Letter to the Speaker of the House and the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Reporting on the Cyprus Conflict

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. Chairman:)

During the period since my last report, there has been considerable international focus on Cyprus. The Cyprus question was debated in the U.N. General Assembly which adopted a Resolution on May 13 calling for "meaningful, result-oriented, constructive and substantive negotiations" between the two communities. Approximately 50 countries spoke in the Assembly and supported continuation of the intercommunal talks under the aegis of the Secretary General. We reaffirmed our commitment to the success of the Secretary General's good offices role although we abstained on the Resolution, believing it contained elements potentially unhelpful to the intercommunal talks.

Now that the U.N. General Assembly session is past, we anticipate a period of reevaluation by both communities. We expect, nevertheless, representatives of the two communities to return to the intercommunal talks. We continue to believe those talks hold the best prospect for finding answers to the problems of Cyprus.

On May 6 the U.N. Secretary General issued a report (a copy of which is attached) on the question of Cyprus in which he notes that the intercommunal talks, although recessed for the Greek Cypriot elections, reconvened in April in "a cooperative and constructive atmosphere."

The Secretary General, within his Security Council mandate, has pledged to "make every effort to give fresh impetus to the process" of the talks, an effort we fully support.

Assistant Secretary of State Richard Burr visited Cyprus during the period for in-depth discussions with leaders of both communities and with U.N. officials. Other diplomatic representatives also remain in close contact with all parties to the problem.

Sincerely,

RONALD REAGAN