Letter to the Speaker of
the House of Representatives and the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee Reporting on the Cyprus Conflict
October 3, 1988
Dear
Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. Chairman:)
In
accordance with Public Law 95 - 384, I am transmitting to you this bimonthly
report on progress toward a negotiated settlement of the Cyprus question.
On
August 24, 1988, Turkish Cypriot
community leader Denktash and Cypriot President Vassiliou met for the first time. The meetings were hosted
by U.N. Secretary General Perez de Cuellar in Geneva and, as noted in an
official U.N. statement, the leaders of the two sides had an opportunity ``to
become acquainted and to exchange views on the Cyprus problem.''
The
statement also noted that the two leaders ``expressed their readiness to seek a
negotiated solution through the efforts of the Secretary General. They
acknowledged that this would require a determined and sustained effort by both
sides, as well as the creation of an atmosphere of mutual confidence. They
recognized the need to show respect for each other's concerns and to discuss
with good will how these concerns could be met. The two leaders expressed their
willingness to meet without any pre-conditions and to attempt to achieve by 1
June 1989
a negotiated settlement of all aspects of the Cyprus problem.''
As
agreed at Geneva, talks between the two
sides are continuing in Nicosia, with further meetings
held September 15, 16, 21, and continuing into the week of September 26. There
will be another meeting in late October with the Secretary General in New York to review progress.
We
have been actively encouraging resumption of a meaningful negotiating process.
Shortly before the August 24th talks, I sent a message to the Secretary General
commending his persistent and patient engagement over many years in the effort
to assist the parties to achieve peace. I also transmitted oral messages to
both leaders with my best wishes for their attempt to reach a lasting, mutually
acceptable solution of the Cyprus problem. As I noted in
the letter to the Secretary General, the United States will continue to
support strongly the effort to achieve a settlement of this tragic conflict.
On
August 1, I met with President Vassiliou in Washington and discussed our
mutual hopes for resolution of the Cyprus problem as well as the
excellent state of our bilateral relations. I reiterated my strong confidence
in the U.N. Secretary General and was pleased to hear him echo that thought and
to express his sensitivity to the needs and concerns of the Turkish Cypriot
community. In the course of his visit, he also met with the Vice President, the
Secretary of State, the Secretary of Commerce, the U.S. Trade Representative,
and other high-ranking officials, private individuals, and groups.
We
have continued frequent consultations with the two parties, the U.N., and other
interested countries and individuals during the past 2 months. In August, the
U.N. Secretary General's Special Representative for Cyprus, Oscar Camilion, visited Washington and met with Assistant
Secretary of State Ridgway, Assistant Secretary of
State Williamson, and the Special Cyprus Coordinator. Special Cyprus
Coordinator Wilkinson also visited Cyprus in mid-July and met
with the leaders of both sides and numerous other interlocutors. In all of
these meetings, we reiterated our strong commitment to assisting in the search
for a peaceful settlement to the Cyprus problem.
Sincerely,
Ronald
Reagan
Note: Identical letters
were sent to Jim Wright, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Claiborne
Pell, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.