INTRODUCTION
Since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in July-August 1974 and the
subsequent occupation of nearly 40 percent of its territory, the
Security Council, which is the principal organ of the United
Nations entrusted with the primary responsibility for the
maintenance of international peace and security, adopted numerous
resolutions on the Situation in Cyprus.
These resolutions, which are based on the Purposes and Principles
of the United Nations, provide the framework for a just solution of
the problem and are mandatory upon Member-States. It should be
recalled in this respect that article 25 of the U.N. Charter
provides that the Members of the United Nations agree to accept and
carry out the decisions of the Security Council in accordance with
the present Charter. The effectiveness of the Security Council,
thus, requires that once it has made a determination on a dispute
all Member-States give it full support in the sense not only of
accepting an agreed text but of providing strong diplomatic backing
for it and applying their collective influence to lend irresistible
weight to a just solution.
The General Assembly of the United Nations in a host of
resolutions,adopted on the Question of Cyprus since 1974, has
demanded, inter alia, respect for the sovereignty, independence,
territorial integrity, unity and the non-aligned status of the
Republic of Cyprus, the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of
all occupation troops, the return of the refugees to their homes in
safety, as well as respect of the human rights and fundamental
freedoms of all Cypriots. These resolutions, which have been
systematically violated and contemptuously disregarded by Turkey,
remain to this date unimplemented.
The text that follows contains the main provisions laid down in the
Security Council and General Assembly resolutions on Cyprus adopted
from 1974 up to 1994. The provisions are presented in a
chronological order while repetitions in subsequent resolutions are
avoided. What is of paramount importance is that all subsequent
resolutions reaffirm all previously adopted, a fact which
underlines the continuing validity of these provisions and the need
for their full and effective implementation in order to arrive at
a just and lasting solution of the Cyprus problem.
The developments that led to the liberation of Kuwait in 1991 and
the determination of the international community to enforce the
Security Council resolutions adopted on the issue demonstrated that
we are entering a period of a strengthened United Nations whose
resolutions will now be expected to be respected and
implemented.
Cyprus express the hope that the new situation shaping
internationally would lead to the creation of a climate in which
other Security Council resolutions, including those on Cyprus,
would also be implemented and complied with so that justice and
peace might be restored in Cyprus as well.
A. SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS
The Security Council
Calls upon all States to respect the sovereignty, independence
and territorial integrity of Cyprus;
Demands an immediate end to foreign military intervention in the
Republic of Cyprus that is in contravention of paragraph I
above;
(Res. 353 (1974) 20.7.74 oper. paras. I &3)
Gravely concerned at the deterioration of the situation in Cyprus
resulting from the further military operation, which constituted a
most serious threat to peace and security in the Eastern
Mediterranean area;
Records its formal disapproval of the unilateral military actions
undertaken against the Republic of Cyprus.
(Res. 360 (1974) 16.8.74. 3rd preamb. para ared operative para. 1)
Expresses its grave concern at the plight of the refugees and other
persons displaced as a result of the situation in Cyprus and urges
the parties concerned, in conjunction with the Secretary-General,
to search for peaceful solutions of the problems of the refugees
and take appropriate measures to provide for their relief and
welfare and to permit persons who wish to do so to return to their
homes in safety;
(Res. 361 (1974) 30.8.74 oper. para 4)
Endorses General Assembly resolution 3212 (XE) and urges the
parties to implement it as soon as possible.
(Res. 365 (1974) 13.12.74 oper. para 1)
Calls upon all states to respect the sovereignty, independence,
territorial integrity and non-alignment of the Republic of Cyprus
and to refrain from all acts and interventions directed against it;
Urges the speedy withdrawal of all foreign armed forces and foreign
military personnel from the Republic of Cyprus and the cessation of
all foreign interference in its affairs;
Commends the contacts and negotiations taking place on an equal
footing, within the good offices of the Secretary General between
the representatives of the two communities and calls for their
continuation with a view to reaching freely a mutually acceptable
political settlement, based on their fundamental and legitimate
rights;
Considers that all the refugees should return to their homes in
safety and calls upon the parties concerned to undertake urgent
measures to that end;
Expresses the hope that, if necessary, further efforts including
negotiations can take place, within the framework of the United
Nations, for the purpose of implementing the provisions of the
present resolution, thus ensuring to the Republic of Cyprus its
fundamental right to independence, sovereignty and territorial
integrity;
Calls once more on all states to respect the sovereignty,
independence,territorial integrity and non-alignment of the
Republic of Cyprus and urgently requests them, as well as the
parties concerned, to refrain from any action which might prejudice
that sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and
non-alignment, as well as from any attempt at partition of the
island or its unification with any other country;
Calls for the urgent and effective implementation of all parts and
provisions of General Assembly resolution 3212 (XXIX) endorsed by
Security Council resolution 365 (1974);
Considers that new efforts should be undertaken to assist the
resumption of the negotiations referred to in paragraph 4 of
General Assembly Resolution 3212 (XXIX) between the representatives
of the two communities;
Requests the Secretary General accordingly to undertake a new
mission of good offices and to that end to convene the parties
under new agreed procedures and place himself personally at their
disposal so that the resumption, the intensification and the
progress of comprehensive negotiations, carried out in a reciprocal
spirit of understanding and of moderation under his personal
auspices and with his direction as appropriate, might hereby be
facilitated;
Calls on the representatives of the two communities to cooperate
closely with the Secretary-General in the discharge of his new
mission of good offices and asks them to accord personally a high
priority to their negotiations;
(Resol.367 (1975) of 12.3.1975 oper. paras. l,4,5,6,7)
Reaffirms once again its resolution 365 of 13 Dec. 1974, by which
it endorsed General Assembly resolution 3212 (XE) adopted
unanimously on 1 November 1974, and calls once again for their
urgent and effective implementation and that of its resolution 367
(1975) of 12 March 1975.
(Res.370 (1975),383 (1975),391 (1976),401 (1976) 410 (1977) 414
(1977),422 (1977))
Urges the parties concerned to act with the utmost restraint to
refrain from any unilateral or other action likely to affect
adversely the prospects of negotiations for a just and peaceful
solution and to continue and accelerate determined cooperative
efforts to achieve the objectives of the Security
Council.
(Res.391 (1976),401 (1976),410 (1977),414 (1977), 422 (19M))
Deplores the declaration of the Turkish Cypriot authorities of the
purported secession of part of the Republic of Cyprus;
Considers the declaration referred to above as legally invalid and
calls for its withdrawal;
Calls for the urgent and effective implementation of its
resolutions 365 (1974) and 367 (1975);
Calls upon all States not to recognize any Cypriot state other than
the Republic of Cyprus;
(Res. 541 (1983) of 18.11.83, oper. paras. 1,2,3,7)
Reaffirms its resolution 541 (1983) and calls for its urgent and
effective implementation;
Condemns all secessionist actions, including exchange of
Ambassadors between Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot leadership,
declares them illegal and invalid and calls for their immediate
withdrawal;
Reiterates the call upon all States not to recognize the purported
state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus set up by
secessionist acts and calls upon them not to facilitate or in any
way assist the aforesaid secessionist entity;
Considers attempts to settle any part of Varosha by people other
than its inhabitants as inadmissible and calls for the transfer of
this area to the administration of the United Nations;
Reaffirms its mandate of good offices to the Secretary General and
requests him to undertake new efforts to attain an overall solution
to the Cyprus problem in conformity with the principles of the
Charter of the United Nations and the provisions for such a
settlement laid down in the pertinent United Nations resolutions,
including Security Council resolution 541 (1983) and the present
resolution;
Decides to remain seized of the situation with a view to taking
urgent and appropriate measures in the event of non-implementation
of its resolution 541 (1983) and the present
resolution;
(Res. 550 (1984) of 11.5.84 oper. paras. 1,2,3,5,8 and 10)
Reaffirms in particular its resolution 367 (1975) as well as its
support for the 1977 and 1979 high-level agreements between the
leaders of the two communities in which they pledged themselves to
establish a bi-communal federal Republic of Cypms that will
safeguard its independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and
non-alignment, and exclude union in whole or in part wit}t any
other country and any form of partition or secession;
Expresses its full support for the current effort of the Secretary
General in carrying out his mission of good offices concerning
Cyprus;
Calls upon the leaders of the two communities to pursue their
efforts to reach freely a mutually acceptable solution providing
for the establishment of a federation that will be bicommunal as
regards the constitutional aspects and bizonal as regards the
territorial aspects in line with the present resolution and their
1977 and 1979 high-level agreements, and to cooperate, on an equal
footing, with the Secretary General in completing, in the first
instance and on an urgent basis, an outline of an overall
agreement, as agreed in June 1989;
Calls on the parties concerned to refrain from any action that
could aggravate the situation;
Reaflirms its position on the Cyprus question, expressed most
recently in resolution 649 (1990) and in line with the 1977 and
1979 high-level agreements between the parties in Cyprus, that the
fundamental principles of a Cyprus settlement are the sovereignty,
independence, territorial integrity and non-alignment of the
Republic of Cyprus, the exclusion of union in whole or in part with
any other country and any form of partition or secession, and the
establishment of a new constitutional arrangement for Cyprus that
would ensure the well-being and security of the Greek Cypriot
and Turkish Cypriot communities in a bi-communal and bi-zonal
federation;
(Res. 716 (1991) of 11 October 1991 oper. para 3)
Reaffirms the position, set out in resolutions 649 (1990) of 12
March 1990 and 716 (1991) of 11 October 1991, that the Cyprus
settlement must be based on a State of Cyprus with a single
sovereignty and international personality and a single citizenship,
with its independence and territorial integrity safeguarded, and
comprising two politically equal communities as defined in
paragraph 11 of the Secretary-General's report (S/23780)* in a bi-
communal and bi-zonal federation, and that such a settlement must
exclude union in whole or in part with any other country or any
form of partition or secession.
(Res. 750 (1992) of 10 April, 1992 operative para. 2)
Noting that some progress has been achieved, in particular the
acceptance by both sides of the right of return and the right to
property, and in a narrowing of the gap by both sides on
territorial adjustments,
Endorses the Set of Ideas including suggested territorial
adjustments reflected in the map contained in the annex to the
Secretary-General's report as the basis for reaching an overall
framework agreement;
Reaffirms its position that the Secretary-General convene,
following the satisfactory conclusion of the face-to-face talks, a
high-level international meeting chaired by him to conclude an
overall framework agreement in which the two communities and Greece
and Turkey would participate;
Expresses the expectation that an overall framework agreement will
be concluded in 1992 and that 1993 will be the transitional period
during which the measures set out in the annex to the Set of Ideas
will be implemented;
Reaffirms that, in line with previous resolutions of the Security
Council, the present status quo is not acceptable, and, should an
agreement not emerge from the talks that will reconvene in October,
calls on the Secretary-General to identify the reasons for the
failure and to recommend to the Council alternative courses of
action to resolve the Cyprus problem;
(Res. 774 (1992) of 26.8.92, 3rd prearnb. para. and operative
paras. 3,7,9, 10)
Reaffirms all its previous resolutions on Cyprus, including
resolutions 365(1974), 367 (1975), 541 (1983), 550 (1984) and 774
(1992);
Reaffirms further its position that the present status quo is not
acceptable
and that an overall agreement in line with the Set of Ideas should
be achieved without further delay;
Notes that the recent joint meetings did not achieve their intended
goal, in
particular because certain positions adopted by the Turkish Cypriot
side
were fundamentally at variance with the Set of Ideas;
Calls upon the Turkish Cypriot side to adopt positions that are
consistent
with the Set of Ideas on those issues identified by the
Secretary-General in
his report, and for all concerned to be prepared in the next round
of talks to
make decisions that will bring about a speedy agreement;
Urges all concerned to commit themselves to the confidence-building
measures set out below:
(a) that, as a first step towards the withdrawal of non-Cypriot
forces
envisaged in the Set of Ideas, the number of foreign troops in the
Republic
of Cyprus undergo a significant reduction and that a reduction of
defence
spending be effected in the Republic of Cyprus;
(b) that the military authorities on each side cooperate with the
United
Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) in order to extend
the
unmanning agreement of 1989 to all areas of the United Nations -
controlled
Buffer Zone where the two sides are in close proximity to each
other;
(c) that, with a view to the implementation of resolution 550
(1984), the area
at present under the control of UNFICYP be extended to include
Varosha;
(d) that each side take active measures to promote people-to-people
contact
between the two communities by reducing restrictions to the
movement of
persons across the Buffer Zone;
(e) that restrictions imposed on foreign visitors crossing the
Buffer Zone be reduced;
(f) that each side propose bi-communal projects, for possible
financing by lending
and donor Governments as well as international institutions;
(g) that both sides commit themselves to the holding of a
Cyprus-wide census under the auspices of the United Nations; and
(h) that both sides cooperate to enable the United Nations to
undertake, in the rel-
evant locations, feasibility studies (i) in connection with the
resettlement and rehabilitation of persons who would be affected by the
territorial adjustments as part
of the overall agreement, and (ii) in connection with the programme
of economic
development that would, as part of the overall agreement, benefit
those persons
who would resettle in the area under Turkish Cypriot
administration;
Requests the Secretary-General to submit a full report after the
conclusion of the
joint meeting that will resume in March 1993.
Notes the Secretary-General's conclusion that the present
circumstances do not
allow for any modification in the structure and strength of UNFICYP
and requests
him to keep those matters under constant review with a view to the
further possible
restructuring of UNFICYP;
Reaffirms that the status quo is unacceptable, and encourages the
Secretary-General and his Special Representative to pursue the
Secretary-General's mission
of good offices on the basis of the Set of Ideas and the package of
confidence building measures relating to Varosha and Nicosia International
Airport referred to
in paragraph 45 of the Secretary-General's report of 22 November
1993;
Welcomes in this context the decision of the Secretary-General to
resume intensive contacts with both sides and with others concerned and to
concentrate at
this stage on achieving an agreement on the package of
confidence-building measures, intended to facilitate the political
process towards an overall settlement;
Decides to undertake, on the basis of the report, a thorough review
of the situation, including the future role of the United Nations, and, if
necessary, to consider
alternative ways to promote the implementation of its resolutions
on Cyprus.
Reiterates that the maintenance of the status quo is unacceptable;
Welcomes the acceptance in principle by both panies of the
confidence-building
measures relatmg, in particular, to Varosha and Nicosia
International Airport;
Welcomes the fact that intensive discussions have made it possible
for the Secretary-General's representatives to bring forward ideas that
should facilitate the
discussions aimed at reaching agleernent on the key issues for
implementing the
confidence-building measures, and s- resses the need to conclude
such an agreement
without delay;
Decides to review the matter turrher, pursuant to paragraph 13 of
resolution 889
(1993), on the basis of that report.
Reaffirming, in this context, that the confidence-building
measures, while not an
end in themselves, nor a substitute for the wider political
process, would offer significant benefits to both communities and
would facilitate the political process towards an overall settlement,
Reiterates that the maintenance of the status quo is unacceptable;
Reaffirms its position that a Cyprus settlement must be based on a
state of Cyprus with a single sovereignty and international personality and
a singie citizenship,
with its independence and territorial integrity safeguarded, and
comprising two politically equal communities as described in the
relevant Security Council resolutions, in a bi-communal and bi-zonal
federation, and that such a settlement must
exclude union in whole or in part with any other country or any
form of partition
or secession;
Request the Secretary-GeneraI to begin consultations with members
of the Council, with the Guarantor Powers, and with the two leaders in Cyprus
with a view to
undertaking a fundamental and far-reaching reflection on ways of
approaching the
Cyprus problem in a manner that will yield results, and reiterates
its call to the
parties to demonstrate their commitment by cooperating fully to
this end.
Requests the Secretary-Generai to submit a report by the end of
October 1994 including a programme for achievmg an overall solution to
the issues involved in the
Cyprus problem following his consultations referred to in
paragraph 3 above and
on progress made towards the implementation of the
confidence-building measures;
B. GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTIONS
Note: For Ceneral Assembly resolution 32/2 (XXIX) of 1st Nov. 1974,
see section on
Security Council resolutions.
The General Assembly
Calls once again upon all States to respect the sovereignty,
independence,
territorial integrity and non-alignment of the Republic of Cyprus
and to
refrain from all acts and interventions directed against it;
Demands the withdrawal without further delay of all foreign armed
forces
and foreign military presence and personnel from the Republic of
Cyprus
and the cessation of all foreign interference in its affairs;
Calls upon the parties concerned to undertake urgent measures to
facilitate
the voluntary return of all refugees to their homes in safety and
to settle all
other aspects of the refugee problem;
Urges all parties to refrain from unilateral action in
contravention of its
resolution 3212 (XXIX), including changes in the demographic
structure of
Cyprus.
(Resolution 3395 of 20 Nov. 1975 oper. paras. 2,3,4,6)
Calls for the urgent and effective implementation of resolution
3212
(XXIX) unanimously adopted by the General Assembly and endorsed by
the
Security Council in its resolution 365 (1974) of 13 December 1974,
as the
valid framework for the solution of the problem of Cyprus.
(Resolution 32/15 (1977) of 9 Nov. 1977 oper. para I )
Calls for the respect of the human rights of all Cypriots and the
institution of
urgent measures for the voluntary return of the refugees to their
homes in
safety;
Recommends that the Security Council should examine the question of
the
implementation, within a time-frame, of its relevant resolutions
and consider and adopt thereafter, if necessary, all appropriate and
practical measures
under the Charter of the United Nations for ensuring the
implementation of
the resolutions of the United Nations on Cyprus.
Authorizes the President of the Thirty-fourth Session of the
General
Assembly, in the event that the Secretary-General reports lack of
progress in
the above-mentioned negotiations, to appoint an Ad Hoc Committee
composed of no more than seven member states;
Requests the Ad Hoc Committee to maintain contact with the
Secretary-General in his task of facilitating the successful conclusion of
the
negotiations between the two communities;
Further requests the Ad Hoc Committee, in consultation with the
Secretary-General, to recommend steps for and promote the implementation of
all the
relevant resolutions of the General Assembly on Cyprus;
(Resolution 34/30 (1979) of 20 November 1979 oper. paras 13,14,15)
Affirms the right of the Republic of Cyprus and its people to full
and
effective sovereignty and control over the entire territory of
Cyprus and its
natural and other resources and calls upon all States to support
and help the
Government of the Republic of Cyprus to exercise these rights;
Condemns any act which tends to undermine the full and effective
exercise
of the above-mentioned rights, including the unlawful issue of
titles of
ownership of property;
Welcomes the proposal for total demilitarization made by the
President of
the Republic of Cyprus;
Expresses its support for the high-level agreements of 12 February
1977
and 19 May 1979 and all the provisions thereof;
Considers the withdrawal of all occupation forces from the Republic
of
Cyprus as an essential basis for a speedy and mutually acceptable
solution of
the Cyprus problem;
Demands the immediate withdrawal of all occupation forces from the
Republic of Cyprus;
Calls for respect of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of
all
Cypriots, including the freedom of movement, the freedom of
settlement and
the right to property and the instituting of urgent measures for
the voluntary
return of the refugees to their homes in safety;
Considers that the de facto situation creaved by the force of aIms
should not
be allowed to inSuellce or in any way affect the solution of the
problem of
Cyprus;
Calls upon the parties conceded to refrain from any unilateral
action which
might adversely affect the prospects of a just and lasting solution
of the
problem of Cyprus by peaceful oileans and to cooperate fully with
the
Secretary General in the performance of his task under the relevant
resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council as
well as
with the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus;
Calls upon the parties concerned to refrain from any action which
violates
or is designed to violate the independence, unity, sovereignty and
territorial
integrity of the Republic of Cyprus;
Reiterates its recommendation that the Security Council should
examine the
question of implementation, within a specified time-frame, of its
relevant
resolutions and consider and adopt thereafter, if necessary, all
appropriate
and practical measures under the Charter of the United Nations for
ensuring
the speedy and effective implementation of the resolutions of the
United
Nations on Cyprus.
(Resolution 37/253 (1983) of 13 May 1983, oper. paras
2,3,4,5,7,8,11,12,13,14,15)
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