The United Nations and the Cyprus Question

Abstract

Nowhere has the United Nations been engaged in a regional conflict longer than on Cyprus. In 1955 the Greek delegation to the General Assembly endeavoured to secure a place for Cyprus on the agenda under the heading of national self-determination. Feeling themselves rebuffed, the Greek Cypriots turned to insurgency under the leadership of EOKA (National Organization of Cypriot Fighters). From April 1955 to February 1959, British forces engaged in inconclusive warfare against the guerrilla forces of the Greek-Cypriot community, while the Turkish-Cypriot community — barely 18 per cent of the population — apprehensively awaited the outcome. Through a series of trilateral meetings in 1958–59, Great Britain, Greece and Turkey succeeded in drafting a series of agreements providing for the independence of Cyprus and guaranteeing a bi-communal constitution premised on the chimera of collaboration among ethnic elites. Having been proclaimed on August 16, 1960, the Republic of Cyprus found itself embroiled in a Greco-Turkish civil war in December 1963. The United Nations interceded shortly thereafter and since then has played a critical role. This chapter provides an historical overview of the United Nations on Cyprus with reference not only to its peacekeeping mission, but also to the work of the Security Council and the Secretariat in the search for a diplomatic solution.