Committee once again proposed that an arrangement, inspired by the protecting-power formula envisaged by the Geneva Convention, be made to ensure neutral thirdparty protection for, and representation of the interests of, the population of the occupied territories.

General Assembly Action

On December 3, Pakistan introduced four draft resolutions which were eventually sponsored by slightly varying groups of from seven to ten Asian and African states. All of the resolutions were approved on December 5 by rollcall votes and subsequently adopted by the Assembly on December 15 by recorded votes.

The first resolution (1) declared that Israeli policies and practices in the occupied territories violated the UN Charter; (2) reaffirmed that these actions were null and void; (3) further reaffirmed that Israel's alleged policy of settling new population in occupied territories violated the Fourth Geneva Convention; (4) requested the Special Committee to continue its work; and (5) asked the Secretary General to facilitate the work of the Special Committee and to report his actions in doing so to the 31st General Assembly. The resolution was approved in committee by a vote of 81 to 4 (U.S.), with 20 abstentions, and adopted in plenary by a vote of 87 to 7 (U.S.), with 26 abstentions.

The second resolution (1) reaffirmed that the Fourth Geneva Convention is applicable to all of the occupied territories, including Jerusalem; (2) deplored Israel's failure to acknowledge that fact; and (3) called upon Israel to make that acknowledgment and to comply with the Convention. The resolution was approved in committee by a vote of 106 (U.S.) to 1, with 3 abstentions, and adopted in plenary by a vote of 112 (U.S.) to 2, with 7 abstentions.

The third resolution requested the Special Committee to continue to investigate the destruction in Quneitra and asked the Secretary General to continue to make available to the Special Committee all the facilities necessary to its tasks and to report to the 31st Assembly. The resolution was approved in committee by a vote of 84 to 2, with 24 abstentions (U.S.), and adopted in plenary by a vote of 87 to 2, with 32 abstentions (U.S.).

The fourth resolution, after expressing in preambular paragraphs concern over alleged Israeli actions reported by the Special Committee as violating the religious rights of the inhabitants of the occupied territories and considering that these actions constituted a new threat to peace and security in the area, (1) declared all Israeli measures to change the

institutional structure and religious practices in the Al-Ibrahimi Mosque to be null and void; (2) called upon Israel to cease these measures; and (3) requested the Secretary General to investigate the situation in the mosque and to report as soon as possible. The resolution was approved in committee by a vote of 78 to 4 (U.S.), with 26 abstentions, and adopted in plenary by a vote of 82 to 5 (U.S.), with 33 abstentions.

In a statement after the votes in the Special Political Committee, Ambassador Sherer explained that the United States had voted against the first resolution because it considered that the serious allegations in it had not been sufficiently verified and because the resolution constituted an unbalanced treatment of a complex and many-sided situation. The United States voted for the second resolution because of the longheld U.S. position that the Fourth Geneva Convention does apply to the occupied territories. The United States had abstained on the resolution concerned with the destruction of Quneitra because of objections, similar to those of the previous year, to certain terms of reference for the investigation. Finally, the United States had been constrained to vote against the last resolution because the United States was not only against one-sided treatment of a complex human problem-in this case, the reconcilement of the needs of the followers of two faiths to worship in their own ways at a site equally revered by both--but also because the resolution prejudged the issue in its preambular language.

CYPRUS

Intercommunal Talks

Intercommunal talks between representatives of the Greek and Turkish communities took place both on Cyprus and in Vienna and New York. On Cyprus, they were held in the presence of the UN Secretary General's Special Representative (Luis Weckmann-Muñoz and later Perez de Cuellar).

The representatives of the two Cypriot communities, Glafkos Clerides and Rauf Denktash, met in Nicosia, January 14-February 7. On February 19, the Secretary General discussed the intercommunal talks with government leaders in both Greece and Turkey. Following these discussions and adoption of a Security Council resolution on March 12 (see below), the Secretary General met with the communal representatives in Vienna, April 28-May 3, June 5-7, and July 31-August 2, and in New York, September 8-10. An early result of these meetings was the establishment of an expert committee to examine the powers and functions of a central government in a federal state of Cyprus. The committee held

The

its first meeting in Nicosia on May 12 in the presence of the Secretary General's Special Representative. intercommunal meetings also reached agreements on some humanitarian questions and the repair of the Nicosia airport by the United Nations. But as the year ended, proposals had not been made by both sides on the central question of the boundaries of the Greek and Turkish zones of a future Cypriot state and the intercommunal talks were suspended,

Security Council Meetings on the Cyprus Question

At the request of Cyprus, following the announcement on February 13 in the Turkish area of Cyprus of the establishment of a "Turkish Federated State of Cyprus," the Security Council met eight times between February 20 and March 12, 1975. After extended debate, the nonaligned members of the Council made an intense and lengthy, but ultimately unsuccessful, effort to achieve a resolution acceptable to all the parties in the Cyprus dispute and to all members of the Council. The attempt in the nonaligned draft to create a way for the Security Council to participate in the Cyprus negotiations was the principal focus of disagreement. Following the end of the nonaligned effort, a resolution that had been prepared in the course of consultations among all Council members was introduced by the Costa Rican Representative, in his capacity as President of the Council, and adopted without a vote on March 12.

This resolution, inter alia, (1) regretted the unilateral declaration of a Federated Turkish State as tending to compromise the intercommunal talks; (2) considered that new efforts should be made to resume the talks; and (3) requested the Secretary General to undertake a new mission of good offices, and to begin it by convening the parties under new agreed procedures which would facilitate the resumption of the talks under his personal auspices.

Ambassador Scali spoke twice during the debate. On February 27, after expressing regret at the February 13 declaration, and recalling Secretary Kissinger's statement on the same day reaffirming U.S. recognition of the Government of Cyprus as the sole legitimate government on the island, he urged the parties to respond to the Secretary General's offer of his good offices. Ambassador Scali emphasized that the United States believed that "a solution can only be achieved by free negotiations between the parties, not by dictation from outside." On March 12, Ambassador Scali welcomed the resolution adopted that day and urged "the parties to respond positively and cooperatively to the initiatives the Secretary General must take in pursuance of today's resolution."

Extensions of UNFICYP

UNFICYP. the UN peacekeeping force on Cyprus, continued its operations on the island throughout 1975. These consisted of maintenance of the cease-fire, humanitarian activities, and, as far as possible, protection of Greek and Turkish Cypriots residing in each other's zones of control.

By a vote of 14 to 0, with China not participating, the Security Council on June 13 adopted a resolution on UNFICYP with provisions similar to those of previous years and extending the Force for another 6 months. The U.S. Representative, Ambassador Bennett, welcomed the resumption of the Vienna talks and praised the outstanding contribution of UNFICYP to the safety and welfare of the people of Cyprus. Urging the parties to reach a settlement through direct negotiations, he emphasized that "progress must be made toward permanent peace on Cyprus--and it must be made now."

In a resolution of December 13, the Council again, and in virtually identical terms, renewed UNFICYP for a further 6 months. The resolution was again adopted by a vote of 14 to 0, with China not participating. Speaking for the United States, Ambassador Sherer again paid tribute to the men and officers of UNFICYP, and praised the efforts on the Cyprus issue of the Secretary General and others in the United Nations. Urging the parties to make progress in their talks, he declared that "those who have so benefited by its [the United Nations] work can now fairly be asked to repay its efforts with their own."

UNFICYP Staffing and Finances

In his semiannual report to the Security Council on the UN operation in Cyprus, the Secretary General reported that on November 30, 1975, UNFICYP's strength was 3,069 men from Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The Force included both military personnel and civilian police.

UNFICYP continued to be supported entirely by voluntary contributions. The United States pledged $9.6 million toward the Force's 1975 expenses. This amount brought the cumulative total of U.S. financial support for UNFICYP to $80.9 million. In addition to its cash contributions to UNFICYP, the United States also provided air transport services in 1964-65 valued at $1.3 million.

UN Humanitarian Activities

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees continued, at the Secretary General's request, to coordinate relief activities on Cyprus and international contributions to those activities. UNFICYP again gave major support by providing transportation for supplies and medical teams and by arranging evacuations and medical care. (See also, p. 165.)

General Assembly Consideration

On September 16, Cyprus requested that the "Question of Cyprus" be included in the agenda of the 30th General Assembly. The Assembly decided on September 19 that the item would be considered directly in plenary session, but that the Special Political Committee would hear the representatives of the two Cypriot communities. (The Special Political Committee met for this purpose. on November 12.)

In his September 22 address before the 30th General Assembly Secretary Kissinger spoke of the UN contribution to the process of peace in Cyprus. He affirmed that the details of a settlement were for the two communities themselves to decide, but declared that the Secretary General, who had the responsibility for organizing the peacekeeping force on the island as well as facilitating the talks between the leaders of the two communities, deserved the full support of the parties and of all UN members. (For the full text of his statement see Appendix I, p. 377.)

The Assembly discussed Cyprus in seven meetings between November 11 and 20. Both Cyprus and Turkey put forward draft resolutions, but neither was pressed to a vote. On November 20 the Assembly adopted by a recorded vote of 117 (Cyprus, Greece) to 1 (Turkey), with 9 abstentions (U.S.), a resolution sponsored by Algeria, Argentina, Guyana, India, Kenya, Mali, and Yugoslavia. The key operative paragraphs of the resolution demanded the withdrawal of foreign troops from Cyprus, called upon the parties to facilitate the return of refugees, and called for the resumption of the intercommunal talks under the auspices of the Secretary

General.

Following the adoption of this resolution, Ambassador Sherer expressed the U.S. regret that the Assembly had failed to achieve a resolution acceptable to all the parties and explained that the United States had accordingly abstained. He noted, however, that the resolution provided a clear mandate to the Secretary General to continue his mission of good offices. Urging the representatives of the two communities to