Press Releases, Statements, Notes/Articles and Letters INITIATIVE BY TURKEY ON CYPRUS, 24 JANUARY 2006 Cyprus a reminder CYPRUS: WHAT HAS HAPPENED? Highlights of the UNSG´s report Cyprus (Historical Overview) What the World Said Before the Referanda What the World said After the Referanda The Annan Plan and the Greek Cypriot “NO”: False Reasons and Claims Greek Cypriot state terror revealed Confidence Building Measures (1992-1994) Meaningful Anniversary Of The Cyprus Peace Operation Turkish Parliament Proclaims Solidarity With TRNC And Demands Equal Treatment For The Two States On The Island Resolution By The Turkish Grand National Assembly On 21 January 1997 Circular Note Sent To The Embassies Of The EU Member States Concerning The Greek Cypriot Application To The EU, 30 June 1997 Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Government of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on the establishment of an Association Council Resolution Adopted By The Legislative Assembly of The TRNC March 9, 1998 Aide-Memoire By The TRNC To The British High Commission In Nicosia, 26 March 1998 Documents Given By President Denktas To The UN Secretary-General During Their Meeting In Geneva- 28 March 1998 Resolution of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, 15 July 1999 Treaty Provisions And Basic Documents With Regard To The EU Membership Of Cyprus British Professor of International Law Prof. H. Mendelson Q.C.'s opinion on the legal aspects of the one-sided membership application of the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus to the European Union Final communique of the annual coordination meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the States members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference ( United Nations, New York 28 September 2004, 14 Shaa'ban 1425 H - para. related to Cyprus) Report of the Secretary-General Kofi Annan on his Mission of Good Offices in Cyprus, 28 May 2004 Report of the Secretary-General Annan on the United Nations operation in in Cyprus, 3 December 2007 The Status of the Two Peoples in Cyprus Edited By Necati Münir Ertekün Greek Cypriot Attempts To Purchase Missiles From Russia And The Resulting Danger For The Peace And Stability In Cyprus EU and Cyprus:An Expert View Opinion of Professor M.H. Mendelson Q.C on the Application of “the Republic of Cyprus” to Join the European Union Grand Deception, Korkmaz HAKTANIR, Founding Member of the Cyprus Foundation '' BARBARIE A CHYPRE '' Le Soir Illustré 1967 The Need for New Perspective on Cyprus
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  5. "Partition may be the only solution", Cyprus Mail, 26 February 1998
Cyprus Mail - February 26, 1998 Partition may be the only solution

Hugo Gobbi

Former United Nations Secretary General's

Special Representative on Cyprus

 I would like to congratulate President Clerides on his re-election, because I think that he is an individual of courage and wisdom capable of solving the Cyprus problem.

I propose an intercommunal solution to the problem in my new book, Contemporary Cyprus. I also mention that sometimes, partition can be a civilised way to finish ethnic struggles. The political wind of our time is blowing in favour for cultural alignments, and unification in Cyprus goes against the grain of contemporary history. You have intercommunal divisions all across the world and I sincerely believe that my proposal of separation is the best solution for the Greek Cypriot community.

In order to reach a comprehensive settlement- unification-you will have to pay a very high economic price to establish any kind of income equilibrium. And this high price, expensive even for Germany is not the worst phenomenon that you would have to confront the most damaging element is that you would lose your free determination and you would have to accept a joint Greek-Turkish culture and destiny.

This is because unification would require you to abandon your Hellenic destiny and free determination for a shared determination and would force you to accept Turkish vetoes. In the best of cases, you would reproduce the fragile and unfeasible political structure of 1960. That would mean recreating areas of divergence and probably conflict. Please wake up and let sleeping dogs lie. A settlement that can awaken old ghosts and can bring quarrels on to the scene would be more than an error it would be a fatal sin.

Do you believe in the possibility of the existence of this strange phenomenon - a Hellenic Turkish destiny? The ultranationalists on your side believe that through unification they can obtain hegemony and realise a purely a Hellenic future for the whole island. This is a mistake for geo-strategic reasons: the Turkish Cypriot community is like an iceberg, a small piece of ice over the waves of the sea. But under the surface is a tremendous block of ice in the form of Turkey.

The ultranationalists on the other side have no desire to open the doors to bi-communal coexistence. For the Turks, I believe that separation will be more damaging from the economic point of view.

I am fully convinced that it is more convenient for you to have a serious prosperous and responsible Hellenic Republic with Boutros Ghali's or Gobbi's borders. I understand the sorrow of some of the refugees but a perfect solution that means one hundred per cent success can only be the result of a victorious war - an imposition, and hot the result of negotiation.

The only rational answer to the problem in order to avoid conflict is my proposal a unified Cyprus with a very small area of common jurisdiction or two co-operating states adoring their respective internal and external idols (idols which do not have any similarity but carry with them a lot of prejudice and antagonism).

The absurd idea of a common self-determination or common policy decision between the two commonalities would mark a return to an experiment that failed in 1960. This is because a shared and viable determination is only possible in Harmonious societies that believe in similar external enemies and in a common destiny.

I am not very optimistic about Richard Holbrook's intervention, but I hope to be proved wrong. Today's world has hundreds of clashed of cultures and cultural alignments. Even Scotland is seeking to forget integration and the 1701 agreement. Therefore, you have to realise that contemporary history is on my side, more than when I wrote my book Rethinking Cyprus.