A/37/PV.116 General Assembly

Before taking up the first item on our agenda for this first meeting of the resumed thirty~seventh session, I should like to invite the atten- tion of the General Assembly to document A/37/807, which contains a letter addressed to me by the Sec- retary-General informing the Assembly that eight Member States are in arrears in the payment of their financial contributions to the United Nations within the terms of Article 19 of the Charter. I should like to remind delegations that, under Article 19 of the Charter, "A Member of the United Nations which is in arrears in the payment of its financial c~ntributions to the Organization shall have no vote in the General Assembly if the amount of its arrears equals or exceeds the amount of the contributions due from it for the preceding two full years." May I take it that the General Assembly duly takes note of this information? It was so decided.

The Assembly will now con- sider the fifth report of the General Committee [A/37/ 250/Add.4]. In paragraph 2, the General Committee recommends that the Assembly should consider agenda item 37, entitled "Question of Cyprus", directly in plenary meeting, on the understanding that it would, when considering the item, invite the Special Political Committee to meet for the purpose of affording representatives of the Cypriot communities an opportunity to speak in the Committee in order to express their views, and that the Assembly would then resume its consideration of the item, taking into account the report of the Special Political Committee. 3. Mr. KIRCA (Turkey) (interpretation from French): I should simply like to say that, if there had been a vote on the subject of this proposal by * Resumed from the 1000h meeting. ** Resumed from the 88th meeting. 1967 A/37/PV.1l6 NEW YORK the General Committee, Turkey would have voted against, since the proposal is far from ensuring par- ticipation of the Turkish Cypriot community on an equal footing with the Greek Cypriot community in. the debate. on the question of Cyprus. However, I shall not request a vote. 4. The PRESIDENT: In light of the statement just made by the representative of Turkey, the Assembly will now take a decision on the recommendation of the General Committee contained in paragraph 2 of its report. May I take it that the Assembly adopts the recommendation of the General Committee? It was so decided (decision 37/402). 5. The PRESIDENT: In pursuance of the recom- mendation just adopted, I should like to suggest that the Assembly invite the Special Political Com- mittee to meet this afternoon, immediate2y after the adjournment of the plenary meeting. The Assembly would then resume its consideration ofthe item tomor- row morning. May I take it that the General Assembly agrees to the procedure that I have just suggested? It was so decided. 6. The PRESIDENT: The Chairman of the Special Political Committee will be informed of the decision just taken. I should like to remind the Assembly that in the past the meetings of the Special Political Committee devoted to the question of Cyprus were provided with verbatim records. May I take it that the Assembly wishes the same procedure to be followed for the meeting of the Special Political Committee to be held this afternoon? It was so decided.

The Assembly has before it an addendum to the report of the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference for the Promotion of Inti:rnational Co-operation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy, relating to the work of its fourth session [A/37/48/Add./]. May I draw the attention of the Assembly to the decisions adopted by the Prepar- atory Committee at that session, which appear in annex I. In decision 5 (IV), the Preparatory Com- mittee recommended that the General Assembly should: *** Resumed from the 110th meeting. U(b) Decide, at its thirty-eighth session, on the date and venue ofthe fifth session ofthe Preparatory Commi~tee for the Conference." May I take it that the General Assembly adopts those recommendations? It WlIS so decided (decision 37/453). 8. The PRESIDENT: In decision 6 (IV), which also appears in annex I of document A/37/48I.Add.I: "The Preparatory Committee decided that the Conference secretariat should proceed as far as practicable with the preparations for the Conference in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly." May I take it that the Assembly takes note of that decision? It WlIS so decided (decision 37/454).

Before caUing on the first speaker, I should like to propose that the list of speakers in the debate on this item be closed tomor- row, Wednesday, 11 May, at 5 p.m. If I hear no objection, it will be so decided. It WlIS so decided. 10. The PRESIDENT: I call on the first speaker in the debate this afternoon, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, Mr. Nicos Rolandis. 11. Mr. ROLANDIS (Cyprus): I wish, first of all, Mr. President, to take this opportunity to express, on behalfofthe Government ofthe Republic ofCyprus and on my own behalf, warm and sincere congratu- lations for the impeccable manner in which you have conducted the work of the thirty-seventh session of the General Assembly. Your devotion to the cause of the United Nations, your long experience as a career diplomat, your eminent qualities and your· wisdom constitute the best assurance for a compre- hensive and successful outcome of the deliberations of this resumed session. 12. The agenda of the General Assembly at the current session is a mirror image of the myriad problems which beset the world of the 19808. And as the ever-escalating plethora of those problems strains the nerves and the stamina of jittery societies all over the globe to the breaking-point, we, at the United Nations, amazed at the scope of anarchy and chaos, keep wondering how all this will end. 13. Can problems possibly continue piling up at this pace? Can war, conflict, confru9tation, animosities and disputes spread further geographically and mark with their horrid presence whatever area may have been left intact on the map? Is there room for much more bitterness? Could the North go much further 21. Of course, we are not here before the Assembly today to recapitulate events of which you have been apprised on many occasions. We are not here for a post-mortem of the tragic events of 1974 and of those which have ensued. However, this macabre prelude is necessary if we are to view the problem in the right perspective. Otherwise, we run the risk of missing its main and true character, ofignoring the size and depth of the iceberg and of solely considering its tip. 22. Since 1974, the Government of the Republic of Cyprus has exerted all its strength and influence and has made painstaking efforts to find a peaceful solu- tion of the Cyprus problem. I am stressing the fact that, although a military intervention was the cause of the problem, its resolution has always been en- visaged through peaceful, political means. This same principle will be guiding our thoughts in the future as well. 23. The intercommunal negotiations, carried out under the auspices of the Secretary-General and based on the United Nations resolutions and the high-level agreements of 12 February 19771 and 19 May 19792, have been the main political instrument through which peace and a lasting settlement have been sought. With the lapse of time, however, this process became quite controversial. On the one hand, there are obvious advantages in a negotiation, because it allows contact and communication, it reduces the risks of aggra- vation of the situation, it maintains the stimulus for a solution and, last but not least, through detailed analysis and exchange of views it provides the inter- nationally accepted method for the settlement of disputes. On the other hand, prolongation of the pro- cess, filibustering by the Turkish side and, so far, the obvious lack of political will on the part of Turkey to consider with sincerity and fairness ways and means for a balanced settlement deprive the process of its effectiveness. 24. Moreover, the presence of the Turkish troops of occupation in Cyprus is the cardinal reason for the lack of progress in the intercommunal negotiations. 25. My Government has studied this issue with meticulous care and has decided that, despite short- comings, on balance, the intercommunal talks should not be abandoned. The process, however, will have to get rid of its shortccmings and must be placed on the right basis and track. It has to serve effectively the purposes for which it was agreed on and established and become a vehicle for a ~olution of the Cyprus problem and for the advent of cond~tions of political stability, peace and security all over the country. This has been, after all, the call of the international community: that the intercommunal talks should be substantive, meaningful, result-oriented and con- structive. adv~~rse conditiG:~s, our people will not succumb or yield. They will ~onH~ue th~ir struggle for freedom and vineication by peaceful means". 33. I therefore appeal ,0 those amongst you who have fel( the bitter taste ofoccupation and the excruci- The meeting rose at 4 p.m. NOTES I See Officie,' Records of the Security Council, Thirty-second Yetlf, Supplement for April, May and June 1977, document 8/123230 para. 5. Z ibid., Thirty-fourth Year. Supplement for April, May and June 1979. document 8/13369 and Add.l. para. 51.