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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 001758 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV CY GR TU
SUBJECT: GAMBARI BRIEFS UNSC: COUNCIL SILENCE BROKEN ON 
CYPRUS 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: On August 29, following a briefing by 
Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs Ibrahim 
Gambari, Security Council members -- in a small, but welcome 
step forward -- agreed to a press statement that broke the 
Council's silence on the Cyprus issue for the first time 
since the failure of the referenda on the island in April 
¶2004.  In the briefing preceding the statement, Gambari 
reviewed for the Security Council his July 3-9 visit to 
Turkey, Greece and Cyprus.  The Under-Secretary General gave 
a thorough review of the positions he had encountered in 
Ankara and Athens, as well as from Papadopoulos and Talat on 
the island.  Gambari stated that he hoped the two communities 
could soon begin implementing the agreement they had reached 
when their leaders met with him on July 8 and start setting 
up technical committees and working groups.  Gambari said 
that if there were significant progress, then "there might be 
a chance to appoint another Special Advisor soon and resume 
fully a Mission of Good Offices." Gambari added that it might 
also be necessary to seek out volunteer donations as setting 
up initial technical committees and working groups "could 
cost as much as three to four million dollars in the first 
six months."  Gambari pointed to the Committee on Missing 
Persons as one area where positive results were being 
witnessed.  Following Gambari's briefing, Council members 
made national statements and then negotiated over the text of 
the statement proposed by Gambari.  Greece fought to add 
politicized language, but at the end of the day there were no 
significant changes to the press statement. End summary. 
 
Gambari Reviews His Visit to Turkey, Greece and Cyprus 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On August 29, Under-Secretary General for Political 
Affairs Ibrahim Gambari briefed the Security Council on his 
July 3-9 visit to Turkey, Greece and Cyprus.  Gambari noted 
that in Greece and Turkey he had met with foreign ministers 
and senior officials for comprehensive discussions of the 
Cyprus problem.  On the island, he had met with Presidents 
Papadopoulos and Talat separately and then together in a 
three-hour private meeting.  In Ankara, Gambari said he was 
told that "any settlement should be based on the parameters 
of the Annan Plan" and even though SYG Annan had only a few 
months left in office he should send a clear message to the 
world about the importance of the Annan Plan.  Gambari said 
Ankara also expressed to him frustration that the EU had 
failed to address the Turkish Cypriots' isolation.  Gambari 
reported Ankara had argued against "giving in to pressure to 
move the Cyprus problem from the UN to the EU platform." 
Additionally, Ankara had suggested to Gambari that its Action 
Plan could be a transitional confidence building measure. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) In Athens, Gambari, said he was told that 
"discussion of substantive issues should proceed along 
simultaneously with discussion of technical ones."  Any 
negotiation, however, should be preceded by "careful 
preparation and based on European values, such as non-use of 
force."  Greece had also told Gambari that it would support 
to the utmost Turkey's EU membership, even though it thought 
there would be rough sailing ahead. 
 
¶4. (SBU) On the island, said Gambari, Talat and Papadopoulos 
met three times the week of his visit: during the 
installation of the third member of the Missing Persons 
Committee, at a reception Gambari hosted and during a 
three-hour meeting with Gambari.  Papadopoulos had made it 
clear he did not want partition, rather, a "viable state in 
the form of a bi-zonal federation as envisaged in UNSC 
resolutions."  Papadopoulos stated that he preferred the 
phrasing "the two communities" over to "the two sides" or 
"the two parties" because it prevented giving the impression 
that any possible agreement would be between two states. 
Papadopoulos had said he supported Turkey's EU entry as in 
Cyprus' "own best interest."  Gambari also reported that 
Papadopoulos told him he believed that the Annan Plan was 
"null and void" yet had conceded that it "would not fade 
away" and there were "certain core issues in it that needed 
to be addressed in order to safeguard the interests of the 
Greek Cypriots."  Papadopoulos reportedly had continued that 
he supported a "comprehensive, piecemeal approach, but Cyprus 
should not be blamed for April 2004." 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Talat for his part, said Gambari, believed the 
easing of isolation in the North, while "not a substitute for 
a solution, might help the Greek Cypriots take a more 
flexible approach to a solution."  Talat also insisted that 
the Turkish Cypriots should be referred to as "parties." 
Talat further shared his deep concern about the deterioration 
of the situation at the crossing points where the Turkish 
 
USUN NEW Y 00001758  002 OF 003 
 
 
Cypriots had been harassed and detained by the police in the 
south. 
 
Gambari: Chance of Resuming Good Offices Mission If All Goes 
Well 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Gambari, who had spoken twice in the last week with 
Talat and once with Papadopoulos, said Talat now wanted him 
to "return to the island right away to help move the process 
forward."  However, Gambari said that he told Talat that the 
SYG would "only let him go if there were tangible progress." 
Gambari noted that he hoped the two communities could agree 
soon on how to make progress and start implementing the July 
8 agreement and set up technical committees and working 
groups.  If they were to accomplish that, he said, then there 
might be a chance to appoint another Special Advisor. 
Gambari also said that if there were movement on the July 8 
agreement then it might be necessary to seek out volunteer 
donations as "setting up an initial group of ten or so 
technical committees and five to nine working groups could 
cost as much as three to four million dollars in the first 
six months."  Gambari also commented that the Committee on 
Missing Persons was doing well and was one of the areas where 
positive results were being witnessed.  Gambari asked that 
the Council make a brief press statement supporting 1) the 
SYG's continued efforts, 2) the July 8 agreement and 3) full 
implementation of that agreement without delving into 
controversial political issues. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Gambari also reviewed the latest positions of the 
parties noting that the Turkish Cypriot's want a meeting of 
leaders before committees and working groups are convened, 
but the Greeks want the committees and working groups to meet 
first and make progress before the leaders meet.  Gambari 
stated that "upon instruction Moller has maintained the 
often-stated position of SYG that he wants to see genuine and 
tangible progress before committing fully to full-fledged 
negotiations, including the appointment of another Special 
Advisor." 
 
National Statements 
 
¶8. (SBU) Greece stated that bicommunal discussions on 
technical committees and working groups could be parallel and 
it was important to lay the groundwork for a full resumption 
of negotiations.  Greece said the Turkish Cypriot side had 
begun to question "fundamental elements of the July 8 
agreement" but trusted that Gambari could be successful.  The 
UK praised Gambari for reaching the July 8 agreement and said 
we should continue to support the UN and urge forward 
progress.  Russia argued that the resolution of the Cyprus 
problem should not be to the advantage of either community 
and also welcomed that the parties had exchanged lists.  In 
the US statement, Minister-Counselor Brencick welcomed 
Gambari's accomplishments on Cyprus to date but noted concern 
over some backsliding by both parties and also with the 
continued isolation of the North, which he said hampered the 
efforts of the Security Council to foster unity and bring the 
problem to a resolution.  France said that the technical 
committees and working groups should meet right away and said 
it regretted delays in implementation of existing agreements. 
 
 
¶9. (SBU) Press Statement 
 
Following statements by Council members, Gambari distributed 
a draft statement that was approved by the members with one 
minor revision.  Greece had insisted on adding language at 
the end of Gambari's statement saying that "the work of the 
technical committees and working groups should be begin right 
away" while the U.S. argued that that it would be preferable 
to stay with Gambari's lean statement as originally drafted 
and avoid taking sides on an issue being contended between 
the parties.  The Council finally agreed to add the 
constructively ambiguous phrasing "urges that work begin 
quickly" to the statement, though Gambari spoke up to say he 
thought even that addition was unnecessary. 
 
Begin text: 
 
 
¶1. The members of the Security Council express support for 
the Secretary-General's continued efforts aimed at reaching a 
comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem. 
 
¶2.  In this context, they welcome the Agreement that was 
reached on 8 July during the mission of 
 
USUN NEW Y 00001758  003 OF 003 
 
 
Under-Secretary-General Ibrahim Gambari to the region. 
 
¶3. They call for full implementation of the 8 July agreement 
without further delay and urges that work begin quickly. 
 
End text. 
BOLTON