UN Security Council adopted a resolution regarding the extension of the mandate of the UNFICYP for a further period of six months on 15 December 1999.

The references to the so-called "Government of Cyprus" and all relevant UN Security Council resolutions which have not been accepted by Turkey from the very beginning since they are in contradiction with legal and political realities of Cyprus, have been retained in the resolution. Furthermore, the resolution dwells upon an irrelevant issue, that of "missing persons", which is pending due to the attitude of the Greek Cypriot Administration. It is not possible for us to accept these elements.

However, the resolution has a new dimension of a key importance regarding the future of the Cyprus issue, indicating that the views of the Turkish side are finally gaining understanding and confirmation in the UN Security Council. This is a development of real significance.

This development is embodied in the new content of the "addendum" to the Report of the Secretary General on the United Nations operation in Cyprus. With this addendum, the fact that Turkey supports the position of the Turkish Cypriot party, namely that UNFICYP can operate on both sides of the island only on the basis of the consent of both parties and that the Turkish Cypriot authorities will accordingly request UNFICYP to work with them to develop modalities of UNFICYP's operations in northern Cyprus, was registered in the UN documents for the first time.

With this official document of the UN Security Council, the facts that there are two equal parties in the Island, that these parties have equal authority, hence that the modalities of UNFICYP's operations will be defined by the authorities of the two parties separately, have been accepted and recorded. The maintenance of the current line of the UN Security Council which is in accordance with the realities of the Island and the full reflection of this line to the resolutions and work of the UN Security Council would facilitate the quest for a settlement in Cyprus.