Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09USUNNEWYORK1152
2009-12-23 20:24:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
USUN New York
Cable title:  

CYPRUS: SPECIAL ADVISOR DOWNER ASSESSES SOLID

Tags:  PREL PGOV KPKO UNFICYP UNSC CY 
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VZCZCXRO4531
OO RUEHIK
DE RUCNDT #1152/01 3572024
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 232024Z DEC 09
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7905
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 001152 

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO UNFICYP UNSC CY
SUBJECT: CYPRUS: SPECIAL ADVISOR DOWNER ASSESSES SOLID
PROGRESS ON REUNIFICATION TALKS

USUN NEW Y 00001152 001.2 OF 002


UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 001152

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO UNFICYP UNSC CY
SUBJECT: CYPRUS: SPECIAL ADVISOR DOWNER ASSESSES SOLID
PROGRESS ON REUNIFICATION TALKS

USUN NEW Y 00001152 001.2 OF 002



1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Special Advisor Downer told the Security
Council on December 9 that there had been "solid progress" in
reunification negotiations, which was mainly due to the
"clear commitment" of Greek Cypriot President Christofias and
Turkish Cypriot leader Talat to the process. Turkey called
for the negotiations to be accelerated, and framed its
support for the process in the context of the May 23, 2008
joint statement by the two leaders. Turkey also supported a
tripartite meeting of the guarantor powers to discuss
security aspects of a settlement. Ambassador Rice and most
other Council members offered support for Downer's efforts,
for an acceleration in the pace of the talks, and for
confidence building measures that generate public support for
a settlement. France, Russia and China supported the efforts
of the two leaders, but not for Downer. Special
Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Zerihoun
recommended that the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
(UNFICYP) remain for an additional 6 months. He reported
that most Turkish restrictions on the movement of UNFICYP
personnel had been lifted, but remained for locally employed
UN staff. All Council members except Turkey supported a
six-month UNFICYP extension, though Japan and Costa Rica
suggested the mission might be reconsidered in six-months if
there is no settlement. END SUMMARY.

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DOWNER BRIEFING
--------------


2. (SBU) The Security Council heard briefings on December 9
from the Secretary-General's Special Advisor, Alexander
Downer, and Special Representative Taye Brook Zerihoun on the
two UN missions in Cyprus. Downer, who leads the
Secretary-General's Good Offices Mission, said there had been
"solid progress" in the reunification negotiations, which was
largely due to the commitment of Greek-Cypriot President
Demetris Christofias and Turkish-Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali
Talat to the process. He said he was impressed with the
determination of the two leaders to discuss difficult issues
despite heavy public criticism. Downer believed the leaders
were negotiating in good faith. Actual progress had been

made on issues related to governance, the economy and the
European Union, and Downer thought the leaders were close to
an agreement on governance. Progress on property, territory
and security had been slower, he said, although the two sides
had recently produced their first joint paper on property,
which categorized issues to be addressed. Referring to his
role in the negotiations, Downer emphasized the UN was "not
in the business of arbitrating or dictating a solution," but
"we do what we can to help." He recognized that the
negotiations were an "intensely political process," and the
two leaders were cognizant of the need to negotiate in such a
way that they could sell the solution to their respective
constituencies. He underscored the importance of support for
the process from the Security Council.


3. (SBU) Turkish Permrep Apakan said Turkey was committed to
support the reunification talks, and he recalled the May 23,
2008 joint-statement of the two leaders, which he said formed
the basis for the negotiations. Apakan called for the pace
of the talks to be accelerated, noting that the SYG's report
had said the "coming weeks and months" would be decisive.
Apakan offered support for a tripartite meeting of the
guarantor powers, to discuss security aspects of a
settlement.


4. (SBU) Ambassador Rice underscored U.S. support for the
Cypriot-led settlement process, and emphasized that the UN
plays a critical role through the Good Offices Mission. She
welcomed Mr. Downer's recent intensified involvement on the
island, and his push for an additional series of back-to-back
negotiating sessions to fully exploit the window of
opportunity. Rice said it would be important to generate
public support for a settlement, and she welcomed the
progress achieved in the opening of the Limnitis/Yesilirmak
crossing, recalling U.S. support for that effort.


5. (SBU) Most other Council members offered unqualified
support for Downer and the Good Offices Mission. U.K.
Permrep Lyall Grant said he recognized that the current
negotiations were different from previous efforts to
negotiate a solution, in that there would be no direct
arbitration and no deadlines. However, he added that the
process could not be open ended. He repeated the U.K. offer
to give up half of its sovereign territory on the island,
which the U.K. had publicly offered in November 2009 as an
incentive for an agreement.


6. (SBU) France, Russia and China offered their full support
for the efforts of the two leaders, but stopped short of

USUN NEW Y 00001152 002.2 OF 002


welcoming Downer's efforts, instead acknowledging the "role"
played by the SYG's Good Offices Mission. Russian Permrep
Churkin said it was important for UN involvement "not to harm
things," since it was "up to the parties themselves to carry
out negotiations." All three members also emphasized that
there should be no deadline for the completion of
negotiations.


7. (SBU) Libyan Permrep Dabasshi singled out Turkey's efforts
to maintain momentum in the talks.

--------------
ZERIHOUN BRIEFING
--------------


8. (SBU) At the same meeting, SRSG Taye-Brook Zerihoun
briefed the Security Council on the activities of UNFICYP,
saying the situation was "calm and stable", and that both
opposing forces had exercised restraint and had cooperated
with UNFICYP. Zerihoun said military violations by the
opposing forces had been "comparable", and that they had
mainly occurred in the Nicosia old town. Zerihoun noted that
UNFICYP's efforts to advance military confidence building
measures had been largely unsuccessful, but he expressed
satisfaction that Turkish and Turkish Cypriot forces had
lifted almost all restrictions on the movements of UNFICYP
personnel. Zerihoun called for the immediate lifting of
remaining restrictions on the movement of locally employed UN
civilian personnel. Zerihoun told the Council UNFICYP
continued to play a "vital and unique role" and recommended
that the mandate should be extended for an additional six
months.


9. (SBU) All Council members except Turkey supported a
six-month UNFICYP renewal. Ambassador Rice, echoed by Mexico,
said she looked forward to the UN carrying out contingency
planning in relation to the settlement. Japanese Permrep
Takasu suggested that if there is no progress in the
negotiations, the Council should look at the UNFICYP mandate
in six months with a view to "allocating its very valuable
assets" to more pressing peacekeeping needs. Costa Rica
stressed that peacekeeping missions "should not turn into
permanent entities."

10j. (SBU) Turkish Permrep Apakan said Turkey could not
support an UNFICYP extension "for well-known reasons", and
suggested it was instead time for an UNFICYP resolution that
enjoyed the consent of both sides. He defended Turkish and
Turkish Cypriot restrictions on the movement of UNFICYP
locally employed staff, saying a 1964 status of forces
agreement gave local staff a different status than
international UN staff. Apakan also criticized the
Secretary-General's report on UNFICYP as being one-sided.
RICE