Yesterday the United Nations Security Council passed two separate resolutions on Cyprus.

One of the resolutions is on the extension of the mandate of United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus( UNFICYP) for a period of six months as of 31 December 1998. The other resolution concerns the process of on-island talks with both parties initiated by the Secretary General's Deputy Special Representative for Cyprus Dame Ann Hercus.

The UN Security Council, through its resolution on the extension of the mandate of UNFICYP, has once again repeated the erroneous approach it has been pursuing for years, by stating that UNFICYP's mandate has been extended with the consent of the "Cyprus Government", which in effect has lost its legal basis as a result of the unjust usurpation of power by the Greek Cypriot administration in 1964. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has informed the President of the Security Council that it cannot give its consent to such a resolution, but that nevertheless it would continue its co-operation with UNFICYP within the framework decided by its own sovereign will.

Turkey supports the position of the TRNC.

Resolutions related to UN Peacekeeping Forces are of technical nature. Past experience shows that missions of Peacekeeping Forces are facilitated to the extent that the resolutions are simple and result oriented.

This being the case, it is observed that in its resolution on UNFICYP, the UN Security Council has reflected certain views on how to find a solution to the question of Cyprus. These views do not rest on the clear consent of the two sides in Cyprus and therefore do not have validity.

In fact, the Mission of Good Offices of the Secretary-General is based on the principle that any settlement should require the explicit consent of the parties.

With a view to finding a solution to the Cyprus question, the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Mr. Denktaş has proposed the establishment of a confederation and the resolution of major issues between the two states in Cyprus.

The UN Security Council which has expressed its concern over the lack of progress in the resolution of the Cyprus question, should have made a more careful evaluation of the constructive and realistic proposal of President Denktaş.

At the current stage, the acknowledgement of two sovereign and equal states arises as a pre-requisite in order to make progress on the various aspects of the Cyprus question. This point is equally valid with regard to the success of the process of on-island talks conducted by the Secretary General's Deputy Special Representative for Cyprus.