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A/33/499

Letter dated 78/12/13 from the Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

UN Document Symbol A/33/499
Alternate ID S/12967
Convention International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance
Document Type Letter
Session 33rd
Type Document
Description

2 p.

Subjects Disappearance of Persons

Extracted Text

UNITED NATIONS GENERAL SECURITY ASSEMBL Y COUNCIL Distr. GENERAL A/33/499 S/12967 13 December 1978 Original: ENGLISH GENERAL ASSEMBLY Thirty-third session Agenda item 12 REPORT OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL Letter dated 13 December 1978 from the Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General I have the honour to enclose herewith a letter dated 13 December 1~970 addressed to you by Mr. Nail AtaLay, the representative of the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus. I Would be grateful if this letter were circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda item 12, and of the Security Council. (Signed) Orhan ERALP Ambassador Permanent Representative 70-31324 A/33/499 S/12967 English Page 2 ANNEX Letter dated 13 December 1978 from Mr. Nail Atalay to the Secretary General As Your Excellency will recall, the General Assembly, with a view to resolving; the question of missing persons in Cyprus, adopted the resolution 32/12B on 14 December 1977 envisaging the establishment of an investigatory body, the participation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which would be in a position to function impartiallv, effectively and speedily. At the time of its adoption and on several occasions thereafter, the Turkish Cypriot side who has been suffering the agony of missing persons since 1963 has announced that it sumported the provisions of the resolution and was ready and willing to set up immediately the investigatory body, with the participation of the International Committee of the Red Cross Which is the only competent organ having: the expertise and the experience in the field of missing persons. While the framework provided by resolution 321123, adopted with the consent of the parties directly concerned, remains still intact, a new recourse b:y the Greek Cypriot Administration to the United Nations General Assembly, seeking a new resolution on the subject, in complete disregard for agreements previously reached and the exclusion of the International Committee of the Red Cross from the investigatory body is a clear demonstration of the lack of goodwill and a betrayal of the real motives in bringing "the question" before the United Nations in the first instance. This is an attitude hardly compatible with the current efforts to bring about intercommunal reconciliation and serves no other purpose than anti-Turkish propaganda For this reason and upon the instructions from my President, His Excellency Mr. Rauf R. Denktas, I regret to inform Your Excellency that the draft resolution adopted by the Third Committee on 12 December 1978, will in no way be acceptable to us and the Turkish Cypriot side will not consider itself bound by its provisions. Nevertheless, the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus, motivated by humanitarian concerns, continues to be ready to co-operate in the establishment of the investigatory body as provided by the General Assembly resolution 32/128. I should be Grateful if this letter Were circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda item 12, and of the Security Council. (Signed) Nail ATALAY Representative