A clear reference to the basis for a solution to the Cyprus problem “without queues” was demanded by all members of the Security Council from Britain, in yesterday's discussion of the second draft resolution for the renewal of UNFICP's mandate – which was delivered on Friday – in which, however, repeated requested by Turkey and distorted the provisions of the resolutions.
The point of contention is the fourth paragraph of the preamble, at the end of which Britain added to the reference to “the parameters of a bi-zonal bi-communal federation as defined in the relevant resolutions” including paragraph 4 of operative part 716/1991 broad enough to cover a range of practical and legal arrangements.
The United States, China, India and Ireland pioneered support for the position for a clear reference. In recent months, Britain has called for a broad interpretation of the resolutions, even in the informal Pentagon in Geneva. In fact, in the recent consultations of the SA. tried unsuccessfully to convince member states that this wording would help convene a new informal meeting in the autumn, in which Turkey would take a more constructive stance. According to a diplomatic source, similar views on the resolutions had been expressed by Secretariat officials.
All the other countries asked for the paragraph to remain as it was in the previous resolution. Britain has said it will send a new draft in the morning, which will be put into a tacit process and then finalized for adoption 24 hours later, on Thursday.
It should be noted that in the same paragraph was added the reference to the 4th paragraph of its operative resolution 716, on the eve of the meeting Guterres – Anastasiadis and Akiji, in Berlin, in order to facilitate the then Turkish Cypriot leader to accept the terms of reference and reiterate the at the base of the Guterres frame. Eventually the terms of reference were abandoned by the UN Secretary General himself, Turkey and Turkish Cypriots are talking about two states, but the reference to 716 remained and now Britain is calling for further alteration of the provisions of the resolutions.
The resolution, which will be adopted on Thursday, will renew the mandate of UNFICYP for one year, while it asks the UN Secretary General to submit a report every six months on the mission of his good services.