The Governments reply to the continuing Murders

21 October 1996

Mr Argyros George Argyrou

Dear Mr Argyrou,

Thank you for your letter of 13 October to the Foreign Secretary about Cyprus.

I very much share your sense of anger and frustration at ht recent killing of Mr Kakoulias on 13 October. We have unreservedly condemned this killing. We have pressed both sides to exercise restraint and calm, and have made further representations in Ankara in an effort to urge restraint among Turkish military commanders on the ground. The killing of an unarmed civilian is totally unacceptable. During talks with the leaders of both communities last week, Sir David Hannay, the Government's Special Representative for Cyprus and our High Commissioner pressed both sides to look again at measures to prohibit the use of live ammunition at front line posts and to extend the 1989 unmanning agreement as called for in UN Security Council Resolutions.

The successful resolution of the intercommunal dispute in Cyprus can only come about through direct negotiations between the leaders of both Cypriot communities. The Guarantor Powers, including Turkey, have a role to play in this process. We make this clear to the Turkish Government frequently, most recently when the Foreign Secretary met Mrs Chiller in New York last month. But we think that the most effective way of encouraging Turkey to make a constructive contribution not only on Cyprus but on other international questions is to strengthen its links with Western institutions. A policy of sanctions and isolating Turkey would simply not work. Nor can a solution be imposed from the outside: a just and enduring settlement can only come about through the consent and reconciliation of the two Cypriot communities.

Yours sincerely,

G Tebble.

Gary Tebble

Southern European Department.