VZCZCXRO4531
OO RUEHIK
DE RUCNDT #1152/01 3572024
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 232024Z DEC 09
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7905
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 001152 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO UNFICYP UNSC CY
SUBJECT: CYPRUS: SPECIAL ADVISOR DOWNER ASSESSES SOLID 
PROGRESS ON REUNIFICATION TALKS 
 
USUN NEW Y 00001152  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Special Advisor Downer told the Security 
Council on December 9 that there had been "solid progress" in 
reunification negotiations, which was mainly due to the 
"clear commitment" of Greek Cypriot President Christofias and 
Turkish Cypriot leader Talat to the process.  Turkey called 
for the negotiations to be accelerated, and framed its 
support for the process in the context of the May 23, 2008 
joint statement by the two leaders.  Turkey also supported a 
tripartite meeting of the guarantor powers to discuss 
security aspects of a settlement.  Ambassador Rice and most 
other Council members offered support for Downer's efforts, 
for an acceleration in the pace of the talks, and for 
confidence building measures that generate public support for 
a settlement.  France, Russia and China supported the efforts 
of the two leaders, but not for Downer.  Special 
Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Zerihoun 
recommended that the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus 
(UNFICYP) remain for an additional 6 months.  He reported 
that most Turkish restrictions on the movement of UNFICYP 
personnel had been lifted, but remained for locally employed 
UN staff.  All Council members except Turkey supported a 
six-month UNFICYP extension, though Japan and Costa Rica 
suggested the mission might be reconsidered in six-months if 
there is no settlement.  END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------- 
DOWNER BRIEFING 
--------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The Security Council heard briefings on December 9 
from the Secretary-General's Special Advisor, Alexander 
Downer, and Special Representative Taye Brook Zerihoun on the 
two UN missions in Cyprus.  Downer, who leads the 
Secretary-General's Good Offices Mission, said there had been 
"solid progress" in the reunification negotiations, which was 
largely due to the commitment of Greek-Cypriot President 
Demetris Christofias and Turkish-Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali 
Talat to the process.  He said he was impressed with the 
determination of the two leaders to discuss difficult issues 
despite heavy public criticism.  Downer believed the leaders 
were negotiating in good faith.  Actual progress had been 
made on issues related to governance, the economy and the 
European Union, and Downer thought the leaders were close to 
an agreement on governance.  Progress on property, territory 
and security had been slower, he said, although the two sides 
had recently produced their first joint paper on property, 
which categorized issues to be addressed.  Referring to his 
role in the negotiations, Downer emphasized the UN was "not 
in the business of arbitrating or dictating a solution," but 
"we do what we can to help."  He recognized that the 
negotiations were an "intensely political process," and the 
two leaders were cognizant of the need to negotiate in such a 
way that they could sell the solution to their respective 
constituencies.  He underscored the importance of support for 
the process from the Security Council. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Turkish Permrep Apakan said Turkey was committed to 
support the reunification talks, and he recalled the May 23, 
2008 joint-statement of the two leaders, which he said formed 
the basis for the negotiations.  Apakan called for the pace 
of the talks to be accelerated, noting that the SYG's report 
had said the "coming weeks and months" would be decisive. 
Apakan offered support for a tripartite meeting of the 
guarantor powers, to discuss security aspects of a 
settlement. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Ambassador Rice underscored U.S. support for the 
Cypriot-led settlement process, and emphasized that the UN 
plays a critical role through the Good Offices Mission. She 
welcomed Mr. Downer's recent intensified involvement on the 
island, and his push for an additional series of back-to-back 
negotiating sessions to fully exploit the window of 
opportunity.  Rice said it would be important to generate 
public support for a settlement, and she welcomed the 
progress achieved in the opening of the Limnitis/Yesilirmak 
crossing, recalling U.S. support for that effort. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Most other Council members offered unqualified 
support for Downer and the Good Offices Mission.  U.K. 
Permrep Lyall Grant said he recognized that the current 
negotiations were different from previous efforts to 
negotiate a solution, in that there would be no direct 
arbitration and no deadlines.  However, he added that the 
process could not be open ended.  He repeated the U.K. offer 
to give up half of its sovereign territory on the island, 
which the U.K. had publicly offered in November 2009 as an 
incentive for an agreement. 
 
¶6. (SBU) France, Russia and China offered their full support 
for the efforts of the two leaders, but stopped short of 
 
USUN NEW Y 00001152  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
welcoming Downer's efforts, instead acknowledging the "role" 
played by the SYG's Good Offices Mission.  Russian Permrep 
Churkin said it was important for UN involvement "not to harm 
things," since it was "up to the parties themselves to carry 
out negotiations."  All three members also emphasized that 
there should be no deadline for the completion of 
negotiations. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Libyan Permrep Dabasshi singled out Turkey's efforts 
to maintain momentum in the talks. 
 
----------------- 
ZERIHOUN BRIEFING 
----------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) At the same meeting, SRSG Taye-Brook Zerihoun 
briefed the Security Council on the activities of UNFICYP, 
saying the situation was "calm and stable", and that both 
opposing forces had exercised restraint and had cooperated 
with UNFICYP. Zerihoun said military violations by the 
opposing forces had been "comparable", and that they had 
mainly occurred in the Nicosia old town.  Zerihoun noted that 
UNFICYP's efforts to advance military confidence building 
measures had been largely unsuccessful, but he expressed 
satisfaction that Turkish and Turkish Cypriot forces had 
lifted almost all restrictions on the movements of UNFICYP 
personnel.  Zerihoun called for the immediate lifting of 
remaining restrictions on the movement of locally employed UN 
civilian personnel.  Zerihoun told the Council UNFICYP 
continued to play a "vital and unique role" and recommended 
that the mandate should be extended for an additional six 
months. 
 
¶9. (SBU) All Council members except Turkey supported a 
six-month UNFICYP renewal. Ambassador Rice, echoed by Mexico, 
said she looked forward to the UN carrying out contingency 
planning in relation to the settlement. Japanese Permrep 
Takasu suggested that if there is no progress in the 
negotiations, the Council should look at the UNFICYP mandate 
in six months with a view to "allocating its very valuable 
assets" to more pressing peacekeeping needs.  Costa Rica 
stressed that peacekeeping missions "should not turn into 
permanent entities." 
 
10j. (SBU) Turkish Permrep Apakan said Turkey could not 
support an UNFICYP extension "for well-known reasons", and 
suggested it was instead time for an UNFICYP resolution that 
enjoyed the consent of both sides.  He defended Turkish and 
Turkish Cypriot restrictions on the movement of UNFICYP 
locally employed staff, saying a 1964 status of forces 
agreement gave local staff a different status than 
international UN staff.  Apakan also criticized the 
Secretary-General's report on UNFICYP as being one-sided. 
RICE