[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[May 6, 1992]
[Pages 710-711]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Letter to Congressional Leaders Reporting on the Cyprus Conflict

May 6, 1992
Dear Mr. Speaker:  (Dear Mr. Chairman:)
    In accordance with Public Law 95-384 (22 U.S.C. 2373(c)), I am 
submitting to you this bimonthly report on progress toward a negotiated 
settlement of the Cyprus question. This report covers January and 
February and, for the sake of continuity, the first 10 days of March 
1992.
    As reported in my last letter to you on this subject, we were in 
contact with the U.N. Cyprus negotiators at the end of 1991 in 
preparation for the installation on January 1 of the new U.N. Secretary 
General, Mr. Boutros Ghali. On January 3, the first full U.N. workday in 
1992, the U.S. Special Cyprus Coordinator, Nelson Ledsky, consulted in 
New York with the new Secretary General on how to proceed during 
Ambassador Ledsky's projected trip to Ankara, Nicosia, and Athens.
    Ambassador Ledsky was in the Eastern Mediterranean from January 7 
through January 17, and during that time he received assurances from 
Prime Minister Demirel of Turkey, the leadership of the two Cypriot 
communities, and Prime Minister Mitsotakis of Greece that the parties 
were committed to proceed with the U.N.-sponsored settlement process, 
taking up where it had left off in the late summer of 1991.
    By the end of January, the U.N. negotiators had themselves returned 
to the area and began their first round of consultations in 1992 with 
the Governments of Greece and Turkey and the leadership of the two 
Cypriot communities. This round ended without progress when, due to the 
illness of Turkish Cypriot Leader Rauf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriots 
were unable to address substantively the issues contained in the 
Secretary General's ``set of ideas'' for a Cyprus settlement. 
Disappointed by this lack of progress, the Secretary General's 
negotiators returned to New York on February 7.
    On February 10, I discussed the Cyprus issue with Prime Minister 
Demirel during his official visit to Washington. He repeated his 
assurances that Turkey wanted a Cyprus settlement and would work 
cooperatively in support of the U.N. Secretary General's good-offices 
mission in an effort to obtain such a solution. He gave similar 
assurances directly to Secretary General Boutros Ghali 3 days later in 
New York.
    The Secretary General's Cyprus negotiators returned to Ankara on 
February 17. After meeting with representatives of the Government of 
Turkey, they expressed concern that Turkey appeared to be placing 
conditions on the continuation of the negotiation along lines put 
forward earlier by the Turkish Cypriots. Moreover, these conditions 
seemed to go beyond the mandate conferred on the Secretary General by 
the U.N. Security Council as reaffirmed in U.N. Security Council 
Resolutions 649 (1990) and 716 (1991).
    On March 3, Under Secretary of State Arnold Kanter met with Prime 
Minister Demirel in Ankara. During their discussions of Cyprus, Under 
Secretary Kanter reiterated the desire of the United States for the 
success of the U.N. Secretary General's efforts to resolve peacefully, 
fairly, and permanently the Cyprus problem. Under Secretary Kanter had 
assured Greek Foreign Minister Samaras of the same commitment in Athens 
on February 29. Prime Minister Demirel told Under Secretary Kanter that 
he understood the U.S. position and that any impression that Turkey had 
reversed itself on the Secretary General's good-offices mission was a 
result of a misunder-

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standing by the U.N. negotiators of Turkey's position.
    On March 10, at the meeting of the North Atlantic Cooperation 
Council in Brussels, Secretary of State Baker met separately with 
Foreign Minister Cetin of Turkey and Foreign Minister Samaras of Greece. 
He received assurances that Greece and Turkey are committed to support 
the Secretary General's Cyprus good-offices mission. Having received 
these assurances, Ambassador Ledsky travelled to the Eastern 
Mediterranean once again on March 17 to discuss with the parties in 
greater detail the U.N. Secretary General's ``set of ideas'' for a 
Cyprus settlement.
    I continue to believe that the Secretary General's efforts provide 
the only peaceful means of reaching a permanent settlement of the Cyprus 
issue. Further, I believe that the Secretary General's ``set of ideas'' 
can and should be an appropriate basis for moving forward. It is my hope 
that the next few months will see progress in this worthwhile effort.
    Sincerely,

                                                             George Bush

                    Note: Identical letters were sent to Thomas S. 
                        Foley, Speaker of the House of Representatives, 
                        and Claiborne Pell, chairman of the Senate 
                        Committee on Foreign Relations.