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 last sixty days towards a negotiated settlement on Cyprus.

In my last such report to the Congress, submitted on October 28, I described with cautious optimism the efforts that the Administration had been undertaking to promote an early resumption of meaningful intercommunal negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations. Over the past sixty days we have continued to discuss the Cyprus issue extensively with Turkish, Greek and Cypriot representatives and with U.N. officials, our purpose remaining that of persuading the parties to resume intercommunal talks at the earliest possible date and to be prepared to come to the table with substantive, negotiable proposals.

The Cyprus situation was discussed in the bilateral meetings that Secretary Vance held with Greek Foreign Minister Papaligouras and Turkish Foreign Minister Caglayangil in Brussels in early December. These conversations and contacts with the two Cypriot communities have fortified our belief that a Cyprus settlement is earnestly desired by the parties concerned, and that they accept the need to resume negotiations to this end. Foreign Ministers Papaligouras and Caglayangil also met bilaterally in Brussels, and in a joint communiqué stated that Greece and Turkey would continue to encourage a prompt resumption of negotiations as a means of promoting a comprehensive solution of the Cyprus problem.

We hope that the recent elections in Greece will give new momentum to the search for a Cyprus settlement. Prime Minister Caramanlis said in his policy statement to the Chamber of Deputies in Athens on December 14 that his government "will continue to support the intercommunal talks under U.N. aegis and will provide its full support to the people of Cyprus..."

The Turkish Government has in recent weeks given public evidence of its favorable attitude towards a settlement on Cyprus. In a series of public interviews late in November, Foreign Minister Gaglayangil declared his support for an early resumption of negotiations and indicated Turkish flexibility with respect to both territorial and constitutional aspects of a package agreement. He also called for economic cooperation between the two Cypriot communities, and reaffirmed the Turkish Government's intent to withdraw its troops from the island once a settlement is in effect. This Administration has welcomed Foreign Minister Caglayangil's statements as containing a number of positive elements, and we have also noted as steps in the right direction the Turkish Government's decisions to withdraw an air force unit and 700 of its ground forces from Cyprus. It is our hope and expectation, based on the Turkish Government's announcement, that additional troop withdrawals will be made. Steps such as these might improve the general atmosphere so as to encourage the sense of trust required to make meaningful talks possible.

Since late October the Administration has actively encouraged the two Cypriot communities to reach agreement on formulation of a joint committee—with International Red Cross participation—to investigate cases of persons reported as missing and unaccounted for since the intercommunal violence of the 1960's and the Turkish intervention of 1974. Work towards establishment of such a committee is proceeding. Tracing missing persons is, of course, a humanitarian rather than a political matter. Nevertheless, the experience of these past two months demonstrates that practical solutions to the problems that divide Greek and Turkish Cypriots might indeed be attainable. The readiness of both Cypriot parties to accept a simple and non-controversial resolution on missing persons in the U.N. General Assembly's Third Committee testified to a constructive attitude on this issue.

The United Nations General Assembly conducted its annual debate on Cyprus November 7-9, and the Security Council approved on December 15 the extension for a further six months of the mandate of the U.N. peacekeeping force on Cyprus (UNFICYP). The General Assembly debate provided the opportunity for a thorough debate of the issues involved in the Cyprus dispute. Renewal of the UNFICYP mandate, in itself an important step, was significant also for the commendable spirit of compromise displayed by the several parties concerned.

Resolute movement towards intensified negotiations is still required, and in the weeks and months ahead we will persist in our efforts to achieve this goal. We believe we are proceeding in the right direction, and we remain hopeful that substantive progress towards a just and lasting Cyprus settlement can be achieved.

JIMMY CARTER

The White House,

January 20, 1978.