothing had been vocalized about intensifying the negotiations and the T/C leader had not put forward such an issue.
Replying to a question on whether the next meetings between the leaders of the two communities would be day-long, the Spokesman said the ownership of the procedure was in the hands of the two leaders and “consequently, they can act accordingly”.
