Agreement on confidence-building measures pursued.The Security Council on 15 December extended the stationing of the UN Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP UNFICYP United Nations Forces In Cyprus ) until 15 June 1994, marking the 30th year of the Force's existence. By resolution 889 (1993), the Council also noted two expert studies on the package of confidence-building measures Confidence-building measures (CBMs) are certain techniques which are designed to lower tensions and make it less likely that a conflict would break out through a misunderstanding, mistake, or misreading of the actions of a potential adversary. , welcoming Secretary- General Boutros Boutros-Ghali's decision to concentrate on achieving an agreement on the package to "facilitate the political process towards an overall settlement". The confidence-building measures include the reopening Reopening Treasury offerings of additional amounts of outstanding issues, rather than an entirely new issue. A reopened issue will always have the same maturity date, CUSIP number, and interest rate as the original issue. of Nicosia International Airport Nicosia International Airport () is an abandoned airport. It lies to the west of the Cypriot capital city of Nicosia. NIC used to be the principal airport for Cyprus from its initial construction in the 1930s as the Royal Air Force station RAF Nicosia until 1974. and the fenced area of Varosha, which could boost the island's tourist industry. The Council hoped for rapid progress in achieving agreement on the package, and welcomed the support from the Government of Turkey It would also welcome a statement of support from the Government of Greece. The experts' reports on field work in Cyprus in October and November 1993 were submitted to the Secretary-General on 15 December. He noted in conclusion that the package would yield "significant economic benefits" to both Greek and Turkish Cypriots Ethnically Turkish inhabitants of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus are referred to as Turkish Cypriots. The term is sometimes used to refer explicitly to the indigenous Turkish Cypriots, as opposed to the Turkish migrants who have settled there since the Cyprus conflict of 1974. . Political will needed Joe Clark Noun 1. Joe Clark - Canadian politician who served as prime minister (1939-) Charles Joseph Clark, Clark , the Secretary-General's Special Representative to Cyprus, in a 16 December press briefing, said that practical measures had been outlined to make the confidence-building measures work. However, the political will to implement them had to be demonstrated. The Council, in resolution 889 (1993), also reaffirmed that the "status quo [Latin, The existing state of things at any given date.] Status quo ante bellum means the state of things before the war. The status quo to be preserved by a preliminary injunction is the last actual, peaceable, uncontested status which preceded the pending controversy. is unacceptable" and encouraged the pursuit of the Secretary-General's mission of good offices on the basis of the package, as well as the "Set of Ideas" endorsed by the Council on 26 August 1992. The Council also noted the Secretary-General's conclusion that the present circumstances did "not allow for any modification in the structure and strength of UNFICYP". It called upon the military authorities on both sides to ensure that no incidents occurred along the buffer zone buffer zone n. A neutral area between hostile or belligerent forces that serves to prevent conflict. Noun 1. buffer zone , and urged a significant reduction in defence spending defence spending n → gasto militar and in the number of foreign troops in Cyprus "to help restore confidence between the parties and as a first step towards the withdrawal of non-Cypriot forces". The military authorities, the Council said, should begin discussions with UNFICYP on prohibiting live ammunition or weapons other than hand-held ones along the cease-fire lines, as well as the firing of weapons within sight or hearing of the buffer zone. A shrinking UNFICYP The strength of UNFICYP had fallen from 2,132 in December 1990 to 1,203, the Secretary-General reported on 22 November (S/26777). The Force was covering the ceasefire lines more thinly than before, and "its capacity to react to incidents (on average 90 per month) and to prevent them from escalating has been affected". The Force Commander and the Secretariat Secretariat, 1970–89, thoroughbred race horse. Trained by Lucien Laurin and ridden by Ron Turcotte, Secretariat won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes to capture the Triple Crown in 1973. Secretariat (foaled 1970) U.S. , he went on, had concluded that a number of arguments continued to weigh heavily against using large numbers of unarmed military observers in UNFICYP. There was no clear agreement between the two sides on the delineation of the ceasefire lines or about what was permitted under the cease-fire. An alternative option of dividing UNFICYP functions between infantry and military observers was examined, but was not recommended by the Secretary-General. "While UNFICYP has successfully kept the peace, the resulting opportunity has not been used properly by the two sides to reach an overall agreement", he said. Mr. Boutros-Ghali intended to resume contact with the Governments of Turkey and Greece, as well as the two sides in Cyprus, after the Turkish Cypriot elections on 12 December 1993. On 5 October, he met with President Glafcos Clerides of Cyprus. They discussed the importance of maintaining the momentum in the Secretary-General's good offices mission, with particular emphasis on the confidence-building measures. |
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