February 3, 1986
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. Chairman:)
In accordance with Public Law 95 - 384, I am submitting to you a bimonthly report on progress toward a negotiated settlement of the Cyprus question.
Since my last report, the U.N. Secretary General has continued his good offices mission. U.N. officials held working-level meetings with the Turkish Cypriot side in London November 18 and 19, 1985, and with the Greek Cypriot side November 30 and December 1.
These discussions were to review the positions of the parties, elicit their views on outstanding issues, and help him prepare a framework agreement for a Cyprus settlement which he plans to submit to both sides for their consideration. The Secretary General subsequently termed these meetings useful and said both parties had agreed to continue these discussions.
On December 14, 1985, the U.N. Security Council renewed the mandate of the United Nations Forces in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for another six months. Prior to the vote the Secretary General sent the Council a report on U.N. operations in Cyprus, including a review of his good offices mission over the June 1 - November 30, 1985 period. I am enclosing a copy of the Secretary General's report.
U.S. officials have continued to consult closely with the interested parties. In December Deputy Assistant Secretary James Wilkinson, the Department of State's Cyprus Coordinator, visited Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus and held discussions on bilateral questions and on the Cyprus issue. In Cyprus he met with Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders. During his trip, Mr. Wilkinson expressed our support for the U.N. Secretary General's initiative as the most realistic and productive approach to achieving a Cyprus settlement and urged all concerned to cooperate with the Secretary General's efforts.
Sincerely,
Ronald Reagan
Note: Identical letters were sent to Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr., Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Richard G. Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The letter was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on February 4.