The Cyprus Conflict Message to the Congress Reporting on Progress Toward a Negotiated Settlement.

To the Congress of the United States:

As required by Public Law 94-104, this report describes the progress that has been made during the past sixty days toward a negotiated settlement on Cyprus.

In my last such report to the Congress, submitted on January 20, I outlined the continuing efforts that we and other nations have been making, in both bilateral and international meetings, to promote an early resumption of productive negotiations between the two Cypriot communities. I stressed that resolute action was still required, but still expressed the belief that we were moving in the right direction.

Since that time there have been developments of potential significance for Cyprus. Very shortly after his assumption of office on January 5, Turkish Prime Minister Ecevit publicly announced his intention to deal promptly and decisively with the outstanding foreign policy issues confronting his nation, prime among them being Cyprus. Ecevit acknowledged that a Cyprus settlement would be in Turkey's own best interests. "We want to see a rapid solution in Cyprus," he declared in a January 9 interview, "not because the U.S. or other friendly countries want it, but because it will be for the benefit of all Cyprus and for the benefit of peace in the region." Subsequently, in both public statements and private conversations, Prime Minister Ecevit said that he hoped negotiations between the communities would soon resume, and he declared that the Turkish side would submit concrete proposals on both the constitutional and territorial aspects of the issue.

United Nations Secretary General Waldheim visited Ankara, Athens and Nicosia between January 8 and 18. The Secretary General was apparently encouraged by his conversations with President Kyprianou, Prime Ministers Ecevit and Caramanlis, and Turkish Cypriot leader Denktash, and afterwards said that it might be possible to reconvene the stalled Cyprus intercommunal talks sometime early in the spring.

My Administration has welcomed Prime Minister Ecevit's declared intention to move forward on the Cyprus issue, and we have expressed our readiness to give full support to the initiatives of the Secretary General. Secretary Vance stopped in Ankara and Athens on January 20-22, following a visit to the Middle East, and held very useful discussions on a number of subjects, including Cyprus. The Secretary returned from these discussions convinced that both the governments of Turkey and Greece earnestly desired to work towards a Cyprus settlement.

The Turkish Cypriots, assisted by the Government of Turkey, are now preparing detailed constitutional and territorial proposals that could serve as a basis for resumed intercommunal negotiations. Our understanding is that these proposals may be completed sometime in March, and that negotiations between the two communities could be resumed by the Secretary General sometime thereafter. Toward that end, the Administration has recently urged the Turkish Cypriot leadership and the government of Turkey to develop proposals that are sufficiently substantive and forthcoming to form a basis for genuine negotiation. We have at the same time encouraged the Government of Cyprus to regard the new Turkish proposals, together with the proposals tabled by President Makarios last year, as a basis for initiating a round of intensive, good faith negotiations which can lead to a narrowing of differences.

I strongly hope that productive Cyprus negotiations will be reconvened very soon. I am sure that all who wish to see peace, justice, and stability in Cyprus and in the eastern Mediterranean share this hope.

JIMMY CARTER

The White House,

March 23, 1978.