Tatar: UN resolution on Unficyp ‘biased’ (Updated)

By Tom Cleaver and Andria Kades

Turkish Cypriot Leader Ersin Tatar on Wednesday accused the United Nations Security Council of holding a “biased attitude” after it ratified Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ annual report and renewed the peacekeeping force (Unficyp)’s mandate for another year.

He added that the report’s reference to a federal solution to the Cyprus problem “is supported by the Greek Cypriot side because it ensures the continuation of the status [as the only recognised government in Cyprus] they usurped, and which has repeatedly and exhaustively been shown to be a failure.”

This, he said, “is the clearest indicator of the Security Council’s biased attitude”.

“The Turkish Cypriot side has withdrawn its consent for a solution on the basis of a federal model and will not approve any process on this exhausted basis. A new and official negotiation process can only be possible by confirming our sovereign equality and equal international status,” he said.

“The language used … literally encourages Greek Cypriot violations which have been going on for years, and threatens the steps we have taken to ensure stability on the island.”

On the matter of Unficyp, he said “it can operate within the framework of our goodwill in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.”

He added, “it is essential to find a mutually acceptable method which will put Unficyp’s operations in our country and in the buffer zone on a true legal basis.

“The procedure of seeking only the consent of the Greek Cypriot Administration in South Cyprus regarding the extension of Unficyp’s mandate is not sustainable,” he said.

Earlier, both the Turkish foreign ministry and the north’s ‘foreign ministry’ had also reacted to the extension of Unficyp’s mandate.

“Contrary to the established practice of the United Nations, the consent of the Turkish Cypriots was, yet again, not sought during the mandate extension of the peacekeeping force,” a statement by Turkey’s foreign ministry said.

Unficyp spokesman Aleem Siddique told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) the reports of the UN Secretary-general speak for themselves and Unficyp stands by them.

“On the range of issues that have been raised, those were reported on in the SG’s report and we stand by them.

“The report speaks for itself, we stand by the report.”

A statement from the ‘foreign ministry’ in the north stressed the main factor enabling Unficyp to operate “within the borders of TRNC is the good-willed cooperation” of its ‘authorities’.

“Yet again, the Security Council has repeated the mistake of extending the mandate of Unficyp without seeking the consent of the Turkish Cypriot side. We reject this approach, which disregards the will and existence of the Turkish Cypriot side.”

Commenting on the Security Council’s resolution calling on both sides to make an effort to reach a comprehensive agreement based on bizonal, bicommunal federation, the ‘ministry’ said this was a “great disrespect towards the will of the Turkish Cypriot people”.

This is because it imposes a model “which is incompatible with the realities on the ground, and which is proven to fail”.