[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992-1993, Book II)]
[September 25, 1992]
[Pages 1648-1649]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Letter to Congressional Leaders Reporting on the Cyprus Conflict
September 25, 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 the months of May 
and June 1992.
    Representatives of the U.N. Secretary

[[Page 1649]]

General returned to the Eastern Mediterranean area and met separately 
with President Vassiliou and Mr. Denktash in Cyprus from May 8 through 
12. Consultations followed in Ankara and in Athens with the Prime 
Ministers and other officials of the Greek and Turkish Governments. The 
Secretary General's representatives returned to New York to prepare 
their report to the Secretary General on the status of the negotiating 
effort.
    Based on that report, the Secretary General sent letters on June 1 
to the leaders of both Cypriot communities, inviting them to talks in 
New York starting on June 18. In his letter, the Secretary General 
suggested separate talks with each leader (so-called ``proximity 
talks'') covering the eight topics of the U.N. ``set of ideas,'' 
starting, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 750, with 
outstanding issues, in particular the issues of territorial adjustment 
and displaced persons. The Secretary General proposed further that, if 
the leaders of the two communities were within agreement range on all 
eight topics, the proximity talks could be followed by joint meetings. 
Both leaders accepted the Secretary General's invitation.
    Also on June 1, the Secretary General invited the Governments of 
Greece and Turkey to designate senior officials to be in New York for 
the duration of the talks. Both Governments responded positively, and 
each had a senior representative in New York for the meetings.
    The Secretary General's representatives returned again to the area 
to prepare for the June 18 meetings. U.S. Special Cyprus Coordinator 
Nelson Ledsky went to the area at the same time to back up the efforts 
of the U.N. negotiators. The U.N. negotiators and Ambassador Ledsky met 
separately in Nicosia with President Vassiliou and Mr. Denktash between 
June 7 and June 12. Ambassador Ledsky also traveled to Athens where he 
met with officials of the Greek Government.
    I discussed the Cyprus question with Prime Minister Demirel of 
Turkey and with President Vassiliou of Cyprus at the Rio ``Earth 
Summit'' (U.N. Conference on Environment and Development) on June 11 and 
12, 1992, emphasizing the importance we attach to a peaceful, fair, and 
permanent solution to the Cyprus question.
    In the days immediately before the opening of the New York talks, 
the U.S. Special Cyprus Coordinator met in New York with the leaders of 
the two Cypriot communities, with the senior representatives sent to New 
York by the Governments of Greece and Turkey, and with teams of experts 
sent by the Governments of the United Kingdom, France, and Russia. These 
contacts continued throughout the June meetings.
    The talks in New York began, as scheduled, on June 18 and continued 
through June 23. During this first phase, the U.N. Secretary General met 
on five occasions separately with each community leader. As planned, the 
talks initially focused on the issue of territorial adjustment, and both 
sides were shown a map prepared by the U.N. Secretariat. (The map was 
designated a ``non-map'' by mutual agreement.) During the proximity 
negotiations the U.N. negotiators daily briefed representatives of the 
five permanent members of the Security Council.
    On June 23, the proximity talks were recessed, by mutual agreement, 
due to the need of the U.N. Secretary General to be away from U.N. 
Headquarters in New York. Before the recess the Secretary General hosted 
an amicable joint meeting with the two community leaders. The Secretary 
General and the two leaders agreed to resume the talks in New York on 
July 15. The resumed talks will be the subject of my next report.
    Talks aimed at arriving at a fair and permanent negotiated 
resolution of the Cyprus issue were successfully started during the 
period covered by this report. We will continue to follow and to assist 
however possible the U.N. Secretary General's effort to arrive at an 
overall framework agreement, which will benefit all Cypriots.
    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.