Cyprus says UN reports ‘do not offer clear record of events’

Cyprus is not on board with aspects of the UN Secretary-General’s reports on Unficyp’s mandate and Antonio Guterres’ Good Offices Mission, especially as regards incidents in the buffer zone, saying they do not offer a clear record of events, the foreign ministry said on Thursday.

The ministry said the government welcomed Guterres’ commitment to efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue, and the recent appointment of his personal envoy Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, which the Greek Cypriot side will fully support, it said.

Cyprus also welcomed the reference in the Unficyp report to the concern of the Secretary-General about the developments in the fenced-off area of ​​Varosha “for which Turkey is responsible”.

It also shares the concerns over violations by the Turkish side in the buffer zone “which appear to be part of a systematic political questioning of the ceasefire line and the status of the demilitarised zone”.

In particular, the foreign ministry added, the reports record a series of violations in Pyla, the Dherynia area and the wider Nicosia area, with special reference to the buffer zone in the Ayios Dhometios area and ‘Maria’s House’.

“Unfortunately, in all cases – including the case of the ongoing violation in Strovilia – a clear record of events is not achieved following a time-honoured trend [by the UN] of keeping equal distances,” a statement from the ministry said.

The comment echoed that of President Nikos Christodoulides on Saturday when he said the Secretary-General’s report “could have been better” especially in its references to documenting violations in the buffer zone.

According to the UN report on the incident at ‘Maria’s House’, from August to November, 43 move-forward violations by Turkish Forces were recorded in the area.

On November 16, after Unficyp had successfully halted the pattern of such moves forward, the National Guard installed a light on its observation post directly facing ‘Maria’s House’, which the Turkish Forces protested, installing their own lights on the abandoned building.

Both sides agreed to remove their lights further to the mission’s engagement. However, on November 27, Turkish forces installed a camera and a satellite dish atop the house, the report said.

As Unficyp increased its presence in the area, up to 81 Turkish forces were deployed in front of the house, for several hours, “to the alarm of the local population”, it added.

After engagement by the UN Special Representative, Turkish forces did not enter the buffer zone again after November 29, but their installations in the buffer zone remained in place as of the end of the reporting period, it said, adding that Unficyp has continued its engagement to ensure the restoration of the status quo.

The foreign ministry was also not best pleased with the fact that the references to humanitarian issues such as the living conditions of the enclaved and the need for Turkey’s cooperation in ascertaining the fate of the missing remain, “unfortunately, subdued”.

However, it pledges that Cyprus would continue to “cooperate constructively with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus for the effective implementation of the terms of its mandate and with the ultimate goal of achieving a comprehensive and fair solution to the Cyprus issue based on the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council”.

Un Special Representative Colin Stewart is due to brief the UN Security Council on January 17 on the renewal of Unficyp’s mandate, which is expected to be adopted for another 12 months on January 30.