387. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rogers to President Nixon 1
SUBJECT
- Progress on the Cyprus Problem
The news of crises invariably receives total attention while news of progress usually gets buried. I would like to call your attention to some quiet, but hopeful developments.
For several months we have been working hard to avoid another crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean. As you know, this summer the local negotiations which were basic to the containment of the Cyprus problem broke down and violent incidents began to increase. In the face of a deteriorating situation, we suggested a third-party presence to reinvigorate the negotiations. This idea was developed by Greece and Turkey and then elaborated and formally proposed by U Thant as a new negotiating procedure. I supported this proposal during my bilateral meetings with the Foreign Ministers of Greece, Turkey and Cyprus in October.2 Subsequently, we made diplomatic representations here and in Athens, Ankara and Nicosia urging acceptance by all parties.
On December 13 the Security Council met to consider Cyprus. We were successful in getting a noncontroversial resolution extending the UN force on Cyprus for six more months, which will aid greatly in maintaining a peaceful atmosphere in which negotiations can proceed. In addition, Cyprus accepted the Secretary-Generalʼs proposal without qualifications. This breakthrough together with earlier acceptances by Greece and Turkey (the latter with qualifications) will in my view make possible the resumption of the negotiations in the near future. I believe our representations were very important, if not crucial, in getting the parties back to the negotiating table.
We will, of course, closely monitor the evolving situation in order to assist the parties whenever our efforts would be appropriate and helpful. On the Cyprus front the new year has a hopeful cast.
- Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 592, Country Files, Middle East—Cyprus, Vol. I Jan 1969–June 30, 1974. Confidential.↩
- See Document 382. Rogersʼs talk on Cyprus with Kyprianou was reported in telegram Secto 149, October 8. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL CYP–US) His talk with Olcay was reported in telegram Secto 117, October 8. (Ibid., POL 7 TUR)↩