First Report on the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus

by United Nations

Establishment of the Force

1. In my report to the Security Council of 26 March 1964 (S/5593/Add.3) I informed the Council that the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus would become operational, under the Security Council resolution of 4 March, at 0500 hours on 27 March, at which time Lt. General P.S. Gyani, Commander of the Force, would assume command. At that time the Force consisted of the contingents of Canada and the United Kingdom. On 28 March the advance parties of the Swedish and Finnish contingents arrived in Cyprus. The dates of arrival of the contingents thereafter were as follows:

Contingent	Dates of Arrival
Swedish Contingent	10-14 April
Irish Contingent	19-20 April
Finnish Contingent	25-30 April

The Force Headquarters has been progressively organized on an international basis since 27 March.

Composition of the Force

2. As of 30 October 1964 the strength of the Force was as follows:

Military

Country	Number of Personnel
Austria	10
Canada	1,087
Finland	1,000
Ireland	636
Sweden	889
United Kingdom	2,719
Total	6,341

Police

Country	Number of Personnel
Austria	28
Total UNFICYP	6,369

In addition, a Danish contingent of approximately 1,000 officers and men is expected sometime in May, as well as an Austrian field hospital of some 54 members. Approximately 70 additional Swedish personnel from ONUC are expected to join the Swedish contingent by the middle of May. With these additions and with a corresponding reduction in the United Kingdom contingent, the Force will approach its planned level of 7,000.

Deployment of the Force

3. The Force is deployed in Cyprus as follows:

Nicosia Zone

HQ UNFICYP (International)

HQ Nicosia Zone (Basic Organization Canadian, with representative staff of contingents under command)

Canadian Contingent

Finnish Contingent

United Kingdom Contingent (less 1 Battalion, one company and 2 Armored Car Squadrons)

Austrian Contingent (field hospital), upon arrival.

Paphos Zone

Swedish Contingent

Famagusta District

Irish Contingent

Larnaca District

One Battalion and one armored car squadron of United Kingdom Contingent

Limassol District

One Armored Car Squadron and one company of United Kingdom Contingent

Details of UNFICYP deployment are shown on the attached map.

UNFICYP Police

4. Experience has already shown that the fulfillment of the task of UNFICYP requires an element of police liaison personnel. The duties of these police liaison personnel are as follows:

(a) Establishing liaison with the Cypriot police.

(b) Accompanying Cypriot police patrols which are to check vehicles on the roads for various traffic and other offenses.

(c) Manning United Nations police posts in certain sensitive areas, namely, areas where tension exists and might be alleviated by the presence of UNFICYP police elements.

(d) Observing searches of vehicles led by local police at road blocks.

(e) Investigating incidents where Greek or Turkish Cypriots are involved with the opposite community.

(f) Special investigations as necessary.

5. To fulfill the police liaison requirement, formal requests were made to Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Sweden and the United Kingdom, as well as informal approaches to Australia and New Zealand. Up to the present time, Austria has provided twenty-eight police personnel who became operational on 14 April 1964. Sweden has agreed to provide forty police personnel who are due to arrive in Cyprus on 5 May. Denmark and New Zealand have agreed in principle to provide police personnel subject to clarification of certain administrative arrangements. Australia has undertaken to try to comply with the Secretary-General's request to contribute a detachment of forty police. Finland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom were unable to provide the personnel requested. Canada is still considering the request. The intention is to build up the police element of the Force to a strength of 200 men.

Logistical Support

6. Logistical support is provided to UNFICYP mainly by the United Kingdom and supported through national contingent and United Nations channels. Airlift for incoming contingents has been provided by the United States Air Force and by charter flights.

Air Support

7. The air component of the Force consists of six fixed wing aircraft for observation, six rotary wing for reconnaissance and liaison, and four rotary wing for troop lift, supply and evacuation, all provided by the United Kingdom.

Situation in Cyprus Since 27 March

8. At the time when UNFICYP became operational, the situation in Cyprus was relatively quiet although there had been a series of grave incidents at Ktima from 7-10 March and at Ghaziveran on 19 March. In the towns of Nicosia and Larnaca a definite line (the so-called "green line") between the two communities had been established and was watched over by posts of the British joint peacekeeping force. The Kyrenia Road and the Kyrenia Pass were controlled by the Turkish Cypriots, and the Turkish regular battalion was deployed across the Kyrenia Road north of Nicosia. Road blocks had been established by both parties in many places in the island and movement was severely restricted. In addition, some local industries and mining operations in two areas had suspended work.

9. The first week in which UNFICYP was operational was generally quiet apart from a few relatively unimportant shooting incidents. Some road blocks were removed, and a feeling of guarded optimism prevailed. There were several instances of firing on United Nations troops, and in three incidents United Nations troops returned fire in self-defense. None of these incidents resulted in casualties.

10. On 4 April firing broke out in the area known as Tilliria on the northwest coast of Cyprus where a group of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot villages adjoin one another, and a struggle for the control of a vital hill between the villages of Mansoura and Kokkina began and spread along the road Morphou-Xeros-Kokkina-Polis. Continued attempts were made by UNFICYP to bring the fighting to an end, in the course of which United Nations troops found themselves fired upon by both sides and forced to return the fire. Only on 8 April, after prolonged negotiations both locally and in Nicosia, was tension finally decreased in the area, assisted by the occupation of disputed points between the two parties by United Nations troops, as a result of which the road along the northwest and west coast of the island became open to traffic.

11. In Nicosia itself shooting incidents have occurred with a certain frequency and tension increases or decreases in the city in direct relation to these incidents. There have been no major military clash in the past month. On 16 April Greek Cypriot forces began to strengthen defensive positions around the Ledra Palace Hotel, Turkish Cypriot forces, which had a few days earlier erected a sandbag emplacement and a trench, then also further strengthened their defenses in the same area. From 16 to 18 April Greek and Turkish Cypriots increased their defenses and built a large number of fortified positions in the area of the Ledra Palace Hotel. One unimportant road block was removed after the intervention of General Gyani with President Makarios. A tentative agreement was reached between General Gyani and both parties to remove all fortifications in an area of one square mile near the Ledra Palace Hotel, but the agreement was not confirmed by the Turkish Cypriot side and has not become effective.

12. On 10 April, Greek Cypriot forces began to concentrate in the area of the village of Peno Dhikomo to the north of Nicosia. Firing broke out between Greek and Turkish Cypriot positions and continued, despite interventions and attempts to arrange a cease-fire by United Nations patrols. Sporadic fighting continued in this area for some ten days. On 25 April, Greek Cypriot forces began an offensive against Turkish positions west of the Kyrenia Road in the direction of St. Hilarion Castle. Fighting in this area came to an end on 29 April with a declaration by President Makarios that he had achieved his objective. This was followed by an assurance from the Turkish Cypriot side that they would not fire unless attacked. There was a lull in the fighting in this area on 29 April, although there has been sporadic fire both east and west of the pass.

13. There had been considerable tension in the mixed village of Avios Theodhoros and occasional shooting incidents, but on 22 April, as a result of a misunderstanding following the declaration of the feast of Bayram which included bonfires and shooting in the air by Turkish Cypriots in the village, a detachment of Greek Cypriot Forces moved into the area. This resulted in further increase of tension, and firing borke out between them.

14. From the above summary of incidents it will be seen that in many cases UNFICYP has brought about cease-fires and relaxations of tension by negotiation and, on occasion, by occupying disputed points of territory between the combatants. There have been numerous occasions when minor incidents occurring daily have also been prevented from developing into a major exchange of fire or clashes by personal intervention of local Commanders and through their negotiations with respective head men of the area.

Casualties

15. The casualties on both sides reported to UNFICYP for the period 27 March to 27 April are as follows:

	Killed	Wounded
Greek Cypriot	7	13
Turkish Cypriot	14	15

It should be noted that of the fatal casualties three on the Greek Cypriot side and eight on the Turkish Cypriot side occurred in the very recent fighting in the Kyrenia Pass. The United Nations Force has so far suffered only one light casualty from shooting. 163 separate shooting incidents have been reported to UNFICYP Headquarters during the period.

16. In addition, UNFICYP has had reports from Turkish Cypriots, but not verified in UNFICYP, that since 27 March there are thirty-six Turkish Cypriots missing. It is alleged by Turkish Cypriots that most of these have been detained by the police in the course of checks carried out by them on roads. Lists of these people and of the circumstances under which they were missing, as reported to UNFICYP, have been forwarded to the Government, the police authorities and the International Red Cross.

Conclusion

17. The overall situation on the island has not measurably improved in the past month, although major clashes have been either avoided or contained. Suspicion and a lack of mutual confidence dominate the relations of the two main communities and preserve the tension, which on occasion, increases because of acts of violence and harassment. In this situation, the role of UNFICYP is an exceedingly difficult one, in which both constructive initiatives and non-interference are inevitably and invariably misinterpreted by one side or the other.

18. One third of the period of three months duration for UNFICYP, foreseen in the Security Council resolution of 4 March 1964, has now elapsed. By the middle of the three months' period, as indicated above, the Force will have reached its intended strength of 7,000. The problems faced both by the Secretary-General and by the participating Governments in establishing UNFICYP have been described before and are of an intricate nature. It is obviously important that members of the Security Council should begin even now to devote their attention to the future situation in Cyprus as it may affect UNFICYP.

Portal:United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus