Monday, May 5, 2014

United Nation Peacekeeping Mission Force in Cyprus-Meryem Rabia Tasbilek



United Nation Peacekeeping Mission Force in Cyprus was set up by the Security Council in 1964 after the fight as a result of some incidents that occurred between Greek and Turkish Cypriots communities. These incidents caused many absences of political settlements and produced the Cyprus Problem. According to UN Peacekeeping Mission internet site, UNFICYP has remained on the island to prevent additional violent incidents and to support and hopefully produce peace agreements between two sides of Cyprus citizens. To fulfill these goals, the UN has been trying to "maintain a buffer zone, undertake humanitarian activities and support the good offices mission of Secretary-General." (UNFICYP Background 2014) In this paper, I will give some background about the Cyprus issue and the UN's peacekeeping mission's mandates, not only this, but also their various progresses to reach more peaceful environment on the island. The paper will also contain some failures of their mandates. The reader will be able to reach some information about the UN Cyprus Peacekeeping Mission's mandates and their relations with the six terms of Human Security principles. I will analyze the mission's practices if they are successful to maintain some of these principles.
To understand the practices and the position of United Nation Peacekeeping Mission in Cyprus, first we need to be aware of the history of Cyprus Island and the political settlements in Cyprus. “The Republic of Cyprus became an independent state on 16 August 1960 and became a member of the United Nations one month later” (UNFICYP Background 2014). The main goal was maintaining peace and to balance both Greek and Turkish Cypriot populations. Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom became parts of a treaty to reach basic peaceful settlements on the island. It is interesting to come across with the United Kingdom during this agreement when we do not have enough information about the history of the island. In 1878, Ottoman Empire made an agreement with the United Kingdom that called “Ayastefanos” and let the United Kingdom control the island by the price of supporting the Empire against Russia’s treats. The United Kingdom was agreed to pay some of the profits that was gained from the island after they took some parts for their cost (Metu Edu 2014, 1). This issue seems very complex and need some wider research and explanation, but to keep focus on the United Nation Peacekeeping Mission, I just wanted to share this part.
In 1974, because of some news that came from Cyprus about the security of Turkish Cypriots and murdered civilians’ reports, Turkey invaded the island and they became violent too. If some united forces were able to take actions on time, they could have prevented Turkey’s militarist attack. Thankfully, at least after the declaration of the independence of The Republic of Cyprus, there are some organizations and their mandates such as United Nation Peacekeeping Missions to keep the island more peaceful and improve Human Security for both communities; Greek and Turkish Cypriots. UNFICYP started to “supervise ceasefire lines, maintain a buffer zone, and undertake humanitarian activities and support the good offices mission of the Secretary-General” (UNFICYP Background, Mandate 2014).  UNFICYP declares its mission as “in the interest of preserving international peace and security, to use its best efforts to prevent a recurrence of fighting and, as necessary to contribute to maintenance and restoration of law and order and a return to normal conditions” (Establishment of UNFICYP 2014). This was the first mandate of the Security Council and extended regularly btween 1964 to 2014.
The UN Peacekeeping Mission Force has been trying to increase Human Security on the island. These missions are: The Primacy of human rights, Legitimate political authority, A bottom-up approach, Effective multilateralism, Integrated regional approach and Clear and transparent strategic direction (Human Security, 2008). Before creating some links between UNFICYP and six principles of Human Security, it is better to mention these specific principles. First of all, Human Security "refers to the security of individuals and communities." This specific security is related with "freedom from fear" and freedom from want." Human Security range is wider and more qualitative than security of stat but more realistic than Human Development (Human Security 2008:10). The Mission forces try to perform certain additional functions  such as “maintenance of the ceasefire, deployment of the Cyprus National Guard and the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot forces, and ceasefire lines and buffer zones were established between the areas controlled by opposing forces” (UNFICYP 2014). UNFICYP also maintains surveillance by all possible ways to prevent new incidents. According to the mission internet site, under the “Maintenance of Ceasefire and Military Status Quo” title, we have learned that three percent of the island has been used as buffer zones which are the most valuable agricultural lands of Cyprus. The Cypriots needs to use these lands as safe zones to keep the territory peaceful, because there is no official peace agreement between Greek and Turkish sides of the island. This makes all population unclear and unstable about their today's and tomorrow's peace. In addition, because of the same reason Cyprus communities needs a third side to help them maintain Human Security in their territories (UNFICYP Background 2014).
The Force has been using various types of actions to investigate and act based on specific situations on the island such as “troops, verbal and written protests, and follow up-action to ensure that the violation has been rectified or will not occur again” (UNFICYP Background 2014). The Force also tries to prevent unauthorized entry or activities by civilians from the buffer zones. By the help of the mission, we are able to learn that there has been decrease in military violations which seems related with fifth principle of Human Security which is related with integrated regional approach. We learn that this principle is also related with “borders through refuges, transnational criminal networks” including “regional dialogues and action between neighboring countries” (Human Security 2008).  Moreover, “UNFICYP’s civilian police maintain close cooperation and liaison with the Cyprus police and the Turkish Cyprus police on matters having intercommunion aspects” (UNFIYCP Background 2014). This is also related with the fourth principle of the Human Security principles which is Effective multilateralism. This principle tries to maintain collective works “within the framework of international law, alongside other international and regional agencies, individual states and non-state actors” to create common rules and norms (Human Security 2008). By the support of the mission, Cyprus has increased its crossing points between two sides for visits in both directions. UN police was ensuring the safety of the visitors. This task is related with maintaining the mandates of the mission and also the first and the fifth Human Security principles. In addition to these, the mission force creates and becomes a part of humanitarian activities which are also related with the third principle of the human Security; a bottom-up approach. The mission forces tries “to encourage normal civilian activities in the buffer zones” (UNFICYP, Humanitarian Activities 1998).
Moreover, there is very useful information in the United Nation Security Council Reports that United Nation Peacekeeping Mission Forces in Cyprus publish regularly at their official internet sites. I was able to read several of them to see the improvements and failures from the beginning of the mission to the present days. According to the mission’s 1998-2014 reports, they have been able to improve the calmness on the island and “create distance between the soldiers that deployed on each side of the buffer zones” (United Nation Security Council Activity Report, 1998:8). Moreover, when people experience detentions because of crossing the buffer zone, the mission forces were actively supporting the families of the detainees and arranged some family visits in the place of detention (UNSCA Report, 1998:16). In addition, they were able to arrange some touristic and cultural visits to historical Monasteries and Mosques that takes places on the other sides of Cyprus. The Mission forces became successful to improve the lives of minorities who are politically belonging to other sides of the island (UNSCA Report, 1998: 17-20). These are successful parts of the mission mandates that are related with Human Security Principles such as Integrated Regional Approach; principle five. Their “restoration and normal conditions and humanitarian” mandate also gained some success, too. For instance, the mission forces encouraged to renew expended and automated telephone connection between both sides of the island. Cypriots was also encouraged to use the buffer zones for peaceful purposes such as agricultural work, but it seems like these parts of improvements are mostly symbolic (UNSCA Report, 1998:18, 25).
According to the mission's reports, there were “frequent minor incidents” and failures. In 1998, both sides continued major military construction even though the mission protests and emphasize that this kinds of constructions increase the tensions along the ceasefire lines (UNSCA Report, 1998:4).  Unfortunately, we need to mention some of the failures of the Mission which are related with Human Security principles. For instance, there have been some over flight incidents from both sides and “live firing ground attack exercises onto a range area” (UNSCA Report, 1998:5, 1998). In the same year, we are able to learn that both sides continued to upgrade their military capabilities. “It is estimated that there are over 30.000 Turkish forces and some 4.500 Turkish Cypriot troops on the island” (UNSCA Report, 1998:6). The report mentions that the both sides continued the military capabilities, but the report preferred to mention only the Turkish side’s military statistics which seems problematic. In addition, it seems like Turkish part’s continuous militaristic investment and soldier stocking is really high. This information is not very transparent for Turkish people. I believe that, the mission is not good at for the third; “a bottom-up approach” principle of Human Security. Their actions seem more official and political rather than encouraging civil movements.
Moreover, based on the mission reports, they are not working enough to reach civilians to create more conditions for peace and stability. They are more interested in politic faces or superficial protests. For instance, the mission’s activities about the minefields and booby-trapped areas are too weak. They may not have enough power than to create some pressure on both sides of the island politically, but if they could try to work more with civilians and try to create awareness of the issue and their actual losses, this mission could be more successful especially regarding the Human Security principles. For instance, surprisingly in the mission’s regular reports, I have learned that there is a restriction “remains that Greek Cypriots and Maronites cannot bequeath their property, even to their next of kin, unless their heirs also live in the northern part of the island. Otherwise, immovable property is expropriated by the Turkish Cypriots authorities when the owner dies” (UNSCA Report, 1998:22). This seems extraordinarily unacceptable practice. I think, if the Peacekeeping Mission was able to organize some case studies or special project about this practice especially by creating awareness about this policy, we may be able to change it earlier. This is a sign of failure of the mission especially about the second, third, fifth and sixth Human Security principles. In my opinion especially the third; the bottom-up approach and the fifth one; integrated regional dialogue principles are not very successful. I believe that if people that live in Turkey were informed by the mission by the help of mass media, new generation could create some movement against it, too. As a Turkish citizen, I was shocked when I read this policy for the first time during my research for this paper. Unfortunately, after all these years with the support of the mission force, the conditions of the island seem not very pleasant. Not only the mission’s report, but also the Special Adviser on Cyprus; Alvaro de Soto and the Secretary-General Kofi Annan mentions in their speeches that they “have been reached the end of the road and the mission and the mandates are mostly failed to reach a peaceful point in Cyprus (Press Release 2013).
As I finish, it seems like the mission has also some weakness that is related with the sixth principle of Human Security that called “Clear and transparent strategic direction.” The mission publishes some reports regularly, but their missions and mandates are too broad. Based on their reports, it seems like they are mostly reacting to the incidents rather than creating some peaceful ones regularly. I am not trying to underestimate their efforts, because they have also some success for improving Human Security in Cyprus as I mentioned before. However, I think their main weakness is having distance from civilians in their projects. Thankfully, the mission still has some mandates and goals to create and “improve the public atmosphere for negotiations in 2014 report. However, probably because of the continuous deadlock in Cyprus, all the mandates and reports seems to become more superficial and general. I believe that if they still insist to extend the mission after every six months, they need to avoid becoming this much superficial or they need to abolish the mission. I suggest this because generally if some organizations are interested in some issues officially, the other organizations generally ignore them.
Ultimately, United Nation Peacekeeping Mission Forces in Cyprus became operational on the island after 1964. There is not enough information about the violent incidents on the island when we check the UNFICYP reports. The report use only superficial notions like incidents, hostilities, fighting etc. I believe that to make these reports more functional for new generations of Cyprus’ Greek and Turkish communities, this organization need to prepare more detailed reports and suggestions which must be more than official jargons such as general statements like welcoming, acknowledging, recalling, noting general things. At the beginning the mission reports are more useful to understand the issues of the island.
In addition, I found that these UN reports about Cyprus are published in six languages including English, French and Spanish, but none of these reports are published in Greek or Turkish. This seems very problematic when we are aware of the UN’s power and its opportunities. I believe that if the United Nation Peacekeeping Mission forces really want to maintain their goals and improve the Human Security on the island, first the organization need to publish these reports in both sides' language and make these sources available for Cyprus communities at least for the new generation Social Science students and researchers. Moreover, the United Nation Security Council Reports that Peacekeeping Mission Force publishes on their internet site seems like becoming more superficial regularly from 1998 to 2014. We are more able to reach detailed reports, news and solution requests at the mission’s early stages. This can be as a result of both Cyprus sides' practices and weak cooperation, but if the council insists to continue extending the mandate of the mission regularly, to keep the mission meaningful and functionally to improve Human Security on Cyprus Island, they need keep their motivation and efforts high. Hopefully, in the future Cyprus can reach to more peaceful conditions by the help of many civil and official forces including the United Nation Peacekeeping Mission force.

Bibliography
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Kaldor, M., Martin, M., Selchow, S., 2008. “Human Security: A European Strategic Narrative.” 
International Policy Analysis, Division for International Dialogue: 2-3.
United Nation Peacekeeping Mission Force in Cyprus. “Humanitarian Activities,” 2014.
United Nation Facts and Figures. “United Nation Security Council Action Report, 1998,” 2008. 
UNFICYP. “Background,” 2014.
Apr, 2014.
United Nation. “United Nation Peacekeeping Mission Forces in Cyprus Reports 1998-2014,”
Accessed: Apr 13, 2014.
General Kofi Annan,  “United Nation Peacekeeping Mission Forces in Cyprus Press Release,” 
2013 UN Press,  <http://www.un.org/en/unpress/search.asp>. Accessed: 10 Apr, 2014.
 Metu. “Peacekeeping Mission Cyprus,” 2014.   
United Nation. “United Nation Peacekeeping Mission Forces in Cyprus Mandate,” 2014. 
08, 2014.

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