UN Secretariat Item Scan - Barcode - Record Title Page 1 Date 18/05/2006 Time 8:29:29 AM S-0870-0001-01-00001 Expanded Number S-0870-0001 -01 -00001 Title items-in-Peace-keeping operations - Cyprus - Tuomioja Report Date Created 08/06/1964 Record Type Archival Item Container s-0870-0001: Peace-Keeping Operations Files of the Secretary-General: U Thant: Cyprus Print Name of Person Submit Image Signature of Person Submit UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES CYPRUS MEDIATOR ,/v^ Nicosia, 8 June 1964 My dear U Thant, In order that you and your colleagues at Headquarters may have some opportunity, before I arrive for the forth- coming consultations, to know what I have in mind as the next step, I am sending you herewith a copy of a draft of my first periodic report. I should like to make two brief observations on it. The first is that it remains only a tentative draft, and subject to revisions which I may suggest as well as those which may emerge from our discussions. This applies especially to the formulation of the general principles and guidelines which, with an introductory passage, come under the heading of "A suggested basis for discussion" from page 46 onwards. These principles and guidelines need further research and further careful examination, in which I will value the thoughts of yourself and your colleagues. My second observation is that, as you recall, the Security Council resolution of 4 March 1964 requires me to report to you, and not directly or necessarily to the Security Council. I feel that careful consideration will therefore need to be given to the question of whether, and in what form, you would wish any report from me to go before the Council, and, if so, the question of the timing of any such submission. These also are matters which I look forward to discussing with you and your colleagues. I am sending copies of the draft at the same time to Mr. Narasimhan and Mr. Rolz-Bennett, Yours sincerely, Ivuv^ttV ( Sakari Tuomioja) U Thant Secretary-General United Nations Headquarters New York SECRET SECOND DRAFT FIRST PERIODIC REPORT TO THE SECRETART-GENERAL BY THE UNITED NATIONS MEDIATOR IN CYPRUS PART I - GENERAL Introduction 1, In accordance with the resolution of the Security Council dated 4 March 1964, you designated me on 25 March as the United Nations Mediator in Cyprus, in agreement with the Governments of Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom* 2» After a t>rief visit to Headquarters for consultations I took up my duties in Cyprus on 2 April 1964. My terms of reference as set out in the resolution mentioned above require me to report periodically to the Secretary-General on my efforts. These have now reached a stage at which I feel it appropriate to submit this first periodic report* In it I give a brief account of my activities; an outline of the circumstances prevailing in Cyprus which have a bearing on efforts at mediation; an explanation of the existing constitution and of the present approaches of the parties towards a settlement of the problem; and finally, my carefully considered conclusions and suggestions as to the next step which should be taken. - 2 - Functions and activities 3* The function of the Mediator in Cyprus, in the terms of the Security Council resolution of 4 March 1964, is to use his "best endeavours with the representatives of the communities and also with the Governments of Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, "for the purpose of promoting a peaceful solution and an agreed settlement of the problem confronting Cyprus, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, having in mind the well-being of the people of Cyprus as a whole and the preservation of international peace and security." 4* I conceived the first phase of my task to "be that of securing the fullest possible understanding and appreciation of the Cyprus problem as it now stands; of the historical, political and other circumstances under which, in years of calm as well as in periods of disturbance, the problem has developed; of the opinions of the parties concerned, both internal and external, as to the roots of the problem; of their aspirations for the future; and of the means by which they believe that these aspirations can be achieved in a manner which will accord with the considerations set forth in my terms of reference, 5, To that end I have had a very large number of discussions with members and officials of the Government of Cyprus and with other representatives, both official and unofficial? «*•/»•• ~ 3 - of the Greek—Gypriot and Turkish—Gypriot communities. These have included, on the official side, the President of the Republic, the Vice-President, the members of the Council of Ministers, the leaders and mem"bers of the House of Representatives and of the Greek and Turkish Communal ChambersI /, judges of the courts and senior public servants. On the non-official side my talks have been with delegations from commercial, professional and other societies and interests and with a large number of individual citizens* 6» Since my mandate requires me to apply my endeavours also to the three external Governments which have been directly concerned with the problem of Cyprus, I have also visited the capitals of Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom. In Ankara (17-18 April and 4 June) I had meetings with the Prime Minister, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and other officials of the Government of Turkey; in Athens (26-27 April and 3 June) with His Majesty the King of Greece, his Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and other officials; and in London (30 April- 4 May) with the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Deputy-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and other I/ I regret to have to report that I was able to see the President of the Turkish Communal Chamber only in Ankara, from which he did not feel able to return to Cyprus without guarantees by the Government of his safe conduct from the Nicosia Airport to the Turkish sector of the city. Such guarantees have not yet, as far as I know, been given. 4 - officials. I have also maintained frequent contacts with. O the diplomatic representatives of those countries in Cyprus. In addition, and in view of the wider international interest in the Cyprus problem signified "by the present action of the United Nations on it, I have made myself available for consultations, as appropriate, with the diplomatic repre- sentatives of other States. 7* Although, as you know, my mission is quite separate from that of the United Nations Peace-keeping Force, whose creation was also authorized "by the Security Council resolution of 4 March 1964, I have also felt it necessary to maintain close relations with the Force Commander. This is "because the progress made "by the Force, as well as the difficulties encountered "by it, in carrying out its functions of helping to prevent a recurrence of fighting and to contribute to the maintenance of law and order and a return to normal conditions, have self-evidently "borne directly on the problem of bringing about those circumstances in which the process of mediation can most fruitfully be undertaken. For similar reasons I have also kept in touch with the Special Representative whom you designated on 11 May to help solve the non-military problems of the immediate situation. 8, In all of the consultations and relationships which I have outlined above, I have unfailingly encountered the utmost courtesy and goodwill, for which I express my gratitude. - 5 - The general situation in Cyprus 9« What I have to report on the aspirations of the parties concerned and on the prospects of finding common ground "between them as a "basis for agreement can "be fully appreciated only against an understanding of the prevailing situation in Cyprus. Your reports to the Security Council , with particular reference to the functions and operations of the United Nations Peace-keeping Force, have set out the facts of the situation as it has evolved over the past several weeks, and I shall only recapitulate here those elements which seem to me to bear directly on my own mission* 10 * The normal conditions which might "be regarded as conducive to, or even a prerequisite of, any successful effort to find an agreed settlement had not returned to Cyprus "by the end of the period upon which I am reporting, Large numbers of armed men, in and out of uniform and apparently under widely varying degrees of control, faced one another from fortified positions in many parts of the island. While, as you have stated, the United Nations operation could claim no small credit for having contained several situations which might have led to major military clashes, almost every day of the period saw one or more incidents of one kind or another* These incidents, taken in their sum, fortunately did not lead to such widespread injury or loss of life as might have been expected, but they prolonged and compounded the atmosphere of I/ In particular, S/5671 and S/5679 - 6 - insecurity j> and fear which had seized many members of the population since the outbreak of violence last December. 11* The feeling of insecurity was heightened during the period by the visible evidence of hostility, past and present, between Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Gypriots : damaged and gutted houses and buildings; closed or abandoned factories, stores and offices; road-blocks and barricades formed of sandbags, barbed wire and earth-filled oil-drums; fortifi- cations at the windows of houses; armed police checking traffic at many points on the streets and highways; men and even youths, armed by one side or the other, and many of them not in uniform and not clearly under the discipline of the regular security forces, openly manning strongpoints; the Greek and Turkish national flags, in many places more prominent than the Gypriot flag, flying as if in symbolic separation over different and in fact divided parts of towns and villages.