Ανανέωση
θητείας της UNFICYP
από
το Συμβούλιο Ασφαλείας του ΟΗΕ
Κατά
τη σημερινή επίσημη συνεδρία του Συμβουλίου Ασφαλείας των Ηνωμένων Εθνών υπό την
προεδρία του
Μονίμου Αντιπροσώπου της
Ουρουγουάης, Πρέσβη Elbio Rosselli
, υιοθετήθηκε ομόφωνα το ψήφισμα με αριθμό S
/2263/2016 που ανανεώνει τη θητεία της ειρηνευτικής δύναμης των Ηνωμένων Εθνών
στην Κύπρο, UNFICYP
, για ακόμη έξι μήνες, μέχρι 31 Ιουλίου 2016.
Το
προσχέδιο του ψηφίσματος σας συναποστέλλεται.
Αμέσως
μετά την υιοθέτηση του ψηφίσματος, οι Αντιπρόσωποι της Αιγύπτου, της Ρωσικής
Ομοσπονδίας, του Ηνωμένου Βασιλείου και των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών έλαβαν το λόγο
για επεξήγηση της ψήφου τους.
Οι
δηλώσεις
ακολουθούν :
Egypt: Thank you Mr. President. Mr. President, Egypt welcomes the adoption
of resolution 2263 on the extension of the mandate of the UN force for
peacekeeping in Cyprus on a base of consensus. This is out of our conviction of
the important role carried out by this force in supporting the stability in
Cyprus, particularly in light of the positive momentum in the negotiating process between
both Cypriot parties and based on what both parties have expressed of their
complete commitment to reach a comprehensive settlement and sustainable
settlement for the Cypriot issue as fast as possible. And despite that, Egypt is
convinced that it was important to include the preambular paragraph 13 of the
resolution, to indicate the nature and identity of the military basis in the
north of Cyprus, in a way that reflects the reality on the ground. When dealing
with the issue of missing persons this issue of humanitarian nature, first is
important, so that all parties can be faced with their responsibilities and
since Egypt stresses the importance of securing all efforts to give success to
the political process we reiterate all parties must be responsible during the
negotiations and to abstain from any act that may lead to increase tension or to
harming the positive environment that prevails now. Egypt also stresses in this
context again that the Cypriot settlement must abide by the relevant Security
Council resolutions and in current political conditions regionally. Thank you
Mr. President.
Russian Federation: Mr. President, the Russian Federation voted in favor of resolution
2263 on extending the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus, which
plays an important role in the maintenance of peace and calm on the island. We
are in favor of intercommunity relation and negotiation. We have even noted that
the document is seriously flawed because the sponsors of the resolution did not
hear the opinion of a number of Security Council members and did not reflect an
obvious fact in this text, the presence in Cyprus of the two communities and
also of one further player mainly Turkey which maintains an enormous military
presence on the island and its true relationship with the settlement of the
Cyprus issue is still not clear. This is attested too for example, by the fact
that the Turkish air force regularly violates Cypriot air space. We are
convinced that such actions have a negative impact on the negotiation atmosphere
and harm civil aviation in the region and should be curtailed. We are in favor
of the Cypriot parties finding a negotiating solution which should be in line
with the aims and principles of the UN charter as well as the provisions of the
relevant Security Council resolutions and with response to contemporary
geopolitical realities. In this context we note that the existing security
mechanisms namely systems of external guarantees to Cyprus are in relic of the
colonial era and have no place in the 21 st century. Thank you.
United Kingdom: Thank you Mr. President, the United Kingdom warmly welcomes the
renewal of the mandate for the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
through resolution 2263, unanimously adopted today. As the pen holder on this
issue and as one of the largest contributors to UNFICYP, we are pleased that the
mission has been extended for another 6 months. We thank colleagues for their
roles for bringing our negotiations to a successful conclusion. This adoption
sends a positive message at a hopeful time for Cyprus. Through resolution 2263
we have done three main things. First, we have welcomed the progress and the
positive momentum in the leaders led settlement negotiations. Second, we have
captured the positive developments since the last mandate renewal, including on
confidence building measures. And third we have authorized a modest uplift in
UNFICYP’s force levels to assist the mission in its planning for the hopeful
event of a settlement in the near future. As pen holder, the United Kingdom
recognizes that there were sensitivities, as evidence by my Russian colleague’s
statement. Our efforts during the drafting focused on striking a fine balance on
emotive issues and we believe that the resolution, unanimously adopted, achieves
that balance. A balance that allows everyone to ensure that no party felt
undermined, it draws on language from the UN Secretary’s General UNFICYP report.
The draft also has the support of the parties themselves and we are very glad to
note that it has received a significant number of co-sponsors from other Council
members. Finally, there is positive momentum ongoing in the leaders led
settlements negotiations. The Council now needs to assist those leaders to reach
agreement. The road ahead will be tough and the leaders will need to show
continued courage to take difficult decisions. In doing so, they will have the
full support of the United Kingdom, something British foreign secretary Phillip
Hamond made clear during his visit last November, but the support of the whole
Council will also be vital in making this prospect of a settlement, a reality.
We have a real opportunity ahead to bring this long running issue to an overdue
conclusion, and let us help, let us all help the leaders to seize that
opportunity. Thank you Mr. President.
United States: Thank you Mr. President. The United States fully supports the
renewal of UNFICYP’s mandate. We commend both Cypriot leaders for their
determination to make substantial progress towards a comprehensive settlement to
end the long standing division of the island and reunify Cyprus as a bi-zonal,
bi-communal federation. As the Secretary of State of the United States,
Secretary Kerry recently said at the World Economic Forum “we are committed to
supporting the best chance in decades to achieve a Cyprus settlement.” The
United States is optimistic a settlement agreement can be achieved, but we know
this will require the continued persistence of the two leaders, as well as
support from the international community, including the Security Council. It is
unfortunate that a member of this Council’s remarks have attempted to politicize
this consensus adoption. We urge all Council members to engage on Cyprus free of
ulterior political motives driven by external factors and in the best interest
of the Cypriot people. Thank you
.
____________
28/1/2016
